An effort by the city of Gonzales to increase taxes fails at the polls in a special election.

Gonzales City Council has a vision for a community center, housing a gym, a teen center, a relocated public library (currently in a strip mall) and more. And they had a vision to ask voters to help fund it.

In a special election that ran from Aug. 1-30, Gonzales voters weighed in on Measure D, which required at least two-thirds of the vote to pass. With less than 52 percent as of the latest election count on Sept. 6, it is a loss. Turnout was low, with 503 ballots counted in a city with 3,630 registered voters.

Measure D would have increased the city’s transactions and use tax by 0.5 percent for the next 40 years, through 2062. The current tax is 8.75 percent, lower than other nearby cities. The measure would have generated an estimated $750,000 per year; once the Gonzales Community Center Complex was funded, the rest would have gone to repair and maintain streets.

This would have been the second sales tax increase in two years. In 2020, voters passed Measure X, a similar sales tax increase that is projected to generate $600,000 per year through 2044. Public Works Director Patrick Dobbins, Gonzales’ public works director, says the city moved forward with Measure D on top of that because of supply chain issues and increased costs. “A project that was originally thought to be $25 million is now a $35 million project,” he says.

Dobbins says the Measure D result won’t hinder progress, since city officials are seeking other funding opportunities.

Gonzales voters will have another chance to vote on taxes this year. On the Nov. 8 ballot, voters will decide whether or not to extend Measure X for an additional 20 years