KINGSBURG – Kingsburg voters will decide this June if they want to keep taxing themselves to support police and fire department operations.
At its Jan. 7 meeting, the Kingsburg City Council unanimously adopted a resolution calling for a special election and placing the renewal of the existing one-cent public safety sales tax on the ballot. The measure will allow the city to continue to levy the tax beyond its current expiration date, bringing in an estimated $2.6 million every year.
“I just really want to, for anyone that’s listening, express how important this is,” Mayor Brandon Pursell Jr. said. “This doesn’t pass, this is going to drastically change the landscape of our town.”
The council has been working on its renewal effort for the tax, known as Measure E, since May 2025, and council members had few questions for city staff at the meeting before they moved to approve the resolution. They did, however, take one last chance to express their strong support for the measure, as state law restricts what they can say in an official capacity once they call for the election.
“This town doesn’t look the same if we don’t have the same police and fire,” Pursell said. “It is very important, and the only way that we keep them is through funding. None of us like to pay taxes, and I get that, but this is one that is actually 100% staying in Kingsburg, so I very much support this.”
Mayor pro tem Vince Palomar added in a reminder that with this measure, the council is not looking to impose a new tax on residents. The sales tax has been in place since it was approved by voters in 2018 and, if not renewed, will expire on Sept. 30, 2028.
Action taken by the council included a request for the Fresno County Board of Supervisors to consolidate the Kingsburg election with the primary election and have the Fresno County Registrar of Voters administer the election.
The renewal measure — which may or may not be called Measure E on the ballot — is set to be voted on during the statewide primary election on June 2. As a special tax initiated by the city, the measure will require a two-thirds majority to pass; it received 71.3% of the vote in 2018.
Measure renewal
To prepare for the measure renewal efforts, the council has been discussing Measure E for more than six months, reviewing the details of the tax and the equipment and personnel it has helped fund.
The tax levies one cent for every $1 spent in Kingsburg, meaning that both residents and visitors contribute to the tax revenue.
As a transactions and use tax, the tax is charged on goods sold in Kingsburg and goods that are received or registered in Kingsburg. This means that vehicles purchased elsewhere but registered in Kingsburg are charged the tax, as are goods purchased online and delivered to a Kingsburg address.
According to a city staff report, initial estimates of the measure’s revenue said it would generate approximately $1 million annually, which would add up to around $10 million over the 10 years of the measure. Instead, the tax has already provided the city with more than $14 million it otherwise would not have.
Mostly recently, the measure brought in more than $3 million in fiscal year 2024-25. The police department used approximately $1.7 million of that and the fire department used less than $1.4 million.
In the police department, the funds have paid for body-worn and dash-mounted cameras, new police vehicles, training programs and nine full-time police department personnel. The fire department has supplemented salaries for five personnel and put Measure E funds toward maintenance and operations and a new fire engine, which comes with a hefty price tag.
Although the tax included a “sunset clause” of 10 years when it first passed, the city council decided to not include an expiration date with the renewal effort. Council members spent multiple meetings in the fall debating whether or not they should include an expiration, but ultimately decided that the best thing for the city would be to keep the tax in place until voters decide they no longer need it.
If the renewal passes, Kingsburg residents can at any time lead an initiative to repeal the tax.
Also at the Jan. 7 meeting, the council conducted its annual reorganization, with Pursell nominating Councilmember Staci Smith to serve as mayor in 2026, and Smith in turn nominating Pursell to serve as mayor pro tem.
“To my council members, I’m honored and humbled by this, and I just want to say thank you,” Smith said. “I appreciate working with each and every one of you. I’m sitting up here with three other former mayors. We have … a great team of good people, and I appreciate working with you guys.”
