Buried in the middle of yesterday’s Humboldt County Board of Supervisor’s meeting was an item exploring an electricity tax that might resemble Measure I, Arcata’s so-called “Grower Tax.” This would presumably apply to the county’s unincorporated areas.
The board formed a subcommittee to explore a potential tax on residences using unusually high amounts of electricity.
If passed by voters, this would likely have some effect on the county’s many bedroom growers.
The city of Arcata’s Environmental Services deputy director Karen gave a presentation (watch it here) on how Arcata put Measure I together.
Arcata’s law imposes a electricity users tax rate of 45 percent on residential customers whose residential usage exceeds 600 percent of established baseline allowances. She said that it was the intent of the tax to drive a residence’s excessive electric consumption down to normal levels.
Hank Sims from the Lost Coast Outpost joined the conversation live on KHUM.
Would growers use generators to bypass the tax? Would that be different than if they bypassed it with rooftop solar? If put on a countywide ballot, would it pass?
Let us know what you think.
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