When the Lathrop City Council agreed to put Measure C on the ballot for Lathrop voters to potentially raise sales tax by a penny on every dollar in 2012, they were anticipating initial revenues of $2 million the first full year.

Thanks to unprecedented growth, Measure C has grown more than fivefold to generate just over $10.4 million in revenue in the last fiscal year – more than $4 million of which was given to the Lathrop Manteca Fire District as part of the agreement between the two agencies.

This week the Measure C Oversight Committee will vote to approve the end-of-year fiscal report for the fiscal year that ended in June as well as the mid-year report that ended on Dec. 31 for the next fiscal year.

The meeting is scheduled to take place inside of the council chambers at Lathrop City Hall – located at 390 Towne Centre Drive – on Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 6 p.m.

Initially designed as a much-needed revenue generator that was put before voters in 2012 – several years after the housing crisis rocked California’s Central Valley and Lathrop was hit hard by foreclosures and a failed residential development that would tie the city up in court for years to resolve – the city’s rapid growth has expanded the tax base to the point that Measure C has allowed Lathrop to achieve a level of financial stability that put its amongst the most fiscally solvent municipalities in the entire State of California.

In the last full fiscal year that ended on June 30, Measure C paid for:

*2.5 sworn police officers, 2 school resource officers, a sergeant, a detective, and a lieutenant for Lathrop Police Services.

*The operation and staffing of the Lathrop Generations Center.

*Capital improvement projects such as crime-deterrent cameras, rubberized playground surfaces at city parks, extensive park improvements, and a citywide fiber-optic system.

*9 firefighter-engineers, 1.98 battalion chiefs, and a deputy fire marshal for the Lathrop Manteca Fire District.

*Overtime to provide consistent and reliable staffing levels for the entire city government.

Because the overall financial recovery from the pandemic remains “unpredictable” in the long term, the city plans on maintaining a reserve of Measure C funds in the amount of 25 percent of expenditures – ensuring that there will be money to ensure the city’s ongoing financial stability.

For additional information about the end-of-the-year fiscal report for Measure C or to view the agenda for the upcoming Measure C Oversight Committee Meeting, visit the City of Lathrop’s website at www.ci.lathrop.ca.us.

To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com.