The City of Encinitas takes great pride in keeping the community safe, clean, and accessible for everyone to enjoy. Residents enjoy world-class beaches, environmental ideals, and community infrastructure that ties it all together. It’s a vibe that’s uniquely ours, and we’re thinking ahead about how to protect it for future generations. 

The City of Encinitas currently maintains a vast network of vital infrastructure, including 172 miles of streets, 152 acres of parkland across our 20 parks, 66 miles of storm drains, and 6 beaches. With 50-year-old underground storm drainpipes deteriorating, there’s a growing concern about flooding, sinkholes, and keeping the ocean clean.

The ongoing challenge of maintaining our streets, beaches, parks, and public facilities, given their age and continuous use, requires us to make necessary repairs, replacements, and upgrades for the benefit of all residents.

Community Infrastructure Task Force:

To quantify these significant challenges, the City Council formed a community Infrastructure Task Force (ITF), comprised of Encinitas citizen volunteers with relevant experience, to provide oversight, input, and transparency into assessing our most urgent local infrastructure needs, including streets, storm drains, public safety, beaches, and parks/recreation upgrades.

Local Funding Measure:

Despite the pressing need for improvements, the State of California doesn’t provide Encinitas with dedicated funding for these necessary repairs and upgrades. The ITF recommended exploring a one-cent local sales tax, which would generate approximately $15.4 million annually in local funds. The proposed measure aims to provide funds than can be used to address the following key repairs and services:

• Preventing the infiltration of trash and pollution into our lagoons, local waterways, and off-beaches
• Protecting public beaches, restoring sand, and safeguarding local reefs and wildlife habitats
• Fixing potholes, paving/maintaining streets, and improving public safety
• Keeping parks, beaches, community centers, and public facilities safe, clean, and well-maintained
• Repairing and upgrading aging storm drains, bridges, sidewalks, curbs, and public facilities
• Ensuring adequate emergency response

On May 22, 2024 staff presented the sales tax ballot measure to City Council for their consideration.  Encinitas City Council voted 4-1 to put a one-cent per dollar sales tax on the November 5, 2024 ballot.  This action allows the residents of Encinitas to vote on whether they want to approve the tax and generate additional revenue to address the City’s infrastructure repairs and services; or reject the tax and continue to manage the City’s aging infrastructure and services with existing revenue.

• The new sales tax would include standard tax exemptions for groceries, prescription medicines, diapers, baby formula, and feminine hygiene products. 

Local Accountability & Control of New Sales Tax Revenue:

The City Council vote included putting protections in place to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of sales tax revenue, including:  

• Independent citizen oversight committee, public spending disclosures, and mandatory annual audits
• Assurance that all revenue remains locally controlled and can’t be taken away by the State

If you have any questions about this sales tax ballot measure, you can email staff at localfunding@encinitasca.gov. 

LINKS

• Learn more
• One-Page Fact Sheet
• Infrastructure Task Force
• Maintaining Our Beaches, Streets, and Quality of Life - Presentation