City of San Carlos Black Mountain Park Bond Issue, Measure V (November 2015)
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A bond issue to fund improvements to Black Mountain Park was on the ballot for San Carlos voters in San Mateo County, California, on November 3, 2015. It was defeated.
If approved, Measure V would have authorized the city to increase its debt by up to $45 million through issuing general obligation bonds in that amount. The bond revenue would have been used to make improvements to Black Mountain Park through the acquisition of about 23.5 acres of open space. The bond measure was designed to require the bonds to be repaid within 30 years. The maximum interest rate allowed by law would have been 12 percent. City officials estimated that the bonds would have been issued at an interest rate of 3.8 percent. Assuming that interest rate, city officials estimated that an average property tax rate of $19.78 per $100,000 of assessed property value would have been required to repay the bonds. Over the 30-year life of the bonds, city officials estimated that the total cost to taxpayers would have been $86,712,800, including the principal and interest of the debt.[1]
Specifically, the bond money was designed to be used to purchase about 23.5 acres across three parcels that used to be the Black Mountain Spring Water site. The three parcels were:
- the 11.3-acre Black Mountain property
- the 7.3-acre Rollieri property
- the 4.9-acre Vista Del Granda property
The parcels are located on at Alameda de las Pulgas, between Madera Avenue and Melendy Drive.[2]
Supporters said that the land would likely be used for a housing development if not preserved as open space through acquisition by the city.[2]
Opponents said the land was too steep and not worth the price.[2]
A two-thirds (66.67%) vote was required for the approval of Measure V.
Election results
| San Carlos, Measure V | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 No | 5,874 | 60.51% | ||
| Yes | 3,834 | 39.49% | ||
- Election results from San Mateo County Elections Office
Text of measure
Ballot question
The following question appeared on the ballot:[3]
| “ |
To permanently protect and preserve rare San Carlos open space from development, protect a local water source, prevent increased traffic congestion, and improve access to tranquil natural areas and parks, including walking trails, recreation, and restrooms/facilities, shall the City of San Carlos issue $45 million in bonds to acquire, create, and enhance Black Mountain Park located along Alameda de las Pulgas between Madera Avenue and Melendy Drive, with citizen oversight and funds restricted to these specific purposes only?[4] |
” |
Impartial analysis
The impartial analysis of Measure V that was prepared by the office of the city attorney is available here.[1]
Full text
The full text of the bond measure is available here.
Support
Supporters
A campaign called Save Black Mountain was started to support Measure V.[5]
The following individuals signed the official argument in favor of Measure V:[3]
- Richard Armanino, president of the Parks and Recreation Foundation of San Carlos
- Tom Davids, former mayor of the city of San Carlos
- Sonya Sigler, East San Carlos Resident
- Linda Teutschel, former San Carlos Citizen of the Year and 43-year resident
- Greg St. Claire, owner of Town Restaurant
Arguments in favor
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in favor of Measure V:
| “ |
Vote YES on Measure V to save Black Mountain and give our community a new park to enjoy for generations, not 100 more homes and more traffic. Black Mountain is one of the last remaining undeveloped areas in San Carlos. Now this unprotected open space is threatened because it is up for sale and development. But we have a choice. Do nothing and see it lost forever or vote YES on Measure V to preserve the land and create a park for all to enjoy. Measure V allows our community to seize this unique opportunity to protect our last large area of open space, thereby making it accessible to the public and preserving it for all time. With so much development and traffic congestion on the Peninsula, it is vital to preserve this beautiful open space and maintain a balance we could lose. We must act now to protect one of San Carlos' few remaining natural areas before it is gone forever. Measure V - a park, not 100 homes.
Measure V protects San Carlos taxpayers:
Join your friends and neighbors and local community and business leaders to protect Black Mountain from development. Vote YES on V![4] |
” |
| —Richard Armanino, Tom Davids, Sonya Sigler, Linda Teutschel and Greg St. Claire[3] | ||
Editorials
- The San Mateo Daily Journal editorial board wrote an article endorsing a "yes" vote on Measure V. An excerpt of the editorial is below:
| “ |
The issue is simply this: Do the city’s residents want to tax property owners about $20 per $100,000 assessed property value to purchase a large stretch of open space for its residents to enjoy in the future? We say yes, simply because the opportunity for such a purchase does not come very often. In 1922, the city of San Mateo passed a bond measure of $80,000 to purchase 16 acres of property in the center of the city from the estate of William Kohl to carve out its Central Park. While a tidy sum back in the day, no one could ever question the importance of that decision on the city of San Mateo. While San Mateo’s Central Park cannot be compared to the Black Mountain site and its adjacent property, there is something to be said for striking while the iron’s hot when it comes to creating park land for now and into the future. In 100 years, no one will say the investment needed today and for 30 years by San Carlos’ Measure V was not worth it.[4] |
” |
| —San Mateo Daily Journal editorial board[6] | ||
Opposition
Opponents
The following individuals signed the official argument in opposition to Measure V:[3]
- Bill Koefoed, 40-year resident
- Bob Farnas, 30-year resident
- Priya Joseph, San Carlos resident
- Betsy Koefoed, 40-year resident
- Mary Farrell, 24-year resident
Arguments against
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in opposition to Measure V:
| “ |
NO ON BLACK MOUNTAIN PARK MEASURE: Parks and open space are a vital part of what makes San Carlos enjoyable. Many of us support the city using our tax dollars to maintain and improve our current parks. We might even support spending a reasonable amount to acquire park land in the future. But we cannot and do not support the Black Mountain deal. Here's why:
There's no plan for the property, only empty promises. You may vote for open space and hiking trails but could very well end up with a recreation center and paved parking lots. Who knows? The city is asking us to fork over millions of dollars with no idea what it's for or when that'll be decided. Taxes going up and up and up. This bond measure adds hundreds of dollars more a year in residential property tax on top of the thousands we already pay and there is no exemption for seniors. Current San Carlos parks go unmaintained and underutilized. Our city already has 15 parks on 143 acres, easy access to dozens of county parks, adjacent city parks, and private open space. The city can't even maintain the hiking trails and open space parks we already have, why spend $86 million on another? The Black Mountain deal is half-baked and will raise our taxes for decades to come. It does not deserve our votes or our tax dollars. No plan, no price, NO DEAL. Send this measure back to City Hall with a firm NO.[4] |
” |
| —Bill Koefoed, Bob Farnas, Priya Joseph, Betsy Koefoed, Mary Farrell[3] | ||
Path to the ballot
Measure V was put on the ballot by a vote of the San Carlos City Council.[3]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms San Carlos Black Mountain Park bond Measure V. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- City bonds on the ballot
- San Mateo County, California ballot measures
- November 3, 2015 ballot measures in California
External links
Support
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 San Mateo County Elections, "Impartial analysis of Measure V," accessed October 1, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The San Mateo Daily Journal, "$45M open space purchase at issue with Measure V: Backers say it’s chance to preserve acreage in San Carlos, foes say it’s costly," October 12, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Smart Voter, “Measures appearing on the ballot on November 3, 2015,” accessed September 29, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Save Black Mountain, "Home," accessed October 24, 2015
- ↑ The San Mateo Daily Journal, "Editorial: Yes on Measure V," October 23, 2015
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