Politics & Government
Foster City Voters Easily Pass Measure P
Hotel tax faced no organized opposition.
Foster City voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a hotel tax that its proponents say will help bring in revenues the city desperately needs to bridge a budget shortfall.
Measure P garnered 83 percent of the vote.
The measure’s passage was no surprise. It faced no organized opposition, and had the public support of the owners of Foster City’s biggest hotels.
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Measure P raises Foster City’s transient occupancy tax from 8 to 9 ½ percent, generating approximately $250,000 a year in revenue for a city that’s facing a $2.8 million annual budget shortfall.
“This will be very helpful to the general fund,” said Foster City outgoing Mayor Linda Koelling, a leading proponent of the measure.
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Koelling called the measure a “no-brainer,” noting that even with the tax hike, Foster City is the only Peninsula city with a transient occupancy rate below 10 percent.
She said the vote reflected an understanding among the electorate of the challenging economic times Foster City faces.
“Foster City voters understand the economic climate we’re all in and we’re working together as a team accepting the fact that this tax should be raised to help our general fund,” Koelling said.
