Sentinel staff report–
In one of the closest races in Sacramento County, latest vote count totals released Friday afternoon show the controversial Measure M sales tax proposal in Citrus Heights now trending towards defeat.
The measure was initially ahead by several hundred votes on election night, but then fell behind following Friday’s update from Sacramento County elections officials. Around 7,900 more votes were added to the count on Friday, bringing the total up from about 18,000 votes to 25,203 votes cast both for and against Measure M.
Of those votes, 12,779 were cast against Measure M and 12,424 were cast in favor of it, making for just 355 votes separating the two sides. More votes are still yet to be counted, which could change the outcome.
If passed, Measure M would add a one-cent-per-dollar sales tax, bringing the sales tax rate in Citrus Heights to 8.75%. If the measure fails, the tax rate would remain at 7.75%, and city leaders have said “serious cuts” would have to be made to grapple with looming budget deficits.
During the campaign, Measure M proponents said the tax was needed to raise an estimated $12 million annually to cover services like escalating road repair costs and public safety, while opponents claimed the city had mismanaged its current funds and said the wording of the tax measure would allow funds to be spent on anything.
The Sentinel reached out to both campaigns on Saturday for comment after the latest vote totals were released, but neither side responded before press time. Earlier in the week, proponents of Measure M said they were hopeful their initial lead would maintain, while opponents remained optimistic.
“There are still many ballots to be counted, but we are hopeful based upon the preliminary vote results,” Yes on M spokeswoman Jeannie Bruins previously said on Wednesday.
No on M spokesman Bruce Lee said his campaign had “good reason to be cautiously optimistic that Measure M will be defeated,” noting that the late mail-in ballot results were “heavily favoring” his campaign.
There are likely another 5-10,000 more votes still to be counted in Citrus Heights, as county officials report only about two-thirds of ballots cast countywide have been counted so far. The next update is slated to be released on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
