Kern County Hosting a Series of Community Meetings Regarding Proposed 1% Sales Tax

Kern County Hosting a Series of Community Meetings Regarding Proposed 1% Sales Tax

Residents living in unincorporated parts of Kern County will be able to vote on a 1-cent sales tax measure in the November election. Now to educate residents about what this revenue can do and answer any questions, county officials will be hosting a series of community meetings starting Monday night in Oildale.

According to County Chief Communications Officer Ally Soper, Kern revenue has fallen in recent years due to state oil and gas policies so this represents a way to raise the funds tackling community concerns. County officials spent the last year polling residents about their concerns and among the top priorities were public safety and other vital services like emergency response time. Soper says this measure has the potential to raise $54,000,000 annually.

Approximately 1/3 of Kern County residents live in unincorporated areas.

The first meeting is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. August 1st at the North of the River Veterans Building at 400 West Norris Road.

More information about upcoming meetings and the Unincorporated Public Safety, Vital Services, and Local Control Measure can be found here