Windsor voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether the Sonoma County town gets its first local sales tax. Measure I would add a 1% transactions and use tax, raising an estimated $5.7 million a year for town services until voters end it.

Why it matters: Town leaders say that without new money, Windsor will run through its reserves by 2029 and face another round of cuts to code enforcement, public works, parks and community events.

What a yes vote does

  • Adds 1 cent to every taxable dollar spent in Windsor. The Press Democrat reported that would take the rate from 9.25% to 10.25%.
  • Raises about $5.7 million a year, according to the town, all of it staying in Windsor's general fund.
  • Has no end date. The ballot question says it lasts "until ended by voters."
  • Requires independent audits and citizen oversight. The town also adopted a Fiscal Accountability and Stewardship Policy that adds annual public workshops and a Citizens' Oversight Committee.

The ballot question lists potholes and street maintenance, neighborhood police patrols, emergency response and traffic enforcement, parks and community events, and fire prevention such as brush clearing. Because it is a general tax, the money is not legally locked to those uses. It needs a simple majority to pass, the county registrar says.

A no vote leaves the rate where it is and the town without new ongoing revenue.

Why the town is asking

Windsor, incorporated in 1992, is an outlier with no supplemental tax for its general fund, the Press Democrat reported. The town says its 2025-27 budget already included about $6 million in operating cuts, among them three police positions, plus deferred road and park maintenance. It still drew nearly $8 million from reserves. Town staff project yearly shortfalls of $4 million to $5 million starting in fiscal 2027-29.

Police are a big pressure point. Windsor contracts with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, and that contract rose about $2 million, or 26%, in two years, Town Manager Jon Davis said in June.

The 'Plan B' if it fails

In June, staff outlined further cuts of 15% to 20% per department if a tax fails, the Press Democrat reported. That could end proactive code enforcement, trim pothole and streetlight repairs, and cut town funding for the Farmers Market, Windsor Day Parade, Summer Nights on the Green and Fiestas Patrias.

Who's for and against

The council voted 4-0 in June to move ahead and formally placed Measure I on the ballot July 15. Mayor Rosa Reynoza and Vice Mayor Tanya Potter spoke in favor. Council member Mike Wall, absent for the June vote, had said in April that he would support putting it on the ballot but would not vote for it himself. The county voter guide includes arguments for and against the measure.

Nearby, Sonoma County voters also face Measure H, the parks sales tax, and Rohnert Park's Measure K. See every local measure in our 2026 Bay Area election guide.