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.

Proposed 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 has 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:

• 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

Local Accountability & Control of Any Potential New Sales Tax Revenue:

The Infrastructure Task Force recommended protections be put in place to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of sales tax revenue, including:  

• Independent citizen oversight, public spending disclosure, and mandatory annual audits
• Assurance that all revenue remains locally controlled and can’t be taken away by the State
• Exemptions for groceries, medicine, and feminine hygiene products

We Want to Hear From You!

As we continue to explore options that protect our beaches, community, and quality of life, we want to hear from you! The City will be posting a survey to allow residents to share your priorities for potential new local funding.  In the meantime, you may provide your feedback via email to localfunding@encinitasca.gov.

LINKS

• Learn more
• One-Page Fact Sheet
• Infrastructure Task Force