Voters Pass Tax to Fund Study on Impact of Mining

By a vote of 171-15, a tax on mining to fund a study on that industry’s environmental impact on the city was approved in a special election, officials said Wednesday.

Although only a fraction of the city’s 1,040 residents voted on Tuesday, Measure M will add 9.74 cents to an existing 16-cent-per-ton general mining tax.

“We’re pleased with the outcome. It is an indicator that the community is concerned about the negative impact that mining has on the community,” said City Manager Robert Griego.

Aggregate mining utilizes about 70% of the property in the 7.5-square-mile city.

Revenues from the tax will be set aside in a “mining impact fund” that, in addition to funding the study, will pay for street cleaning, road repairs, controlling mining-related traffic, improving air quality, and cleaning up contaminated soil and water-filled gravel pits.