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COACHELLA VALLEY — Residents in three communities — Cathedral City, Palm Desert and Desert Hot Springs — will decide on Nov. 5 whether to approve a sales tax hike. All three communities are seeking the increase for a variety of reasons.

Residents in Cathedral City will decide whether to increase the city sales tax by a half cent. The sales tax in Cathedral City is currently 8.75%, which includes the 7.25% statewide sales tax, 0.5% county tax and 1% city tax. If the measure is approved, Cathedral City’s sales tax would become 9.25%. It, along with Palm Springs, would be the highest rate in Riverside County, Ryan Hunt, Communication and Events Manager, confirmed.

The money would be used for a variety of projects, including, placing into service a fourth ambulance to maintain response times to medical emergencies even as calls for service increase

Desert Hot Springs voters will decide whether to approve a one-cent sales tax to help pay for city services to maintain services such as emergency response, disaster preparation and pothole repairs. If approved, the sales tax hike would raise about $2,4 million annually.

The city’s current sales tax is 7.75%, with 1% of revenue going to the city and the rest to the state of California and other agencies.

The Palm Desert Public Safety, Roads, City Services Measure was placed on the Nov, 5 ballot to raise additional revenue to support the City’s General Fund.

The city of Palm Desert provides a variety of general municipal services, including fire, police, and emergency 911 medical response; senior and library services; parks maintenance; homelessness response; and other general maintenance and services. In recent years, the City’s ability to maintain these services has become more challenging due to operating costs rising at a faster pace than revenues.

The Palm Desert Public Safety, Roads, City Services Measure seeks voter approval to authorize a 1 cent sales tax to maintain city services. If approved, the Measure is estimated to generate approximately $25 million annually to support Palm Desert’s General Fund.

In June, the Palm Desert City Council unanimously agreed to place a sales tax measure on the November ballot that would increase the city’s rate to 8.75% from 7.75%.

According to a city-initiated survey, 73% of those who responded agreed Desert Hot Springs needs more money.

About the Author

Cindy Uken

Cindy Uken is a respected, award-winning journalist who is persistent in getting the details of a news story so readers will be better informed about political, healthcare and veteran news. She is a veteran journalist who brings a fresh perspective to local online political news. As the CEO of Uken Report, she is driven by providing an alternative digital platform for the latest breaking online news throughout the Coachella Valley.