- Video shows city officials sharing highlights from 2023 and hopes for the new year.
- 2024 will be the first full year of the increased sales tax, effective April 2023. It's projected to generate around $4 million in this fiscal year, and all funds are being distributed to city improvements.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
As 2023 comes to a close, city officials are reflecting on what they’ve accomplished this year, and, what they’re looking forward to in 2024.
The city's finance director, Hamed Jones, said 2023 was a big year for the city.
“Personally, I love living here in this community," Jones said. "Being part of a team that helps keep this a great place to live…these are just great goals for the city.”
In Nov. 2022, voters in Tehachapi passed ballot Measure S, raising the sales tax from 7.25 to 8.25%. Jones says 2024 will be the first full year that the city will see funds from this increased sales tax.
Jones also says the funds raised from the higher tax will fund projects within the city.
“Just showing that our community has put their trust into us to manage these funds, to put them to use to keep the city’s finances strong,” said Jones.
The increase officially went into effect in April. According to city budget document on the city's website, the increase sales tax will generate around $4 million during the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
Key Budge, community engagement specialist, says the funds are being put toward important quality of life projects in the city.
“The ask was to maintain the infrastructure and to grow public safety," Budge said. "As I look at 2023, those goals were being fulfilled.”
The city is projected to use around $1.7 million across various improvement projects. Those include maintaining their contract with the fire department, staffing and retaining police officers, expanding the public works team and landscaping projects across town.
Tyler Napier, deputy public works director shared that in addition to his team maintaining a safe work year with no lost time due to injury, another new program started in 2023 for the public works team.
“We dove into the world of AI technology using a camera system that’s mounted to our street sweeper," said Napier. "Our street sweeper works its way through town on a weekly basis. That generates pictures and videos which puts it right back to a dashboard to me. So we’re excited to see how much improvement we can get in 2024 by using that technology.”
Napier said while the technology helps them get ahead, including generating work orders automatically, it doesn’t catch everything. People are welcome to contact the department with concerns.
Other city officials agree that they want to hear from the community.
“Listening to what they want, and, for us, our goal is to try to execute their wishes,” said Budge.
City officials say they are always open to feedback from the community of what they would like to see in town. They can be contacted through the city's social media or by calling city hall at (661) 822-2200.
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