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City of Pacific Grove library parcel tax, Measure J (November 2009)
A City of Pacific Grove library parcel tax, Measure J ballot question was on the November 3, 2009 ballot for voters in the City of Pacific Grove in Monterey County, California, where it was defeated.[1]
If Measure J had been approved, it would have imposed a $96 tax on each parcel in Pacific Grove and $75 for each unit of a multi-family residential building. Because there are approximately 6,000 taxable parcels in the district, it was expected that if Measure J had passed, it would have generated about $630,000 in new taxes every year for the library.[2]
The election results for Measure J were a rollercoaster. Several days after the election, supporters of Measure J held out hope that with 400 ballots remaining to be counted, a victory might emerge. However, when the final vote tally was released on Friday, November 13, it was confirmed that Measure J had narrowly lost.[3][4]
To pass, two-thirds of those voting had to vote in favor. Voters who wished to vote by mail had until October 27 to do so; otherwise, voters went to the polls on November 3.[5]
Election results
| Measure J | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 No | 1,421 | 34.04% | ||
| Yes | 2,747 | 65.91% | ||
- These final, certified, results are from the Monterey County elections office.
Details
- The tax would have ended on June 30, 2021.[6]
- The Pacific Grove City Council would have had the authority to increase the tax a maximum of 5% a year.[7]
- Library supporters said that if the tax had passed, it would have enabled keeping the library open about 30 hours a week.[2]
Supporters
A campaign committee to support Measure J was established on August 26. Susan Steele, a former member of the city's Library Advisory Board, was a leader on the campaign committee.[2]
Ballot question
The question on the ballot:
| Measure J: Shall the City of Pacific Grove Library Funding Measure be approved to enact an ordinance to create a Special Parcel Tax and limit that revenue to the sole purpose of maintaining and improving services at the Pacific Grove Public Library?[8] |
Path to the ballot
The Pacific Grove City Council unanimously voted to put Measure J on the November 3 ballot.[2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Monterey Herald, "Special parcel tax bound for P.G. ballot," August 6, 2009
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Monterey Herald, "P.G. residents have library plan," August 28, 2009
- ↑ Monterey Herald, "Measure J vote too close to call," November 5, 2009
- ↑ Monterey Herald, "Pacific Grove Library tax fails in official tally," November 14, 2009
- ↑ KION-TV, "Five Ballot Measures in Monterey Co. Election," October 9, 2009
- ↑ Monterey Herald, "Pacific Grove library board mulls options," August 25, 2009
- ↑ Monterey Herald, "Pacific Grove parcel tax measure falling short," November 4, 2009
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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