The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to have a consultant do public polling on three tax measures for the November 2024 general election ballot.
The county hired Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates Research (FM3 Research), an opinion, research and strategy firm, to conduct the survey to examine voter opinions toward a general sales tax in unincorporated area of the county, a special sales tax to fund libraries, and a special parcel tax to fund libraries.
The vote came with two suggestions from the board, the first from Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann, who suggested that FM3 look at voter attitudes toward a tax in the unincorporated areas going toward urban services in those areas.
Polling for special sales or parcel tax for library services will look at voter interest for paying an additional one-eighth percent.
Chair Das Williams suggested that the firm look at voter attitude toward one-fourth percent as well as one-eighth percent.
His reasoning was that one-eighth percent would already seem low to voters so they could at least explore how much of an increase voters would be okay with.
“If it’s going to have opposition anyway there’s no purpose in doing an eighth,” Williams said on Tuesday.
Williams also noted that the county has spent more money on libraries in recent years with only a few services added.
Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino voted against the polling, noting that many residents may feel that they are already paying additional sales tax thanks to the rise in inflation.
“I’m sure there’s pockets of this county where people look at another dollar, two dollars and think it’s no big deal,” Lavagnino said. “But there are other parts in our community, in our county, where over a week that adds up to something for them and it’s meaningful.”
Bob Nelson, Fourth District Supervisor, also voted against it, saying that he would rather see revenues increase by creating more business opportunities within the county.
“We really need to be promoting high paying jobs and opportunities in our county so companies can invest in our county and their employees, instead of some of the regulatory burdens that we put on them,” Nelson said.
FM3 will conduct public polling in November and the County Executive Office will return to the board in January with the results of the polling. The board will then decide based on polling results which of the three measures, if any, will go on the November 2024 ballot.
