How would Measure J impact Milpitas, if passed by voters?

The Beat recently had an opportunity to sit down with Milpitas City Manager Ned Thomas and Assistant City Manager Matt Cano to discuss Measure J, which is on the ballot this election…

For the past several months, Thomas and Cano have been going out into the community and educating residents about Measure J.

How exactly would Measure J impact Milpitas if passed by voters?

“Measure J is the extension of a voter-approved local sales tax measure that was first approved in 2020,” Cano explained to The Beat. “The revenue we generate from the existing sales tax measure generates about $7 million a year for essential local services.”

The existing measure to which Cano is referring is a 1/4-cent sales tax measure known as Measure F. It was approved by Milpitas voters in November of 2020 and went into effect on April 1, 2021.

The current measure provides funding for local services to support areas like police, fire, and public works. But Measure F expires in March of 2029 – which is why Measure J is on the ballot this year.

If Measure J is passed by voters, the reauthorized tax would go from April 1, 2029 – March 31, 2037. The amount of tax would stay the same at a quarter-cent  (.25%). Currently the sales tax in Milpitas is at 9.375%. This is a combination of all local and state sales taxes.

“If Measure J is approved, it would extend the expiration date of the current measure by an additional 8 years,” Cano shared. “If it doesn’t pass, we may need to reduce or cut services.”

Since Measure F began in 2021, the funding has been put toward infrastructure repairs like fixing streets, potholes, and cracked sidewalks. It has also been put toward maintaining neighborhood patrols, on-duty officers, and rapid emergency response times.

“We hope that the level of city services we’ve provided have demonstrated our commitment to using the funding we receive wisely,” said Thomas to The Beat.

Back in 2020, Milpitas City Staff calculated that the City would soon be facing a $9 million deficit. That Fall, Staff gave a presentation to the Milpitas City Council about the potential of placing Measure F on the ballot.

“If Measure F hadn’t passed in 2020, the City likely would have been faced with cuts that time,” said Cano.

In April of this year, the City put out a community survey. During the months of May, June, and July, they sought community feedback, asking residents to vote on what they believe to be priority services. The top services that residents voted for were: Maintaining 911 emergency response services; repairing streets and fixing potholes; maintaining police protection and tracking/investigating crime; and addressing homeless encampments.

These are the goals that the City hopes to prioritize if Measure J passes.

Over the past few months, Cano and Thomas have been attending commission meetings, hosting community conversations, and speaking at different organizations to inform and educate the community about Measure J.

As we move closer to Election Day, Thomas recalls all of the strong support that the original measure received from voters back in 2020:

“I can’t underestimate the importance of the revenue we received from the local sales tax,” Thomas told The Beat. “We enjoy a very high quality of life here in Milpitas.”

Cano made clear that if Measure J isn’t passed by voters next week, the City may need to think about reducing or eliminating specific services, the loss of which would likely lower the quality of life in Milpitas.

”It’s important for our community to weigh in on this,” stated Cano. “These are services that are very critical.”