Council backs pushing county for city carve‑out in proposed public‑safety sales tax

Council President Coelho led a discussion of a county proposal for a public‑safety sales tax under consideration by the county council. Coelho said cities should press for an origin‑based distribution or automatic payments to jurisdictions generating the revenue rather than a discretionary county grant program.

"If it's gonna pass... we want to make sure that cities get a carve out of some sort," Coelho said, urging colleagues to support a distribution approach that ties funds to where sales tax is generated. Several councilors supported negotiating for an 80/20 split (or similar) that would keep a defined share local, and the mayor noted the county executive had circulated a memo opposing revenue sharing.

Councilors directed staff and the council president to prepare a strongly worded letter or motion for the county public hearing and to coordinate with neighboring cities so the message is unified. Several members said they would support a motion next week to send a council representative to testify in favor of a stable, formulaic split.