By Daniel Lempres
The Sacramento Bee
EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. — A proposed 30-year sales tax increase to fund hospital improvements, emergency response and wildfire prevention in El Dorado County fell short of majority support in early unofficial election night returns Tuesday.
As of 11:40 p.m., Measure S had 66.6% “no” votes and 33.4% “yes” votes, according to unofficial results from the El Dorado County Elections Department.
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The initial results included ballots mailed before Election Day, with more votes left to be counted. The measure needed a simple majority to pass.
The proposal would increase the county’s sales tax by three-eighths of a cent for 30 years, generating an estimated $13 million annually.
The additional revenue would fund hospital improvements, local fire agencies and nonprofit organizations conducting wildfire-prevention work.
During the first full fiscal year, 50% of the money would go to eligible hospitals, 45% to fire agencies and 5% to qualifying nonprofits. In subsequent years, the hospital’s share would be tied to debt payments for qualifying projects.
Marshall Medical Center, which operates Marshall Hospital in Placerville, helped develop the proposal. The hospital, the only acute care hospital on the county’s West Slope, said it needed about $40 million for upgrades to meet state seismic standards.
If approved, Measure S would raise the sales tax rate from 7.25% to 7.625% in unincorporated areas where the minimum rate applied. Placerville’s rate would rise to 8.625%, while South Lake Tahoe’s would increase to 9.125%.
Supporters, including local fire agencies and firefighter organizations, argued that the additional revenue was needed to improve emergency response and maintain access to hospital care.
Opponents questioned using a countywide sales tax to fund improvements at a private hospital and criticized the proposed funding for fire agencies.
The measure also called for annual independent audits and a seven-member citizens’ oversight committee to review spending.
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