Bay City News
Sonoma County voters will consider increasing the local sales tax to fund wildfire response and preparedness and will guide the makeup of the county’s governing board in the primary election on March 5.
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will have three seats available on the ballot this election cycle. Voters will also decide on Measure H, a half-cent sales tax that would be in effect until voters remove it in a future election. The measure would raise an estimated $60,000,000 annually, according to the county counsel’s analysis.
The money would be directed to a fund dedicated to wildfire prevention, preparedness, emergency response and vegetation management. The funds would be divided among 31 different agencies, with most set aside for the county’s independent fire districts.
If approved by more than 50 percent of voters, the increased tax would take effect Oct. 1.
In the supervisor races, District 5 incumbent Lynda Hopkins is running unopposed. The district includes the county’s coastline, Sebastopol, the lower Russian River and portions of Santa Rosa.