Tax hike a no-go

It’s looking like a proposed hike in sales tax for the city of Chico is on hold.

On Wednesday, the Chico Enterprise-Record reported that Tom Lando, a former city manager of Chico, said that other tax initiatives, both statewide and local, as well as the upcoming election, make it a bad time to ask city residents to support the proposal.

Lando, along with other local community leaders, first floated the idea of the tax increase last November. At that time, they were seeking a .75-cent increase to fund a wide range of services and projects (See CN&R Newsline “Taxing proposal,” Nov. 11, 2011.) But in recent months, the group asked for a half-cent hike instead.

The proposal would have needed a two-thirds vote to pass. Lando told the E-R that phone surveys indicated voters would pass the increase. The plan is to bring it back at a later date.