Wednesday night the Mammoth Town Council approved a .5% sales tax raise for the June ballot to raise money for trails and recreation. The Tourism and Recreation Commission had already unanimously recommended a sales tax for the June election. All that was left was Council approval.

Cleland Hoff was at the meeting. Ahe reports that over course of two hours, with a break to watch the lunar eclipse, a long line of people stood up to share their thoughts on the proposed sales tax raise.

John Walter with the Advocates for Mammoth spoke in support of the tax measure, as did Rebecca Paranick with Mammoth Mountain, and Paul McFarland of the Friends of the Inyo.

In the end the Council voted 5-0 to put a sales tax measure on the June Ballot. As a special tax, the measure requires that 2/3 of Mammoth voters approve. It also means that the money raised will go to a specific purpose – in this case putting into action the parks and recreation master plan and the trails master plan.

At past Council meetings proponents of the sales tax raise had asked the Council members to allow the public to decide on the subject. With official approval to put the sales tax raise on the ballot, the people will make the decision in June.