The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors this week voted to place a sales tax on the ballot for the upcoming June election that they said is needed to backfill recent federal funding cuts.
The board voted 4-1 Tuesday to place the sales tax of five-eighths of a cent per dollar for five years on the June 2 ballot. If a majority of the county's voters approve the measure, it is estimated to generate about 150 million dollars annually.
The resolution said that Contra Costa County would see annual deficits of more than $300 million through 2029 from federal cuts.
The county would also need approval from the state Legislature to raise a sales tax cap -- state law caps the total combined tax rate in a county at two percent unless granted exceptions by the Legislature -- for the measure to go into effect.
