City of Albany Measure R — Business License Tax Measure (Alameda County)

What it does

Shall the measure supporting City of Albany general services, such as fire protection, public safety, environmental and community service programs, by increasing the City's business license tax to those rates specified in the measure, levying the tax upon business gross receipts instead of number of employees, and updating local tax collection procedures, providing an estimated additional $600,000 annually, until ended by voters, with all funds remaining local which cannot be taken by Sacramento be adopted?

A YES vote means

Albany would raise its business license tax to the rates in the measure and base it on gross receipts instead of number of employees, bringing in about $600,000 more a year for general city services until ended by voters.

A NO vote means

Albany's business license tax would stay at current rates and would still be based on number of employees.

Needed to pass

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Left–right lean

Unclear: our AI read of the official summary isn't confident enough (we require 70%) to place this on the left–right spectrum, so we don't. Read the summary and decide for yourself.

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Background

According to the City Attorney's impartial analysis, Albany's business license tax is a general tax whose revenue goes to the General Fund, and it is currently based on flat rates or a business's average number of employees.

The City Council voted on July 20, 2026 to place Measure R on the ballot; it would base the tax on flat rates or gross receipts instead: $120 per residential rental unit; for most businesses $50 up to $50,000 in gross receipts, $200 up to $200,000, then $1 per $1,000 above $200,000 for general retail and $5 per $1,000 for commercial rental, contractor, service and other businesses.

The analysis estimates the change would raise an additional $600,000 a year starting January 1, 2027; flat amounts would adjust with CPI up to 3% a year, charitable, religious, government and educational organizations would remain exempt, and the measure needs a simple majority.

Put on the ballot by Albany City Council, July 20, 2026.

From official source 1, official source 2.

Next elections here

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Also on Alameda County ballots

• City of Alameda Measure L — GO Bond Measure
• City of Alameda Measure M — Charter Amendment - Amend And Repeal Outdated Provisions
• City of Alameda Measure N — Charter Amendment - Leases And Sales Of Real Property Measure
• City of Albany Measure O — Requirement To Zoning Changes Measure
• City of Albany Measure P — Street Paving And Storm Drain Parcel Tax Measure
• City of Albany Measure Q — EMS, ALS, Fire Protection Parcel Tax Measure
• City of Albany Measure S — Real Property Transfer Tax Measure
• City of Albany Measure T — Street Trees & Streetlighting Parcel Tax Measure
• City of Berkeley Measure U — Bond Measure
• City of Berkeley Measure V — Sales Tax Measure
• City of Berkeley Measure W — Charter Amendment Measure
• City of Berkeley Measure X — Rent Ordinance Amendment Measure
• City of Berkeley Measure Y — Initiative - Arts Tax Measure
• City of Berkeley Measure Z — Initiative - Public Bank Measure
• City of Berkeley Measure AA — Initiative - Soda Tax Measure
• City of Emeryville Measure BB — Business Tax Measure

All Alameda County races and measures →

Quick answers

What does a YES vote on City of Albany Measure R mean?

Albany would raise its business license tax to the rates in the measure and base it on gross receipts instead of number of employees, bringing in about $600,000 more a year for general city services until ended by voters.

What does a NO vote on City of Albany Measure R mean?

Albany's business license tax would stay at current rates and would still be based on number of employees.

How many votes does City of Albany Measure R need to pass?

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Should I vote yes or no on City of Albany Measure R?

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.

When is the vote?

The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.