Preserving Quality of Life and City Services in Redlands –
Information About Local Funding Measure
Here in Redlands, we’re a big town with a small town feel. As
Redlands prepares for the future, we strive to preserve our city
services and residents’ quality of life.
Redlands is one of the few cities in the County with its own
Police and Fire Departments, guaranteeing our police and
firefighters are available when needed and not diverted to
service other cities. However, calls for 9-1-1 emergencies, crime
rates and fire risks are all much higher than in the past, and we
have fewer police officers, firefighters and paramedics in
Redlands today than we did 10 years ago.
Ensuring that the City can respond quickly to 9-1-1 emergencies
and tackle issues like homelessness, will require additional
public safety resources and is critical to saving lives and
keeping our community a safe place to live. Additionally, the
City’s streets, sidewalks, parks, storm drains and other
infrastructure require basic repairs and maintenance. When these
repairs are not addressed, they become a lot more expensive to
repair in the future.
Local Sales Tax Measure
Though the City has created a balanced budget every year for the
past 12 years, the scope of the City’s needs is greater than the
current resources available. Despite being fiscally conservative,
the City is facing an $5.6 million budget shortfall that is
expected to widen in the future due to the current economic
climate.
To preserve public safety, city services and local
infrastructure, the Redlands City Council recently voted to place
a one-cent sales tax measure on the November 2020 ballot. The
local measure could address needs across the community, including
but not limited to:
- Addressing the homeless problem
- Maintaining police services including neighborhood police
patrols, crime prevention and investigations
- Reducing gang activity and drug-related crimes
- Keeping public areas, parks and recreation facilities
well-maintained and free of graffiti and maintaining public
buildings and infrastructure including sidewalks, curbs and storm
drains
- Providing fire protection and paramedic services and
replacing outdated lifesaving and firefighting equipment
Fiscal Accountability Required
The local sales tax measure would require fiscal accountability
protections, including:
- Currently, nearly all of the sales tax generated locally goes
to the State or the County – all money raised by the measure
would stay in Redlands to address local needs
- By law, no funds could be taken away by the State
- A clear system of accountability would be required, including
independent citizens’ oversight and annual audits to ensure that
the money is spent properly
- Groceries, prescription medicine and other essential items
would be excluded from the sales tax measure
We Want to Hear from You
We have collected over 1,000 survey responses to date. This has
helped us learn more about the community’s priorities as we
explore a potential sales tax measure. We invite you to continue
to make your voice heard and click below to complete our brief
survey.
For More Information
If you would like to learn more about the local funding measure
and local priorities for the City of Redlands, contact Public
Information Officer Carl Baker at (909) 798-7687 or email:
info@cityofredlands.org.
Links and Downloads
Informational Handout
Community Mailer 1
Community Mailer 2
June 16, 2020 City Council Presentation on Voter Survey Results
Community PowerPoint Presentation
