Three proposed ballot measures could fundamentally alter the financial future of Orange County’s largest city, and have ramifications for other cities in the surrounding area.
The three measures are expected to come up for a vote when the council meets this evening.
The Orange County Register reports, “One of the proposals, by Mayor Tom Tait, would require a majority of Anaheim’s voters to approve the city’s sale of any future bonds, except for those that would be repaid by Anaheim’s utilities funds.
“The move comes after Tait cast the lone dissenting vote against a plan to sell $258.9 million of bonds to pay for a 200,000-square-foot expansion of the Anaheim Convention Center. At the time, Tait said that he did not believe the city would generate sufficient taxes to cover the new bond obligations.
Tait is also suggesting a second initiative that would require voters to approve any future subsidy or economic assistance for developers wanting to build a new hotel in Anaheim.
In 2013, Tait was also the lone dissenter when the City Council awarded a $158 million room-tax subsidy to help developer Bill O’Connell Sr. build two luxury hotels near Anaheim GardenWalk.”
The council will also consider a proposal to require two-thirds council approval to place a measure before voters instead of the current simple majority.