Marysville launches citizen survey ahead of possible renewal of Measure C

“In 2016, the City of Marysville looked very different than it does today. Marysville was still crawling out of the Great Recession. Its budget was tight,” the online survey says. “Marysville was laying off Police Officers and firefighters. Crime rates were rising. Marysville’s credit rating dropped. Long-term debt was crippling the City. Essential services were being slashed. The Marysville City Council placed Measure C on the June 2016 ballot, which raised the local sales tax rate by one cent. Measure C was passed with 55% of the vote. Measure C has allowed the City of Marysville to hire more Police Officers, strengthen our fire protection and emergency services, reduce response times, fix our streets and rebuild the City’s reserves.”

According to the city, prior to the passage of Measure C and during an economic downturn, the city did not “spend one dollar on road and street repairs” and had less than $300,000 in reserves.

Those conditions have largely changed since the passage of Measure C.

“When voters approved Measure C, it marked a turning point for the city of Marysville,” the city said in a news release. “The revenue generated was directly reinvested into our community, leading to the hiring of more police officers, increased neighborhood patrols, a fully staffed fire department, and the start of local street and sidewalk repairs and repaving.”

With Measure C set to expire on Oct. 31, 2026, leaders have stressed its importance and the fact that any continuation of the measure will not raise the city’s tax rate.

“With Measure C, the City of Marysville’s sales tax rate is 8.25%. If Measure C is renewed, the City of Marysville's sales tax rate will remain 8.25%,” the survey says.

Marysville City Manager Jim Schaad previously said if the city moves forward with a ballot proposal and voters approve it, the new measure will most likely replace the current one once it expires in 2026. While Measure C covered a 10-year period, Schaad said the city hasn’t decided on when a potential new measure would sunset. 

“Measure C generates approximately $4 million in General Fund revenue every year now,” Schaad said during a council meeting in January. “That amount is roughly a third of our General Fund revenue.”

According to the city, Measure C has allowed city staff to meet “major council objectives,” the Appeal previously reported. The city outlined some of those objectives in a staff report. They include the following:

– Hired/retained six additional firefighters 

– Hired additional police staff to provide additional services (police officers, code enforcement, animal control officer and records clerk)

– Replaced police patrol units

– Purchased new technology, such as radios, radar enforcement equipment, license plate recognition, and body worn cameras

– Paved over 750,000 square feet of city streets ($3.1 million) 

– Hired two additional public works maintenance workers 

– Leveraged funds to secure additional grant funds for streets and parks and facilities improvements

– Built an estimated reserve of $4.85 million for end of fiscal year 2023/24 (36%)

– Opened City Hall five days per week

“It (Measure C) has allowed the city to provide significant additional services to the community and do some significant infrastructure improvement plans,” Schaad previously said. “Measure C has also allowed the city to build its reserve in excess of 30%, which is our target goal.”

Schaad said without Measure C and the money it generates, the city would be in dire shape.

“The loss of this revenue would cause city service levels and investment in infrastructure to likely go back to pre-Measure C levels, which would be very difficult,” Schaad said.

Mayor Chris Branscum, much like Schaad, said if voters reject what is essentially an extension of Measure C, then the future of the city and the services it provides would be profoundly affected.

“As I recall, the city was on the verge of failing financially when this was originally passed,” Branscum previously said of the Measure C vote in 2016. “Since it does constitute approximately a third of General Fund revenues, I’m trying to imagine how the city would go as an independent entity.”

Branscum previously said should a new measure not be approved and the city fall into financial hardship, then it’s possible Marysville could be taken over by the county, which already has a 1% general sales tax in place. As he alluded to, If such a thing happened, then residents and visitors would still be paying the 1% tax, it would just go to the county instead of the city.