Fresno City Council will vote on July 30 whether to put a half cent sales tax on the November ballot to replace the countywide Measure C that is set to expire July 2027, Fresno leaders announced at a Thursday news conference.

Mayor Jerry Dyer and members of the Fresno City Council, including City Council President Nelson Esparza and city councilmember Mike Karbassi, unveiled the proposed ballot measure.

Esparza said the tax would raise approximately $65 million each year to fund road repairs, public safety, public transit and other city priorities.

The measure will need a simple majority, 50% plus one vote, to pass.

Because it is a general sales tax, future Fresno City Councils and mayors would determine how the revenue is spent.

Esparza said the City Council would publish annual spending disclosures to provide transparency.

If approved, the tax would take effect after the current Measure C expires in July 2027.

The measure would end if voters approve a countywide sales tax. If no countywide measure is approved, the city tax would expire after 10 years.

Esparza: ‘Roads Will Crumble’

The announcement comes as the proposed “Better Roads, Safe Streets” transportation sales tax, intended to replace the long-running Measure C transportation tax, is not expected to reach the ballot until March 2028. Esparza said the city’s measure is intended to help bridge the funding gap, warning that without a replacement revenue source “roads will crumble.”

Dyer said the city stands to lose about $54 million in annual Measure C revenue when the transportation sales tax expires, a loss he said that could also affect about 217 city jobs.

“We don’t want to lay off employees, we don’t want roads to worsen,” Dyer said at the news conference.

Headline Change: The headline was changed to indicate that the Fresno City Council must vote to place the measure on the November ballot.