Redlands City Council explores potential 2026 tax measures to support public safety services

REDLANDS, Calif. — The Redlands City Council is weighing whether to place new revenue measures before voters in the November 2026 election. After a conversation during their Sept. 16 meeting about what these new proposals might look like, council members directed staff to focus on evaluating the city’s existing paramedic parcel tax and how it could be revised to cover rising public safety costs.

Why it matters: Redlands is facing growing expenses for fire and police services, including three new fire stations, staffing for two of them and increased building costs for the police station. While some council members raised the idea of shifting more of the burden to warehouses and distribution centers, others expressed concern about fairness, feasibility and the expense of pursuing a ballot measure.

Details: The discussion began with three possible approaches: raising the business license tax on fulfillment centers, revising the paramedic parcel tax that currently exists, or creating a new parcel tax for warehouses. The conversation quickly narrowed to questions of fairness and feasibility.

Councilmember Eddie Tejeda said his “initial inspiration” was to ensure long-term funding for public safety, noting that past revenue measures, such as Measure T, were spent on a “menu of items” beyond police and fire. He suggested that a rebalanced paramedic tax could ensure industrial users pay a larger share of the cost.

That idea drew resistance from Councilmember Paul Barich, who said he was not in favor of raising taxes at this point. 

“Let’s use the money we have right now,” Barich said, adding that it would be unfair to tax one particular industry more than others. Barich also worried about the time and money required to hire consultants to determine not only whether new taxes would generate enough revenue, but if the measure could succeed at the ballot box.

What they’re saying: Two public commenters echoed those concerns. Bill Blankenship, who works in the logistics industry, urged the city to explore bonds rather than singling out warehouses.

 “If it’s decided that public safety is a goal that needs to be funded, I think that it’s the whole community’s job to fund public safety, not one industry, not one business,” he said. 

Another resident criticized the initiative and wondered why there was such a strong push for new revenue and questioned where the city’s funds are going.

Moving forward: City staff acknowledged that at this stage, it is unclear whether altering the tax structure would increase revenue. More research will be needed to determine what the paramedic tax currently brings in, what public safety services cost and what a revised tax would need to generate to cover the shortfall.

In the end, the council agreed to limit further study to the paramedic parcel tax. Staff will return at the next meeting with calculations and possible recommendations, giving officials and residents a clearer picture before any ballot measure moves forward.