A one percent sales tax to pay for improvements and expansion of the Shasta County Jail is apparently not going to happen. A proposal had been made to put the question on the ballot in November. A sales tax to support public safety in Shasta County has failed repeatedly, most recently just four years ago. Any configuration that jail expansion may take is too expensive for the county’s current revenue flow, and it seems the only viable solution is a sales tax. Last month the board voted 3 to 2 to direct staff to draw up a ballot measure for the board’s consideration. The estimate is that a Half Cent tax would bring in $17.7 Million annually, and a One Cent tax would bring in $35.4 Million. But Tuesday the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously against backing the ballot measure.
– Steve Gibson