Buena Park Schools parcel tax, Measure B (June 2010)
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The proposed tax was to be 3.75 cents per square foot and would have applied to the approximately 10,000 real estate parcels located in the Buena Park School District. The tax, if approved, would have lasted for four years. The average property owner in the district would have paid about $48.77 more in property taxes annually under the proposal, which would have generated about $1 million a year for the district in each of the four years the tax would have been in effect.
3 of Buena Park School District's 5-member board voted to put the tax on the ballot, and 2 voted against. Jerry Kong and L. Carole Jensen voted against putting the tax on the June ballot after saying they have heard from their constituents that it was not the right time.[2]
The cost of administering the election on the tax proposal was about $50,000. Orange County election officials administered the election, and the school district was required to reimburse the county for any costs incurred in the election.
The Buena Park School District had about 1,000 fewer students in 2010 than it did in the 2002-2003 school district.
A 2/3rds supermajority vote was required to pass the tax.
Election results
| Measure B | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 No | 2,183 | 48.3% | ||
| Yes | 2,334 | 51.7% | ||
- These final, certified results are from the Orange County elections office.
Tax supporters
The ballot guide arguments in favor of Measure B were signed by:
- Mary Fuhrman
- Lisa Neumann (HSO President)
- Elizabeth Swift (BPSD Governing Board President)
- Nelly Diaz (Parent/HSA President)
- Alice Burnett (Parent/HSA President)
They said, "The high level of academic excellence for our BPSD students and schools is in jeopardy!"
Tax opponents
- Rosanne Jasieniecki, a district resident, signed the ballot guide arguments against Measure B. She said, "With record high unemployment and foreclosures, homeowners cannot afford any new taxes. Businesses and jobs are leaving the state in record numbers, making this the worst possible time to raise taxes...Passage of this parcel tax will result in much higher property taxes for homeowners. We currently pay three bond taxes to the Buena Park School District, which we have been paying since 1999, 2000, and 2001 respectively. These taxes are itemized within the long list of fixed charges that appear on your property tax bill – and these taxes are not going away! ...The Buena Park School District has stated that the average residential parcel tax would only be $48.77 for a 1,300 square foot property. Do not be fooled! Depending on the assessed value of your home, your Buena Park School District taxes could increase 184% or more."
- The editorial board of the Orange County Register was opposed to Measure B. They wrote, "Meanwhile, the district's March 8 budget update noted that the district's average daily attendance is projected to decline: to 5,050 in FY 2011-12 from 5,410 in FY 2009-10. In two years, that's a drop of 360 students, or 6.7 percent. With California employment continuing to go up as average daily school attendance is going down, we just don't see the justification for a tax increase at this time."[3]
Text of measure
The question on the ballot:
| To prevent deep cuts in Buena Park elementary and middle school educational programs; retain qualified, experienced teachers; keep school libraries open; and maintain school campuses, nurses/health and counseling services, music and physical education programs; shall Buena Park School District levy an annual tax of $0.0375 per square foot of building space per each assessor’s parcel, for 4 years only, with independent oversight, an exemption for senior citizens, and all funds benefiting neighborhood K-8 schools? |
See also
External links
- Buena Park School District's parcel tax subpage
- Measure B details
- Full text of Measure B
- Impartial analysis of Measure B
- Argument in favor of Measure B
- Argument against Measure B
- Rebuttal to argument in favor of Measure B
- Rebuttal to argument against Measure B
References
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