CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council will not place a sales tax measure on the June ballot.

That was the conclusion at the end of a special Thursday afternoon meeting convened to discuss the sales tax measure proposal.

The council had intended to present a 1-percent general sales tax measure to the voters, with proceeds to be used for road improvements, code enforcement and animal control.

At its Feb. 27 meeting, the council had voted 3-2 – with Jeri Spittler and Joyce Overton voting no – to place the proposal on the June 3 primary ballot.

However, City Manager Joan Phillipe told the council during the special meeting Thursday that the initiative in ineligible for the June ballot.

Phillipe said that, upon further review, the city's legal counsel discovered that the measure does not meet the criteria for the upcoming primary election.

She said in order for a general tax to be posed to the voters, it must be consolidated with a regularly scheduled general election of the governing body of the local government, unless an emergency is declared.

Because there are not any council elections included on the June ballot, Phillipe said the measure cannot be placed as a general tax. Nor did she believe that an emergency exists that would justify its placement on the ballot in June.

The deadline to withdraw the initiative from the ballot is March 12; however, Phillipe said it is too late to pull notices paid to run in local news publications.

The council intends to discuss its options at its next regular meeting before providing staff with direction in how to proceed.

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