Local News in Brief : Countywide : Cost-of-Living Increase Added to TIN CUP Limit

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday added a cost-of-living increase to the county’s TIN CUP campaign contribution law.

Under the modified ordinance, a supervisor cannot vote on an issue that involves a contributor who has donated more than $1,808 to his or her campaign during the previous 4 years. The previous limit had been $1,739.

The county counsel’s office recommended the annual increase of about 4% based on inflation calculations made by the state Department of Finance, which reviewed the TIN CUP increase before it was recommended to the supervisors.

The TIN CUP ordinance--which means Time Is Now, Clean Up Politics--was adopted by the supervisors in 1978 after it qualified for the ballot in a signature drive. The limit has been increased each year since 1980.