Greenfield, California, Special Parcel Tax, Measure C (May 2017)
| Measure C: Greenfield Special Parcel Tax |
|---|
|
| The basics |
| Election date: |
| May 2, 2017 |
| Status: |
 ApprovedMajority required: 66.67% |
| Topic: |
| California parcel tax Expires in: No expiration |
| Related articles |
| California parcel tax on the ballot May 2, 2017 ballot measures in California Monterey County, California ballot measures District tax on the ballot |
| See also |
| Greenfield, California |
A parcel tax measure was on the ballot for Greenfield voters in Monterey County, California, on May 2, 2017. It was approved.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of adopting a parcel tax—a kind of property tax based on units of property rather than assessed value—without expiration to ensure fire and emergency medical services for the community. |
| A no vote was a vote against adopting a parcel tax without expiration to ensure fire and emergency medical services for the community. |
A two-thirds (66.67%) vote was required for the approval of Measure C.
Election results
| Measure C | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 648 | 68.28% | ||
| No | 301 | 31.72% | ||
- Election results from Monterey County Elections
Text of measure
Ballot question
The following question appeared on the ballot:[1]
| “ |
To ensure fire and emergency medical services for our community, including the cost of qualified staff, capital replacement and reserves, shall a new parcel tax providing up to $770,000 initially, be adopted without expiration at up to $200 per single family unit, $150 per multi-unit, and $85 - $200 plus $.07 per building square foot for non- residential parcels, including an annual increase equal to the inflation index as established each year by the City Council?[2] |
” |
Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Greenfield City Attorney:
| “ |
This measure was placed on the ballot by the City Council of the City of Greenfield. This measure, if approved, would impose a special annual parcel tax to pay for necessary fire protection and emergency services within the City of Greenfield. The parcel tax would provide up to $770,000.00 initially and would be adopted without expiration at up to $200 per single family unit, $150 per multi-unit, and $85 - $200 plus $0.07 per building square foot for non-residential parcels and would include an annual increase equal to the inflation index as established each year by the City Council. Currently, fire protection and emergency services are provided by the Greenfield Fire Protection District which is a special district in Monterey County and provides services within the City’s boundaries. However, an independent study commissioned by the City and the Fire District found that the Fire District is severely underfunded and could affect delivery of fire and emergency services in the City. As a result, the City applied for detachment from the Fire District with LAFCO. Detachment means separating from the Fire District and creating a City operated fire department. Approval from LAFCO is contingent upon identification of a permanent funding source. The independent funding source would be this parcel tax. This parcel tax would create the necessary independent funding source needed for the delivery of essential fire and emergency services within the City and allow the City to then enter into a contract with the District to provide services to the unincorporated area. A “yes” vote on this measure is a vote to approve the tax. A “no” vote is a vote to reject the tax. If two-thirds of the voters do not adopt this tax, the ability of the City to provide adequate and quality fire and emergency services could be impeded.[2] |
” |
| —Greenfield City Attorney[1] | ||
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Support
Supporters
The following individuals signed the official argument in favor of the measure:[1]
- John Huerta, Jr., mayor
- Avelina Torres, mayor pro-tem
- Lance Walker, councilmember
- Leah Santibanez, councilmember
- Maria Yanely Martinez, councilmember
Arguments in favor
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in favor of the measure:[1]
| “ | The Greenfield Fire District, which provides fire and emergency medical services for the City, is in dire fiscal crisis. In addition to lacking sufficient revenue to sustain its current two-person service model, the District’s wages are well below the local average, and it has been unable to set aside necessary funds for essential equipment replacement or contingencies.
An independent study commissioned by both agencies found the Fire District underfunded by $965,160 annually. Since July, the City Council has committed up to $200,000 of Measure V/W funds to help offset this funding gap, leaving an unfunded balance of $765,160. Since more than 90 percent of calls for service are in the City, the study recommends that the City detach from the District, establish a City Fire Department, and provide contractual fire protection services to the remaining rural Fire District as the most cost-effective alternative. Both the City Council and Fire District Board of Directors endorsed this alternative. The City has applied for detachment from the Fire District with LAFCO. Approval is contingent upon identification of a permanent funding source. The City Council identified a special tax based on property use as the most equitable funding solution. The proposed tax measure includes a provision requiring the City Council set the tax rate each year, thus providing a mechanism for future reduction of the tax if another funding source becomes available. As your elected representatives, we strongly urge your support for this special tax measure, which equates to about $0.54 per day for a single-family unit. We have carefully considered ALL possible alternatives, and firmly believe this to be the best and fairest solution to provide the funding necessary to ensure continued long-term fire and emergency medical services for our community. [2] |
” |
Opposition
No official arguments were submitted to the voter guide in opposition to Measure C. Please send any information about opposition to Measure C to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the Greenfield City Council on January 24, 2017.[1]
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
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