The City Sonoma could become an almost non-smoking city if voters approve a measure on the November ballot.
And Sonoma voters will also be asked to renew the half-cent sales tax that was originally passed in 2012.
The Sonoma City Council on Monday approved putting the smoking and tax measures on the ballot giving city voters four measures on the ballot. The other two being the leaf-blower measured and the City Council election.
City Manager Carol Giovanatto said she couldn’t remember when the city had that many questions on a ballot. And she said the city doesn’t get a quantity discount from the county. “We pay by the word,” she said.
The non-smoking ordinance would replace the 1992 non-smoking ordinance, would add more protections for non-smokers and would allow the Council to amend it anytime in the future. The 1992 ordinance doesn’t allow the council to amend.
Under the proposed non-smoking ordinance, smoking would be prohibited in city parks, on city sidewalks, in multi-unit dwellings and in dining areas. Light up a butt and it’ll cost you $100.
Smokers would be able to light up in single-family dwellings, back yards and in their vehicles.
The council debated the measure at its May 18 meeting, so all it did Monday was tweak the language in the proposed ordinance.
While three audience members praised the proposed ordinance, there were no smokers who showed up to object.
The measure was approved unanimously.
The council also went ahead with plans to put the renewal of the half-cent sales tax on the ballot.
The measure was originally passed in 2012 after the city lost about $4.5 million a year after the governor and the state Supreme Court killed off the redevelopment agencies.
The half-cent tax raises an estimated $2.2 million a year and helps pay for city services including, but not limited to police, fire and emergency medical services, street and road maintenance.
In a summary to the Council, Giovanatto warned, “absent renewal of Measure J, the City’s General fund will be facing an annual loss of approximately $2.2 million in revenue causing significant cuts to core public services.”
If approved, the renewal would run through Sept. 30, 2022.
The measure, which the Council had discussed at the July 6 meeting, was passed without any dissent.
In other action, the Council approved a five-year contract with the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau that calls for the city to pay the bureau $100,000 a year.
Prior to the state killing off the redevelopment agencies in 2012, the visitors bureau was receiving $218,000 a year in redevelopment money.
After redevelopment, a Tourism Improvement District was formed to help fund the visitors bureau.
Currently, the visitors bureau receives $100,000 a year from both the city and the TID.
The agreement, which runs through June 30, 2019, calls for the bureau to render various services to the city and provide annual activity reports to the city. And it allows the city to terminate the contract with 90 days notice.
Jonny Westom, the visitors bureau’s executive director, told the Council that a working relationship with the city is very important.
“We get 65,000 walk-in visitors a year,” he said. “We’re an extension of the city.”
He said the city money goes to the operation of the visitors center facility on the Plaza.
After praise from Councilmembers, the agreement was passed unanimously.
?Email bill at bill.hoban@sonomanews.com
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