Pasadena council places 19¢‑per‑sq‑ft parcel tax on November ballot with 14‑year sunset and retrofit guarantee

The Pasadena City Council on Aug. 3 approved putting a parcel tax measure on the November ballot to raise roughly $22.1 million a year for fire, emergency medical services and wildfire and earthquake preparedness. City Manager Matt Hawksworth summarized the proposal as “an annual levy of 19¢ per square foot of improved property.”

The proposal, as amended and adopted, includes a written sunset: staff will revise ballot language to replace “until ended by voters” with “expiring after 14 years,” and the municipal code will add a sunset provision. The council also directed staff to strengthen the ordinance language to guarantee the seismic retrofit of the two stations identified as seismically unsound. Hawksworth told the council the staff model could accommodate a 10‑ or 15‑year sunset but the revised plan and timeline can be structured to assure delivery of capital projects within the chosen window.

The measure is structured as a special parcel tax and is intended to fund capital work first (training center, reconstruction of Stations 33 and 37, and a new station), then ongoing operational needs including additional ambulances, a suppression company and brush abatement. Hawksworth said the pay‑as‑you‑go model front‑loads capital in the first 10 years and that “we could achieve all of the things incorporated in the plan within 10 years” if council prefers a shorter sunset, while staff noted a longer sunset would provide more runway.

Council members debated fairness and timing. Council member Hampton moved for a 10‑year sunset, saying it made the measure more palatable to voters; others worried that a short sunset could create a funding “cliff” for ongoing staffing and operations. After negotiation the council amended the staff recommendation and voted to approve the motion with a 14‑year sunset and an explicit retrofit commitment. The clerk announced the roll call: Cole, Jones, Lyon, Madison, Masuda, Vice Mayor Rivas and Mayor Gordo voted yes; Hampton recorded an abstention. Hawksworth said staff will revise the ballot question to show the expiration timeframe and add accountability, independent audits and public spending disclosures.

The measure will appear on the November ballot with the amended language and the council’s direction to add clearer guardrails and a schedule for audits and public reporting. If approved by voters it would begin collecting the parcel tax as described in the municipal code amendment; if it fails, the council and staff will need to revisit how to fund the listed capital and operational items.