Lincoln voters to decide on 1-cent sales tax for public safety

Lincoln voters will decide in November whether to approve a new one-cent local sales tax that city officials say would provide additional funding for police, fire and other essential services.

Measure F, the Lincoln Public Safety & Taxpayer Protection Measure, would add one cent to the sales tax on qualifying purchases made within the city. If approved, the measure is expected to generate about $6 million annually for the city.

The proposal has drawn mixed reactions from residents, with some questioning another increase in the cost of everyday purchases while others say public safety is where additional funding should go.

Why police say they need more staffing

Lincoln Police Chief Zach Eaton said the department's staffing levels can make it difficult to respond to multiple major incidents at the same time.

"Our patrol minimums are one sergeant and two officers per shift. So we work 12-hour shifts in Lincoln. So you either work day shift or you work night shift. Three officers to serve a city of 60,000 people just isn't enough."

Eaton pointed to two major incidents earlier this year as an example.

"We actually had a homicide in Lincoln, and about five hours later, we also had a critical incident where a gentleman took a female hostage, and we had a barricaded subject in the home. It almost took the entire department staffing just to handle those two incidents," he said.

The city says Measure F funds would help maintain police staffing and emergency response times while allowing Lincoln to retain and attract officers and firefighters.

Fire department also facing staffing needs

Lincoln Fire is currently dealing with four vacant paramedic positions.

Evan Faddis, Placer County director for Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522, said ambulance response times are also a concern.

"We are facing long response times from the ambulance companies around here," he said. "Placer County is growing, and our ERs are impacted, so they can't drop off the patient or unload the patient until they're able to receive them."

Lincoln's official Measure F information says additional funding could be used to expand advanced life-saving equipment and trained paramedics while maintaining emergency response times.

What would Measure F cost?

Lincoln's current local sales tax rate is 7.25%. Measure F would increase the rate by one percentage point to 8.25%.

The tax would apply to qualifying taxable purchases but would not apply to groceries, prescription medicine, rent or property taxes.

Faddis said the cost would depend on how much someone spends on taxable purchases in Lincoln.

"If you were able to spend $10,000 in the city of Lincoln, you would pay just an additional $100 per year."

Faddis said firefighters and police would continue monitoring how the money is spent if voters approve the measure.

"We will be up at that podium at city council meetings. We will be on social media. We will let the public know if this money isn't directed towards public safety," he said.

Eaton said waiting until staffing shortages become emergencies could leave the department scrambling to respond.

"If we wait to staff when the challenges come, we're already behind the ball. And so, those are things that we want to be proactive about instead of reactive," he said.

Lincoln voters will decide on Measure F in the Nov. 3, 2026, election.