Measure Z - Public Safety/Essential Services
Overview
In April 2014, Humboldt County residents told the Board of Supervisors they were concerned about the lack of funding that is available for public safety services. In response, voters passed Measure Z, which is a half-cent sales tax applied to most local purchases. Measure Z was first passed by Humboldt County voters in November 2014 and renewed in 2018. Since then, the Board of Supervisors has approved millions of dollars of Measure Z for public safety projects.
Past Projects
Some of the public safety projects that have been funded by the Board of Supervisors with Measure Z funds include:
- Providing critical funding for fire equipment and planning services for volunteer fire departments.
- Maintaining ambulance service for K’ima:w Medical Center and Southern Trinity Area Rescue (STAR) serving communities in Hoopa and the greater Willow Creek area near Highways 299 and 36, respectively.
- Providing rural patrol and deputies by hiring additional staff in the Sheriff’s Office.
- Continuing to fight drugs by providing funding to the Fortuna Police Department (FPD) for a drug task force agent, and making schools across the Eel River Valley safer by funding FPD’s School Resource Officer.
- Continuing the life-saving funding of Genasys Protect, the county's evacuation zone map that helps officials prepare for and streamline the county’s emergency evacuation process.
- Purchase of enhanced safety equipment, including ballistic blankets, breaching kits and ballistic shields for the City of Eureka Police Department.
- Replacing equipment within the water treatment plant in the City of Trinidad to be able to continue to provide clean, safe drinking water to residents.
View past Measure Z recipients and the projects they supported.
Applying for Measure Z Funds
Each year, typically during the month of February, the Humboldt County Citizens’ Advisory Committee on Measure Z Expenditures accepts applications for funding from local agencies. Measure Z, Humboldt County’s Public Safety/Essential Services Measure, is a half-cent sales tax, passed by the voters of Humboldt County during the November 2014 general election and renewed in 2018. During the month of March, the committee evaluates the applications and ranks them by their priority, and in April the County Administrative Office provides the finalized list to the Board of Supervisors and recommends funding projects on the committee's list.
Visit the Applying for Measure Z Funds page to learn more abut how to apply.
Reports
Agencies that receive funds from the Humboldt County Local Public Safety and Essential Services tax must submit quarterly reports to the county on a quarterly basis detailing their expenditures and activities carried out with the funding they have received.
Quarterly reports are usually due at the end of October, January, April and July.
Agencies and county departments can use the Measure Z Quarterly Report Form to submit their reports.
Official Documents
Learn more about the History of Measure Z and how this measure came about.
Did you know ...
The Board of Supervisors is obligated to spend nearly 64 percent of all funds on specific programs. This often comes in the form of funding that comes from the state or federal government. The Board has discretion over General Fund monies, which accounts for roughly one-third of the annual budget.