Countywide : Supervisors OK Half-Cent Sales Tax

Orange County supervisors grudgingly endorsed the state’s half-cent sales tax Tuesday, saying they were forced to in a “devious scheme” by the state Legislature.

The resolution, approved in a 4-1 vote, effectively guarantees that the county will receive about $75 million through December to pay for critical public safety services that were threatened by budget cuts.

“In considering this, I have had the feeling that a gun has been put in our back,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Harriett M. Wieder said. “If we get shot, it’s only because we are defending public safety for our families.”

Although Orange County voters will decide in November whether to extend the tax beyond this year, failure by the board to adopt Tuesday’s resolution would have disqualified the county and local cities from receiving any sales tax revenue collected locally between August and December.

The extension of the tax was proposed by the state to partially offset the loss of property tax revenues to local governments when the Legislature approved the shift of $2.6 billion in tax money to pay for public education. In Orange County, the shift resulted in a loss of $152 million.

Supervisor William G. Steiner cast the dissenting vote, saying he was supporting tax relief for county residents.

In addition, Steiner said the state had not clearly defined which agencies would be eligible for public safety funding from the sales tax extension.

According to the state proposal, funding would be limited to police, sheriff’s departments, county prosecutors, county jails and fire protection services.

But as late as Tuesday afternoon, Steiner said much broader interpretations for funding eligibility were being offered, including some plans for funding emergency medical service departments. As a result, the supervisor said the sales tax extension would not automatically fill funding gaps in traditional law enforcement departments.

“I didn’t bring a rubber stamp with me to the Board of Supervisors,” Steiner said of his dissenting vote. “My vote is very consistent with my (anti-tax) philosophy. I’ve got to vote my conscious.”