We reported recently that a state appeals court ruled that Union City’s 911 tax was passed illegally, although the city will probably appeal. Surely if the city is forced to give back the estimated $11 million it has collected from residents over the past four years it will have a huge impact, but it seems the city has already identified a new source of revenue to pay for its emergency service system.

While most of the attention paid to the new Measure K tax on the June ballot concerned Union City’s decision to expand it to include money for youth anti-violence programs, the city also expanded it to pay for emergency services, which the 911 tax had been doing. The first Measure K was only to be used for police and fire services.

There are a lot of differences between the original Measure K and the new one. The first one, approved in 2004, was only to last for five years during a budget crisis when the city faced possible police and fire layoffs.

The new one is a long-term revenue source (20 years) that can be used for more things and can increase up to 3 percent a year based on inflation. It is also a bigger tax. The original Measure K raises about $2.6 million a year. The new one would increase that to at least $4.3 million. It would cost about two-thirds more a year for homeowners and nearly double for commercial property owners.

If you’re home is on a quarter-acre of land the annual tax would go from $118.70 to $201.46. The bigger or smaller the parcel, the bigger or smaller the tax.

Since the original Measure K doesn’t expire until next year, this isn’t the Union City’s only chance to extend it. If voters were to reject it, city leaders would likely put a less ambitious tax on the November ballot.