Albany, California, Infrastructure Parcel Tax, Measure P1 (November 2016)
| Measure P1: Albany Infrastructure Parcel Tax |
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| The basics |
| Election date: |
| November 8, 2016 |
| Status: |
 ApprovedMajority required: 66.67% |
| Topic: |
| California parcel tax Expires in: 10 years |
| Related articles |
| California parcel tax on the ballot November 8, 2016 ballot measures in California Alameda County, California ballot measures City tax on the ballot |
| See also |
| Albany, California |
A parcel tax measure was on the ballot for Albany voters in Alameda County, California, on November 8, 2016. It was approved.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of establishing an annual parcel tax—a kind of property tax based on units of property rather than assessed value—of $38.65 per parcel for 10 years to fund sidewalk maintenance and street infrastructure. |
| A no vote was a vote against establishing an annual parcel tax—a kind of property tax based on units of property rather than assessed value—of $38.65 per parcel for 10 years to fund sidewalk maintenance and street infrastructure. |
A two-thirds (66.67%) vote was required for the approval of this measure.
Election results
| Measure P1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 6,872 | 78.6% | ||
| No | 1,871 | 21.4% | ||
- Election results from Alameda County Registrar of Voters
Text of measure
Ballot question
The following question appeared on the ballot:[1]
| “ |
To repair and upgrade aging and deteriorating public sidewalks and remove obstructions so that Albany sidewalks are safe and accessible by pedestrians, including people with disabilities that affect mobility, shall the City of Albany enact a special parcel tax ($38.65 annually for most singlefamily parcels, other parcel types at specified rates) for 10 years providing approximately $203,000 annually, with annual public reports and all proceeds to be spent in Albany?[2] |
” |
Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Albany City Attorney:
| “ |
The City Council has placed before the voters the question whether to approve an ordinance enacting a temporary tax on all developed property within the City of Albany to fund repairing and upgrading public sidewalks and removing obstructions to improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians, including people with disabilities. A full copy of the ordinance text is printed in these ballot materials. Currently, the City does not have a dedicated revenue source to fund regular repairs and upgrades for public sidewalks. Sidewalk work is paid for out of the City’s General Fund and competes with other funding priorities. On June 20, 2016, the City Council adopted a new Sidewalk Policy. The Albany Municipal Code makes property owners responsible for the maintenance of the sidewalks next to their property. Under the new Sidewalk Policy, the City will take responsibility for making repairs and upgrades to existing sidewalks and for removing safety hazards and mobility obstructions. The long-term maintenance obligation will remain with property owners. The City will prioritize sidewalk work annually. The proposed tax on developed property within Albany would fund sidewalk work. Authorized uses of tax proceeds include sidewalk maintenance and obstruction removal, which are defined in the ordinance to include “repairing and upgrading public sidewalks and removing obstructions to improve safety and accessibility” as well as a non-exclusive list of types of sidewalk work. Work funded by the tax would be consistent with the Sidewalk Policy, which is incorporated into the ordinance, as it may be amended from time to time by the City Council. Because this measure legally restricts the use of tax revenue to sidewalk maintenance and obstruction removal, it is classified as a “special tax.” The proposed tax would be a flat amount annually that varies with the size and type of property. The rate would be $38.65 annually for a typical single-family lot between 2,500 and 5,000 square feet. The rate would be $27.60 for a single-family parcel under 2,500 square feet and $49.69 for a single-family parcel over 5,000 square feet. The rate for an apartment, condominium, or townhouse would be $15.46 annually per residential unit. The rate for a nonresidential parcel would range from $49.69 to $88.50 annually, depending on the parcel size. Rates would be adjusted annually for inflation. The tax would be collected by Alameda County with regular property taxes. The tax would remain in effect for 10 years. All revenue from the tax would be placed into a special account and restricted to sidewalk maintenance and obstruction removal and related administrative costs. The City’s chief financial officer is required to prepare and submit to the City Council an annual public report regarding the tax funds collected and expended, as well as any other information required by state law. A “Yes” vote is a vote in favor of the tax. A “No” vote is a vote against the tax. This measure will be approved if at least two-thirds of the votes cast on it are “Yes” votes. [2] |
” |
| —Albany City Attorney[3] | ||
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the governing officials of Albany, California.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Albany California parcel tax. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Alameda County, "November 8, 2016 General Election Local Measures," accessed October 12, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Alameda County, "Measure P1," accessed October 28, 2016
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