Sebastopol voters are on track to provide the city with a much-needed lifeline as Measure U, half-cent sales, trended toward approval.

If passed, the sales tax is expected to bring $1.5 million annually to the city, which has been hit by one budget crisis after another. The sales tax would disappear after 12 years.

“I am delighted that our citizens of Sebastopol have supported this initiative for our small city to support vital services,” Councilwoman Neysa Hinton told The Press Democrat.

With 48% of the total potential vote counted, 72.4% of voters approved the measure. The Press Democrat will rely on information from election officials before determining whether the measure passes or not, since not everyone who received a ballot will have voted. But the first results pointed towards approval.

Whether or not the full half cent will be implemented it’s still up in the air. If passed, Measure I, the Sonoma County Health and Child Care Initiative, would also raise taxes in the city another quarter of a cent. Early voting results trend toward approval of the measure.

The two measures would put Sebastopol’s sales tax above the state limit of 10.25% to 10.5%. As a result, the city would have to appeal to the California Attorney General, who would determine whether or not the city’s entire half-cent sales tax can be implemented.

The City Council has signaled it would spend the majority of its sales tax revenue, about 60%, on public safety personnel and response. The remainder could go toward projects including emergency and wildfire preparedness, street or trail maintenance, parks and trails, a new library building, youth and senior services, retaining and attracting local businesses, and for government use general.

Amie Windsor is The Press Democrat’s community journalism team leader. She can be reached at [email protected] or 707-521-5218.