Criminal Justice Tax Proposal for $23m in Marysville

The Marysville City Council just approved submitting the ballot measure for a public vote. In the August primaries, Marysville residents will weigh-in
on whether or not they’ll pay an additional .1% sales tax increase, which will be funneled towards criminal justice projects.

Those projects are detailed as a new police services building; this includes an area for police personnel and public service area, as well as a new
jail to be placed between Fourth and Seventh in downtown (east of the railroad tracks and west from Comeford Park).

The current building was built back in 1986, when the population of Marysville was just 8,000. Now, it is nearly 70,000 and forecasted for 89,000 by
2035.

From their website:

If voters approve, the Criminal Justice Tax would collect an additional one-tenth of one percent (or 10 cents on a $100 purchase) for public safety purposes. This could provide for $800,000 in annual revenues, about 70% of the estimated annual debt payment of $1.138 million for a 30-year General Obligation bond on a new Police Services Building. The City Council selected this potential funding mechanism because:

1.The measure requires voter approval, allowing Marysville residents to voice their opinions through the election process.

2.Sales tax is paid by both residents and visitors. Similarly, police response and jail needs are driven by both residents and non-residents. A sales
tax-based approach provides for payment by a wider audience than property owners alone.

The remaining $338,000, about 30% of the annual debt payment, would come from the city’s General Fund.