Twentynine Palms City Council to consider 2026 sales tax measure at tonight’s meeting (10/14)
The Twentynine Palms City Council will gather this evening with no public hearings and just one discussion item – a new tax in the new year.
Council will discuss the prospect of authorizing the city to enter into a professional agreement with Probolsky Research ($22,500) and Lew Edwards Group ($74,750) to research the reality and effectiveness of a 2026 one percent sales tax measure.
City staff will make the argument that costs of maintaining city services have risen while city revenue has stagnated. Prior to 1973, property taxes funneled 90 percent to state cities and counties, but the passing of Proposition 13 altered that significantly with property taxes now contributing an average of less than 66 percent toward revenue. For Twentynine Palms specifically, property taxes contribute approximately 23 percent to total city revenues.
Citing recent examples of Yucca Valley, Palm Desert, Indio, and Cathedral City who passed similar measures to fill the revenue gap, staff notes that the city requires an additional revenue stream to fund a new animal shelter and maintain city services such as road maintenance, parks, and law enforcement.
Staff is looking to hire Probolsky Research to assess city issues and Lew Edwards Group as an outreach consultant. Additionally, staff is asking for up to $25K for community outreach and education.
The meeting takes place on Tuesday, October 14, at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall, 6136 Adobe Road.
The agenda can be viewed here: https://citwentynine-palmsca.civicweb.net/document/136180/?printPdf=true
It can also be livestreamed here: https://citwentynine-palmsca.civicweb.net/Portal/Video.aspx
