Measure J sales tax revenue hits $21.1 million; commission outlines project review process

Final Measure J sales tax revenue was $21.13 million for fiscal year 2024 the Palm Springs Measure J Oversight Commission heard at its Sept. 19 meeting, falling short of both the budgeted $22.5 million and last year’s $21.9 million collection.

Despite the decrease, city officials characterized the figure as a “strong number,” although city staff predicted there would be a leveling off of tax revenue.

The total Measure J revenue, including interest income and realized gains, reached $22.83 million for the fiscal year.

The commission also outlined its process for reviewing community-initiated project applications, with $6 million in funding available this year. Applications are due by Sept. 30 and will be posted online for public viewing in early October. To date, there have been 20 submissions via a link on the city website here.

Commissioners will individually review and rate projects as “strongly consider,” “need more information,” or “not consider” by mid-November. These individual ratings will be made public, a change from previous years.

“If you like the project, but it’s not answering all of the questions, that’s when you’re going to bring the people in to speak,” explained Chair Peter Sipkins.

The commission plans to hear additional presentations and discuss which projects to move forward in December, with final recommendations to be made at the January meeting.

Vice Chair Andrea Davis emphasized the importance of public transparency in the process.

“I think this is a better process than we had before,” she said. “There’s a lot more public seeing it, and that’s really important, what we’re doing with our money.”

The review process allows for commissioners to request more information or presentations from applicants if needed. Commissioner Lauren Wolfer inquired about including specific milestones in project agreements, which staff confirmed could be added after council approval.

Expenses for the fiscal year included $3.1 million for debt service on Downtown Park and $12.3 million for adopted capital projects. This figure includes $3.9 million allocated for the Plaza Theatre renovation.

The Measure J budget ended the fiscal year with a surplus of $1.7 million and a fund balance of $8.2 million.

Commissioners also discussed the potential continuation of Measure J, which is set to expire in 2037. A measure to remove the sunset clause will appear on the November 2024 ballot. While commissioners can educate the public about Measure J, City Attorney Jeffrey Ballinger clarified they cannot advocate for its continuation in their official capacity.

“My understanding is you can educate, but you can’t advocate,” Ballinger said. “So once you’re at your personal residence, you can do all the advocate you want in a personal resident, but as you’re acting as a public official, you can’t only educate about Measure J, give facts about what we’ve done, how much money brings in, but you can’t advocate for it to be effective.”

The commission’s next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 17, where members will begin the formal review process for community-initiated project applications.

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