Santa Rosa staff urges sales‑tax reauthorization to avert cuts; police and fire chiefs warn service losses

Scott Wagner, the city’s chief financial officer, told the Santa Rosa City Council on July 13 that the city remains in a structural deficit in its general fund and recommended the council consider reauthorizing Measure Q as a 1¢ transaction/use (sales) tax "until repealed by voters." Wagner said staff are asking the council for direction to return with ballot language and said the measure could bring in roughly $47 million annually, with an estimated $23.5 million net to the city in the first year of reauthorization.

Wagner framed the request by reviewing the last three years of cuts and reforms: he said the city reduced staffing by 82 full‑time equivalents in the general fund, shifted $10.2 million of discretionary funds to reserves and negotiated a $482 million pension restructuring that he said will save about $28 million over five years. He noted the city’s general fund is heavily dependent on sales tax, and that sales tax collections were down $2.1 million by the end of fiscal 2025 compared with three years earlier.

John Krieging, Santa Rosa police chief, said the police department eliminated 15 positions last fiscal year (nine sworn officers and six civilian positions) and warned that without new revenue future reductions could cut another 11 sworn officers in the near term and up to 24 sworn officers by 2030. "We're taking another step back," Krieging said, adding that specialty teams such as gang, narcotics and traffic units would be at risk and that priority‑1 response times could rise significantly if staffing is reduced.

Fire Chief Scott Westrop said the fire department has cut to the bone and that further reductions could require closing an engine company (nine personnel) by July 1, 2027, and potentially close a truck company by 2030 if no new revenue is found. "With the closure of a fire station … there will be an impact to call response times," Westrop said, noting that the department is not meeting its internal goals for response times and that reductions would also hurt wildfire response and special‑operations capabilities.

Misty Wood, the city’s communications and intergovernmental relations officer, summarized the city’s community outreach, saying the "Let's Talk Santa Rosa" bilingual effort received more than 2,400 survey responses and 14 meetings. She said follow‑up polling in June 2026 showed 55% of respondents said they would definitely or probably vote yes on the reauthorization; support rose to 62% when including leaners, with a margin of error of about ±4.9 percentage points.

Several council members expressed support for returning with measure language: Councilmember McDonald urged transparency and said the council should bring language back for voters to consider; Councilmember Rogers and others said they supported staff returning with ballot language and continuing public engagement. The mayor framed the decision as a community choice: "If we don't want to tax ourselves … we're going to see the service impacts immediately," he said.

Public commenters offered mixed messages. Resident Duane DeWitt suggested alternatives such as feeing park vendors and selling underused city property; another commenter warned of political backlash against tax proposals. Several community speakers urged aggressive civic outreach and clear explanations of how revenues would sustain core services.

What happens next: staff asked for direction to return with ballot wording and said they would bring back specific language and materials for council consideration; the transcript records broad council support for bringing language back but no formal motion or vote to place a measure on the ballot during this meeting.