Arcata City Council members reviewed the history and proposed renewal of Measure G ahead of the Nov. 3 ballot, where voters are scheduled to decide whether to continue the local transaction-and-use tax.
At the council’s Oct. 7 meeting, Assistant City Manager and Finance Director Tabitha Miller said the council had voted unanimously in June to place the renewal on the ballot. The original measure was approved by voters in 2008 and began generating revenue in 2009, she said.
Miller reported that Measure G has brought in approximately $39 million since collections began. About $21.5 million, or roughly 55%, went to streets, while $17.5 million went to public safety, according to her presentation. The city also used the funding to help leverage $35 million in state and federal grants over the past decade, she said.
The measure supports public-safety staffing as well as pothole repair and maintenance of streets, sidewalks, multiuse trails and bicycle paths, along with multimodal transportation improvements. Miller said the city’s 2026 streets budget totaled $7.7 million, including $2.8 million from Measure G and other money from state taxes, grants and other sources.
The renewal language presented at the meeting would continue those priorities and would not include an expiration date; it would remain in effect unless voters later removed it, Miller said. The meeting presentation did not provide a proposed tax rate or a future-revenue projection.
Miller also said the city’s Transaction and Use Tax Oversight Committee would continue reviewing Measure G spending and making recommendations to the council. The Oct. 7 Arcata City Council meeting did not include the full ballot measure text or a fiscal-impact statement.
