On Tuesday, March 5, Glendora voters took to the polls to solidify their stance on Measure E, which ended up passing under a final count of 3,036 “YES” to 2,649 “NO” votes.
The origin of this bill arose after the Citizens Advisory Committee concluded that the City of Glendora’s current financial position was “dire,” and that immediate legislation must be put forth in order to avoid “severe depletion of the City’s level of essential services provided for the benefits of its residents.”
Measure E will add an estimated 0.75% to the local sales tax (which currently stands at 9.50%). This increased tax is not limited to either private or chain businesses. Simply put, any purchase from any retailer within Glendora city limits will be subjected to the new 10.25% sales tax.
With the estimated $35 million expected to be brought in yearly by Measure E, city government plans to spend the collected funds on “essential services for the residents of Glendora,” explains City Council Member Karen Davis.
“To keep local tax dollars in Glendora for local quality of life programs and essential services,” clarifies Davis when asked the intent of the new legislation.
Some notable improvements to the community that will be seen as a result of the obtained $35 million will be an increase in public safety staff, road maintenance, youth programs, and “improving the overall financial health of the City.”
Even though Measure E passed, it was still met with plenty of pre-election backlash. The 46% of Glendorians that voted “NO” had many legitimate concerns over the increased sales tax, one of them being the effect on small businesses. The fear is that these institutions will end up losing customers, as they would simply travel to the next city over for the same item, but for less of a price.
The election itself rose many eyebrows amongst questioning Glendora residents, as they believed the campaign to promote Measure E wasted valuable city funds, time, and resources.
Davis responds to these claims by explaining, “If the City did not put this Measure forward now, we would have most likely missed the window to have those funds come to Glendora rather than another entity.”
Additionally, the campaign for this legislation has been funded and run by a citizen’s group, not the City of Glendora.
City Council predicts that most of the estimated yearly income from this increased tax will in fact not come from Glendora residents, but rather visitors from neighboring cities who dine and shop around town.
As Davis concludes, “The money that is being spent on the actual election is a one-time investment for a long term revenue source that far exceeds the cost of the election.”
With luck, Measure E will hopefully bring the City of Glendora out of its current financial slump and improve the overall living conditions for its residents.
