Photo Credit: City of Pleasanton / Overview of Measure HH from the July 7 City Council meeting
(PLEASANTON, Calif.) – Voters in the City of Pleasanton will decide on November 3 whether to approve or reject Me.asure HH, an increase in the city’s hotel tax. Formerly known as the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), Measure HH would increase the rate paid by overnight guests in short-term lodging facilities, such as hotels and motels, for 30 days or less.
The Pleasanton City Council unanimously voted to include the measure on the general election ballot at the July 7 City Council meeting.
According to the City of Pleasanton, the city's current TOT is 8 percent and has remained unchanged since 1983. It is also one of the lowest rates in Alameda County. Measure HH increases the rate to 10 percent beginning on July 1, 2027, increasing to 12 percent on July 1, 2028.
If approved, the measure is expected to generate $1.4 million in its first year and an estimated $2.8 million in annual revenue for the city once its fully implemented. The measure's potential revenue will fund the city’s General Fund and services like public safety, infrastructure, maintenance, and recreation.
District 3 Councilmember and mayoral candidate Julie Testa expressed support for the measure in the July 7 City Council meeting. “I still have absolute support for putting this on the ballot,” said Testa. “I think it is needed and I believe it will be strongly supported by the community.”
“While our fiscal challenges will require fiscal discipline, I do believe asking the voters for the Pleasanton Transient Orient Tax to increase, which hasn’t changed since 1983, is appropriate and reasonable at this time,” said Mayor Balch, who is seeking re-election, and running against Testa
In a candidate forum hosted by Pleasanton Weekly on September 29, both Mayoral and City Council candidates discussed their views on Measure HH. City Council District 1 candidate Vin Kruttiventi expressed support for the measure.
“I’m a very reluctant supporter of the hotel tax,” said Kruttiventi, "Its nowhere near fixing our structural deficit."
After referring to the potential revenue the tax can bring to the city, he commented, "We should be looking at the bigger picture, we should be focused on the only thing that matters to us...increas[ing] our revenue base.”
District 1 candidate Kathy Narum also expressed support for Measure HH. “It’s an equitable way to raise some money,” said Narum. “Yes, it will not solve the problems, but it’s a start.”
In District 3, both candidates, Reena Gupta and Jamie Yee, support the measure. While Gupta expressed support for the measure, she says that support alone is not enough and that the City of Pleasanton needs to focus on community awareness and transparency about the destination of revenue obtained through the measure.
“A tax on an empty hotel room generates nothing,” said Gupta. “That is where we need to think big and think global, [but] act local. Let’s bring more events, more conferences, more reasons for people to come here and stay.”
Although Yee expressed support for the measure, she expressed concern about how the city still has a deficit, even when the city’s property tax has steadily increased. “It’s good money that we should take in,” said Yee. “There’s just something that’s so troubling to me, when you look at our property taxes over the last three years, it’s actually increased. Our sales tax over the last three years has been pretty flat, 24, 25, 26 million, but yet we still have this deficit.”
Voters in the City of Pleasanton will have the option to vote for or against Measure HH on the November ballot for the General Election. The measure would require a majority vote by residents who are eligible to vote in the City of Pleasanton.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please contact me at joel.m@lead4earth.org or leave a comment below with your thoughts.
Cover Photo Credit: City of Pleasanton
0
0
Comments