Vacaville launches outreach on budget gap, possible sales tax measure

Vacaville is asking residents to weigh in before city leaders decide whether to seek a 1.00% sales tax to help close a structural deficit that staff says is nearing $9 million a year even after cost-saving steps.

The city’s “Choosing a Path” outreach is built around a simple choice with local consequences: keep current funding levels and risk future cuts as costs continue to rise, or approve a locally controlled one-cent sales tax that Vacaville says would stay in the city. City materials say the money could help protect fire protection, police services and 911 emergency response, all core functions in a full-service city that directly provides many services through its own departments and staff.

Vacaville has scheduled three community meetings this month to explain its financial outlook and the options under consideration. The first is April 16 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Ulatis Community Center, followed by an April 20 session from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the same site. A third meeting is set for April 21 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Three Oaks Community Center. The city says those meetings are meant to help residents understand the budget picture and possible paths forward, alongside presentations, frequently asked questions, a questionnaire and newsletter outreach.

The outreach comes after staff analysis of the city’s five-year forecast showed a structural gap between ongoing revenues and the rising cost of delivering services. City materials say inflation and other cost pressures have widened that gap, even after budget actions and other savings measures. Officials are also showing residents what the city has already done to try to close the shortfall through public finance and open-budget materials.

A possible measure would not be the first time Vacaville voters have backed local tax support. Measure M, a 3/4-cent sales tax, was first approved by 70% of voters in 2012, during the lingering fiscal strain of the Great Recession. It was renewed and expanded in 2016 by 63% of voters and took effect in April 2018.

If the City Council moves ahead, the city says the proposed measure could go before voters in the November 2026 General Election. City materials say any measure would include a Citizens’ Oversight Committee and annual independent audits, a structure intended to give residents a clear accounting of how the money is used. For Vacaville, the next few weeks will determine whether the city asks voters for another local tax tool, or whether leaders will have to make harder choices about services already under pressure.