-Editorial
Imperial County voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to impose a countywide half-cent sales tax dedicated to public safety infrastructure, equipment and related needs.
Measure S, listed by the Imperial County Registrar of Voters as the Imperial County Public Safety Sales and Use Tax Initiative, is one of the measures on the November 2026 general election ballot. The Initiative proposes a one-half of one percent (0.5%) countywide sales and use tax on retail transactions within Imperial County to be imposed for twenty years.
The measure’s proponents say the tax would remain in effect for 20 years and generate locally controlled funding for the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office and Imperial County Fire Department. The campaign’s argument in favor says the money would be restricted to public safety and subject to citizen oversight, audits and public disclosure.
Sheriff Fred Miramontes said the proposal grew out of previous attempts by the Sheriff’s Office to seek additional funding through a ballot initiative. For the current effort, the Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department conducted a public survey with the assistance of a consultant before pursuing the citizens’ initiative.
“We’ve decided to put fire and the Sheriff’s Office together,” Miramontes said.
The sheriff said the county’s roughly 4,500-square-mile territory, rising costs and aging facilities have increased the agencies’ infrastructure needs.
Among the Sheriff’s Office priorities are a new administration building, a new coroner’s facility, an updated dispatch center and an Emergency Operations Center, Miramontes said.
He said the Sheriff’s Office currently does not have a dedicated coroner’s facility capable of handling autopsies. Bodies are transported to San Diego County for autopsies and later returned to Imperial County.
Miramontes said a new coroner’s facility would allow pathologists to perform autopsies in Imperial County, reducing the need to transport decedents to San Diego.
The Sheriff’s Office’s existing administration facilities also present infrastructure concerns, he said. Much of the current complex dates to the 1950s, although the department opened the Oren Fox building in 2018.
“We’re starting to see some major problems within the structure of the administration building,” Miramontes said.
Miramontes said the measure also could support a new public safety building in Salton City, where he said the area’s growth has increased the need for additional space.
The proposed Emergency Operations Center would provide a centralized location for county agencies and municipalities to coordinate during major emergencies or disasters, according to Miramontes.
Imperial County Fire Chief David Lantzer said the Fire Department’s infrastructure needs fall into two primary categories: facilities and fire apparatus.
The department is considering three new station projects, Lantzer said. Two existing stations are operating out of mobile homes, while the Ocotillo station, which he described as the department’s oldest facility, needs to be replaced.
Major renovations are also needed at the airport and Heber fire stations, he said.
Lantzer said approximately 19 fire vehicles are currently due for replacement, including fire engines, water tenders, command vehicles and other emergency-response equipment.
“We are way behind in replacing our vehicles, and they keep breaking down,” Lantzer said. “That affects our reliability when responding to incidents.”
The department meets every other day with its stations to review facility and apparatus needs, Lantzer said, describing equipment management as a daily challenge because the department covers thousands of square miles
One proposed project is a new station in Salton City that would operate as a combination public safety facility, Lantzer said.
Lantzer also noted that the Fire Department provides services beyond unincorporated Imperial County, including automatic aid and mutual aid to cities. The department also manages and operates the regional hazardous materials team and regional bomb unit.
The proposal includes an oversight committee. Miramontes said the committee would consist of seven members: three appointed by the sheriff, three by the fire chief and one by the Imperial County chief executive officer. He said the members had not yet been selected.
According to Miramontes, the committee would oversee spending, establish priorities and review audits during the life of the measure.
The campaign’s argument also cites modernization of 911 response and dispatch systems, improved communication among law enforcement, firefighters and paramedics, facility upgrades, replacement of emergency vehicles and equipment, and disaster-response improvements as anticipated uses of the revenue.
Measure S will appear alongside several other local measures on the Imperial County ballot, including Measure O, a City of Calexico public safety sales tax, and Measure T, an El Centro public safety and city services measure.
