Santa Rosa Elementary School District Bond Issue, Measure L (November 2014)

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A Santa Rosa Elementary School District Bond Issue, Measure L ballot question was on the November 4, 2014 election ballot for voters in the Santa Rosa Elementary School District in Sonoma County, California. It was approved.

Upon its approval, Measure L was designed to authorize the district to increase its debt by up to $54 million through issuing general obligation bonds in that amount. District officials estimated the annual additional property tax rate required to repay these bonds to be $30 per $100,000 of assessed property value.

Voters in the Santa Rosa Elementary School District were also asked to authorize a bond issue of $175 million under the name Measure I. Measure I was also approved.

A 55 percent supermajority vote was required for the approval of Measure L.

Election results

Measure L
Result		Votes	Percentage
a Yes		11,000	69.1%
No		4,919	30.9%

Election results from Sonoma County Elections Office

Text of measure

Ballot question

The question on the ballot:

“

To improve the quality of elementary education and student safety by repairing/ replacing leaky roofs, repairing deteriorating plumbing/ sewer/ electrical systems, providing updated 21st century classroom technology, upgrading security/ fire alarms, making health, safety and handicapped accessibility improvements, and acquiring, renovating or constructing classrooms, equipment, sites and facilities, shall Santa Rosa Elementary School District issue $54 million in bonds at legal rates, including independent citizens’ oversight, annual audits, no funds used for administrators’ salaries or taken by the state?

”

Impartial analysis

The following impartial analysis was prepared for Measure L:

“	The California Constitution allows school districts to borrow money by issuing bonds to pay for construction, repair, replacement, and acquisition of school facilities if 55 percent of the voters who vote on the measure approve the sale of the bonds. The City of Santa Rosa Elementary School District Board of Education has called for an election and placed on the ballot the question of whether to issue bonds in the amount of $54 million for repairs and improvements of District classrooms and school facilities. Money raised by bond sales can be used for the purposes and projects stated in the Project List set forth in the Measure. Projects include basic facility repairs, including repairing or replacing deteriorating plumbing, sewer, electrical, heating, and air conditioning systems; school safety repairs and improvements; facility and site acquisition; and educational technology improvements. As required by state law, the measure prohibits using bond proceeds for teacher or administrator salaries or other operating expenses. The inclusion of a capital improvement on the Project List is not a guarantee that the project will be funded or completed. The Project List is a statement of present intention of the District’s Board, and does not imply any particular prioritization among improvements. If the Measure is adopted, the District’s Board will conduct annual, independent financial and performance audits to ensure that bond proceeds have been expended only on the projects on the Bond Project List. In addition, a Citizens’ Oversight Committee will be established within sixty days of the entry of the election results on the Board’s minutes. The proceeds of the bonds will be maintained in a separate account in the County Treasury, and the Board must receive an annual report on the status of projects undertaken and the amount of bond proceeds received and expended in that year. If the Measure is approved, the District expects to sell the bonds in series over time. The funds to repay the bonds would be raised by an increase in property taxes based upon the value of land and improvements in the District. The interest rate on the bonds would depend on the market rate at the time the bonds are sold, but cannot exceed the rate set by state law. The Tax Rate Statement prepared by the District Superintendent, which follows this analysis, estimates the property tax levies required to pay off the bonds. The estimated tax levies are a projection, and could go up or down, depending on a number of factors including the timing and amount of bond sales, and changes in assessed value of property in the District.	”
—Jeffrey M. Brax, Sonoma County Deputy Counsel

Friends of Santa Rosa Schools campaign logo

Support

The official campaign that supported both Measure I and Measure L - the Santa Rosa High School and Elementary School district bond measures - was called Friends of Santa Rosa Schools.

Opposition

If you have an argument you would like to see posted here, please email the Local Ballot Measures Project staff writer.

Related measures

• Santa Rosa High School District Bond Issue, Measure I (November 2014) a

See also

• School bond elections in California
• Local school bonds on the ballot
• Sonoma County, California ballot measures
• November 4, 2014 ballot measures in California

External links

Suggest a link

• Sonoma County Registrar of Voters Office website
• Friends of Santa Rosa Schools website, accessed October 8, 2014