Long Beach votes down budget with 8% tax hike; going into effect anyway

Long Beach City Council members on Friday voted against the city's $97.6 million budget proposal that includes a nearly 8% tax hike -- but it's going into effect anyway.

News 12 Staff

May 31, 2019, 9:46 PM

Updated 2,020 days ago

Share:

Long Beach City Council members on Friday voted against the city's $97.6 million budget proposal that includes a nearly 8% tax hike -- but it's going into effect anyway.
The city charter requires that a budget pass by midnight. And since City Council waited so long to vote and didn't have an alternative budget, the current proposal goes into effect by default.
City Council had tabled a vote on the budget Tuesday night. It came after public outcry about officials not providing them with errata sheets before the meeting. Errata sheets contain any amendments that have been made to the budget. Many residents voiced complaints about the tax hike.
One even said at Tuesday's meeting that Long Beach's current officials comprise "the most dysfunctional government in city history."
The proposed budget as released April 10, and City Council members say the met for the first time on budget negotiations before Tuesday's meeting.
The council came up with some last-minute amendments this week, which would have cut the proposed tax hike by 0.8%. In the end, the council decided the amendments would only create a bigger deficit.
City Council members say they failed residents.
The 7.9% tax increase equates to a roughly $305 increase for the average homeowner. It will now go into effect on July 1.