SAN MARCOS, Calif. — People living in San Marcos will see enhancements throughout the city at a cost with the passing of Measure Q, a one cent sales tax increase. The measure will raise the sales tax from 7.75 percent to 8.75 percent.
Unofficial election results show about 60 percent of people voted in favor of the measure, leading by more than 7,000 votes as of Thursday evening.
The city shares they will use the funds to help maintain efficient 911 emergency response times, paramedic services among other improvements.
“I know it takes money to fix all these things, and it's not an easy thing, and labor is also not cheap, right? So I'm in full support of that. If you are seeing the benefits of it, definitely,” San Marcos Resident Bhushan Fadnis said.
The city also states the spending will be subject to an independent citizens oversight committee with annual audits. The funds will also be used to improve roads, maintain city streets and fix potholes.
The funds will also cover the cleaning and maintenance of parks, playgrounds and sports fields.
Bhushan tells CBS 8 he takes his two-year old maltipoo 'Simba' to Woodland park in San Marcos almost daily.
“That's amazing, even this park is always pretty clean but yeah, I mean ... I love the pond, so I hope they will clean it because sometimes there's some dirt over there but so yeah super excited for that,” Fadnis said.
The new tax will remain in place for ten years and the city will begin to receive funding from Measure Q in April 2025.