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Brisbane council places business‑license tax restructuring on November ballot
Summary
Council approved a ballot measure to replace the tiered business‑license tax with a gross‑receipts model (a $50 minimum for receipts ≤ $25,000; $50 per $1,000 above $25,000), projected to raise about $1 million annually. The measure will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot if the council’s resolution is submitted to the county.
The Brisbane City Council voted July 13 to place a proposed business‑license tax restructuring measure on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
Finance staff and consultant Eric Myers presented the recommended structure: a flat $50 tax for businesses with annual gross receipts of $25,000 or less, and $50 per $1,000 of gross receipts above $25,000 for most other businesses. The proposal also establishes a minimum tax base equal to a firm’s cost of operations where operating costs exceed gross receipts, staff said.
"We recommend replacing the current tiered structure with a clearer gross‑receipts methodology," consultant Eric Myers said. City attorney Sam Zutler read the ballot question summary to the council and noted the estimate that the change would raise about $1,000,000 annually until repealed by the voters.
Council members said the approach modernizes a tax structure that had not been updated in many years and helps capture revenue from companies with large local operations that currently pay little business‑license tax. The council approved a resolution to place the measure on the ballot and directed staff to form a small subcommittee to draft the city’s argument in favor of the measure and to handle the rebuttal process under election code rules.
What’s next: if the council finalizes arguments, the clerk will submit the materials to the county for inclusion on the November ballot; staff said follow‑up ordinance drafting (a procedural ‘cleanup’ ordinance) would occur after the election if voters approve the measure.
