KIM SPRINGER, one of those who spoke Wednesday night before the Westminster City Council in favor of putting the extension of the Measure SS one-cent sales tax on the ballot.

Unable to come to an agreement on putting an extension of city’s sales tax before voters, the Westminster City Council adjourned Wednesday’s meeting – which extended to 2 a.m. Thursday – to Friday at 11 a.m.

At issue was allowing voters to decide whether to extend Measure SS, a one-cent sales tax measure approved by voters in 2016, on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Without extension of the tax, Westminster faces major budget cuts and possible eventual bankruptcy.

After hours of public testimony – all in favor of putting the measure before voters – the council took up the issue. Mayor Tri Ta and Councilmembers Tai Do and Chi Charlie Nguyen abstained, while Vice Mayor Carlos Manzo and Councilmember Kimberly Ho were in favor. Without a majority the motion failed.

Friday is the last day, the council was told, to get the matter before voters in the November general election. After that, a special election – potentially costing hundreds of thousands of dollars – would be necessary to revisit the issue, and – in the mean time – Measure SS would lapse.

A survey done for the city indicated that nearly three-quarters of likely voters approved of extending the tax.