From a potential sales tax increase in Oroville to making showers available to those experiencing homelessness in Redding, elected officials are set to consider a number of weighty issues around the region this evening.
Oroville
In Oroville the discussion will be purely conceptual, but a bump in the sales tax rate may be on its way.
Jack Berry is an Oroville city council member.
“Well, it’s pretty much up in the air right now,” Berry said.
So far, it’s not even a proposal. Officials haven’t floated a dollar amount for how much the city needs, the rate of the increase, or whether the money would go to the city’s general fund or be restricted to a specific cause, such as public safety.
The council is expected to narrow down the options or dismiss the idea entirely.
Berry said he’s been told the city faces a shortfall of between $200,000 to $500,000 in the upcoming year.
Marijuana is also on the docket as officials consider placing an official measure on the ballot that would regulate cannabis-related businesses. The proposal is also a conceptual blueprint.
Berry said that with changes to state law and a visit to the City of Shasta Lake, where a marijuana dispensary is operating without significant controversy, he’s more open to the idea.
“Maybe this will cut down on the illegal trade,” he said.
Even if the council rejects it, voters may get the final say in November regardless, as cannabis proponents push their own city-wide initiative on the subject.
Redding
In Redding officials will receive a report assessing a trial service that provided roving shower facilities to those experiencing homelessness. The project could return and involve retrofitted buses. The council will also consider increasing the library’s budget by $200,000, ask private entities to put forward proposals that would draw more residents to South City Park and endorse a proposal to reform recent statewide criminal justice reforms, saying they go too easy on criminals.
Chico
In Chico tonight, the council considers endorsing the same crime measure as Redding, receives a report from its Sustainability Task Force and looks into a push for council term limits sought by city council member Mark Sorensen that could potentially kick off the body long-serving city council member Ann Schwab, a Sorensen rival.