Menlo Park Fire Protection District Appropriations Limit Gann Override, Measure Y (November 2015)
An appropriations limit gann override was on the ballot for Menlo Park Fire Protection District voters in San Mateo County, California, on November 3, 2015. It was approved.
Measure Y authorized the district to increase its appropriations limit through a gann override—a measure to increase the spending authority of a local jurisdiction— to allow the district to spend $50 million per year for four years, from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2020. In November 2011, district voters approved a measure that increased the district's appropriations limit from its base annual limit of $28 million to $40 million for four years. Without the approval of Measure Y, the district's appropriations limit would have remained at $40 million until June 2016, after which it would have fallen back to $28 million.[1]
A gann limit, or appropriations limit, is a restriction on how much a local governmental agency is allowed to spend in a year. The gann limits for local governments in California were originally set by Proposition 4 in 1979. The result of this limit is that sometimes a government will collect more revenue than it can legally spend, forcing it to return some of the money. Article XIIIB of the California Constitution gives voters in a governmental jurisdiction the authority to override a local gann limit, allowing the jurisdiction to spend all of its revenue.
Election results
| Menlo Park Fire District, Measure Y | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes | 6,299 | 79.08% | ||
| No | 1,666 | 20.92% | ||
- Election results from San Mateo County Elections Office
Text of measure
Ballot question
The following question appeared on the ballot:[2]
| “ |
Shall the appropriations limit applicable to the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, which is currently set at $40,000,000 and set to expire on June 30, 2016, be reauthorized for four years at a level of $50,000,000 beginning on July 1, 2016?[3] |
” |
Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of Measure Y was prepared by the office of the county counsel:
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Article XIIB of the California Constitution restricts the spending of tax revenues by local government agencies above an annually adjusted limit. This limit is known as an appropriations limit. The Constitution allows voters to increase a local government's appropriations limit above this base level for a period not to exceed four years. A measure increasing the appropriations limit passes if a majority of those voting on it vote for the measure. If a jurisdiction receives more funds than allowed under its appropriations limit, it cannot spend the excess amount and must return it to the taxpayers. Because of this rule, jurisdictions that have revenues above their appropriations limit face the risk of having to decrease services. According to the Menlo Park Fire Protection District (the "District"), its base appropriations limit for fiscal year 2015-16 is approximately $28 million and its revenues subject to the appropriations limit are approximately $36 million. However, in November 2011, District voters approved an increased annual appropriations limit for the District of $40 million for a four-year period. The increased appropriations limit will expire in June 2016. By this measure, the Board of Directors of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District proposes to increase its appropriations limit to $50 million for the period commencing July 1, 2016, and ending June 30, 2020. The District has stated in a report to its Board of Directors that its appropriations in fiscal years 2010-11 through 2015-16 have been above its base appropriations limits but within the $40 million voter-increased limit. The District's Board of Directors states that this measure is necessary to continue the current level of services that protect people and property in Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, Atherton, and unincorporated areas of the District. If an increased appropriations limit is not approved for four years, the District will be restricted from appropriating and spending certain of the revenues which it expects to receive. Passage of this measure will not increase taxes; it simply allows full use of those revenues the District receives. A "yes" vote on this measure would authorize the Menlo Park Fire Protection District to increase its appropriations (spending) limit to $50 million for a four year period commencing July 1, 2016, and ending June 30, 2020. A "no" vote on this measure would not allow the base appropriations limit for the Menlo Park Fire Protection District to be increased for four years resulting in a decrease to the funding which the District may spend. This measure passes if a majority of those voting on the measure vote "yes."[3] |
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| —San Mateo County counsel[1] | ||
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
Measure Y was put on the ballot by a vote of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District Board of Directors.[1]
Related measures
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Menlo Park Fire Protection District appropriations limit Measure Y. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Gann overrides on the ballot
- San Mateo County, California ballot measures
- November 3, 2015 ballot measures in California
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Smart Voter, "Measure Y: Appropriations Limit, Menlo Park Protection District," accessed October 2, 2015
- ↑ San Mateo County Elections Office, “Measures appearing on the ballot on November 3, 2015,” accessed September 29, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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