Utility Tax Extension to Be Placed on Ballot
The Covina City Council has unanimously agreed to let voters decide in March whether to continue the city’s utility tax.
The council had long debated whether to put it up for a vote or to simply let the tax expire in November 1999.
Covina Mayor Chris Christensen and City Councilman John Wilcox had opposed placing the issue on the ballot. But Tuesday they voted with colleagues to put the measure before voters with the addition of a 10-year sunset clause and a resolution on how the money would be spent.
The 8.25% utility tax was approved by voters in 1994 after a bitter political fight that led to the recall of an entire council. The tax rate was later reduced to 5.5%. It now generates more than $3 million for the city each year.
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