Selma city council weighs local sales tax amid Measure C uncertainty

Selma city officials presented a choice of local sales taxes at a Feb. 3 City Council briefing, but the council voted 5-0 not to place a Selma-specific measure on the November ballot now. City Manager Jason Rogers introduced the issue to the council in Selma, and DKS Associates regional director Kendall Flint laid out legal limits and two concrete rate options in response to what city staff described as a tumultuous renewal process for Fresno County’s Measure C.

Flint outlined Option A as a half-cent transportation special tax (0.5%) reserved only for transportation projects and Option B as a three-quarter‑cent general sales tax (0.75%) aimed at improving overall quality of life across city services. Flint explained the difference between a special tax, such as Selma’s existing Measure S for public safety, and a general tax that could fund multiple services, and told council members the group had “many avenues it could move forward with.”

The Council also heard that California state law limits combined local sales taxes to 2.0%, a cap that constrains any new city levy. Flint noted that when Selma’s Measure S, the countywide Measure C transportation tax, and existing county taxes for the zoo and the library are counted, the city would be limited to adding up to 0.75% under the 2.0% cap. Flint emphasized that the tax rate Selma could implement “would change depending on what happens at the county level,” tying the city’s options directly to county ballot outcomes.

That county-level uncertainty was underscored by action at the Fresno County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 27, when Board Chair Garry Bredefeld directed county staff to return with a legal and fiscal analysis about placing a countywide general sales tax on the November ballot. Bredefeld told the board the potential county tax could fund broad needs, saying, “The general tax could be used for expenses such as actually repairing and fixing roads, other capital projects, public safety, other critical needs.”

After hearing staff presentations and Flint’s analysis at the Feb. 3 briefing, Selma’s City Council unanimously decided to wait. Members voted 5-0 to hold off pursuing a Selma-specific sales tax at this time, with the council agreeing to monitor county actions and election outcomes before deciding whether to pursue a city measure later.

City staff and DKS Associates left councilmembers with the technical constraints and rate options on the table, 0.5% transportation special or 0.75% general, while making clear Selma’s path forward depends on what Fresno County ultimately places on the November ballot and how the existing Measure S and other county levies stack under the 2.0% state cap.