Highland Sales-Tax Measure Set for November 2026 Ballot

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Highland’s City Council approved placing a local sales-tax measure on the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot, giving voters a decision on a potential new city revenue source tied to public-safety and infrastructure needs.

The action came at the council’s June 9 meeting. The measure has not been enacted, and the City of Highland’s financial-outlook materials do not identify the final tax rate or exact ballot language. The available materials also do not establish whether voters will approve it.

Measure follows February study session i

The council previously held a Feb. 10, 2026, study session on a possible local sales-tax measure. Study materials considered two options: a half-cent increase or a one-cent increase.

Those options remain part of the measure’s background, not a confirmed final rate. The city’s financial-outlook page says the council later approved putting a local sales-tax measure before voters, but it does not state which rate will appear on the ballot.

That distinction matters for residents and businesses evaluating the proposal. Until the official ballot measure specifies the rate and tax language, the financial effect of the proposal cannot be stated more precisely.

Public-safety costs have increased i

Highland says it currently employs 46 police personnel and 31 fire personnel. The city’s projected five-year cost for law-enforcement services increased from approximately $88 million to $102 million for the 2025-2030 period.

Projected fire-protection costs also increased, from approximately $46.4 million to $47 million over the same period. The figures are projections for future service costs, rather than a report of final spending.

The city identifies public safety as one of the areas connected to its long-term financial outlook. The materials reference local police and fire staffing as officials assess the city’s future revenue and service needs.

Capital needs include bridge replacements i

Highland also says nearly $225 million in needs have been identified for its five-year capital-improvement program. That figure represents identified capital needs; the available information does not say that every listed project would be funded by the proposed sales tax.

Among the bridge projects listed by the city are replacement work for Base Line Bridge over City Creek and Orange Street Bridge over Plunge Creek. The city’s financial-outlook materials place those projects within a broader set of capital-improvement needs.

The scale of that list helps explain why the ballot measure is being considered as a public-finance issue, not only as a question of tax rates. Highland is weighing a possible local revenue source against projected public-safety costs and infrastructure needs that extend across several years.

What happens next i

The next known date is the Nov. 3, 2026, election, when Highland voters are scheduled to consider the measure. Before then, the final ballot rate and tax language will need to be identified in the official measure.

For now, the confirmed development is the council’s decision to place the proposal before voters. The June 9 action starts the election process; it does not itself create a new tax or determine the outcome.

Sources

• Financial Outlook, City of Highland, California

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