Concord City Council Places Measure Q Extension on November Ballot
Funds would maintain fiscal stability, local control and essential city services
Concord, CA – The Concord City Council voted unanimously (5-0) to place a local revenue extension measure for voter consideration on the November 2020 ballot. If enacted by voters, the measure would extend the City’s existing, voter-approved Measure Q local funding at a one-cent rate to maintain fiscal stability and continue addressing priorities identified by the public.
After conducting community outreach and engagement in 2019, the City continued to gather community feedback in April – amid the pandemic – to determine residents’ priorities. Together, more than 1,200 residents responded, identifying the following key services as top priorities to address:
- Supporting local businesses and residents through recovery from the COVID-19 crisis
- Maintaining 911 emergency response times
- Enhancing city street and pothole repair
- Preparing for and responding to natural disasters and health emergencies
- Maintaining gang prevention and crime investigation services
Independent public opinion research, conducted by Godbe Research, indicated that as much as 71% of respondents would support a simple-majority requirement extension which, if enacted, would generate local funds to continue to address essential quality of life, health and safety preparedness services as cities around the nation contend with the impacts of COVID-19.
“We appreciate the community’s interest and participation in the past months, especially in these times,” said City Manager Valerie Barone. “Extending this funding will be critical to addressing our local needs with locally controlled funding that cannot be taken by the State, and at a time when we cannot depend on adequate state or federal funding to address local relief and recovery efforts.”
If enacted, all funding from the measure would continue to be subject to independent annual financial audits, public spending reports and an independent citizens’ oversight committee.
You can find the related staff report here.