West Contra Costa Unified School District, California, Parcel Tax, Measure T (November 2016)
| Measure T: West Contra Costa Unified School District Parcel Tax |
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| The basics |
| Election date: |
| November 8, 2016 |
| Status: |
 ApprovedMajority required: 66.67% |
| Topic: |
| California parcel tax Expires in: 8 years |
| Related articles |
| California parcel tax on the ballot November 8, 2016 ballot measures in California Contra Costa County, California ballot measures Local school tax on the ballot |
| See also |
| West Contra Costa Unified School District, California |
A parcel tax measure was on the ballot for West Contra Costa Unified School District voters in Contra Costa County, California, on November 8, 2016. It was approved.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of extending the district's parcel tax—a kind of property tax based on units of property rather than assessed value—at a rate of 7.2 cents per square foot for eight additional years to provide funding for schools. |
| A no vote was a vote against extending the district's parcel tax—a kind of property tax based on units of property rather than assessed value—at a rate of 7.2 cents per square foot for eight additional years to provide funding for schools. |
A two-thirds (66.67%) vote was required for the approval of this measure.
Election results
| Measure T | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 64,358 | 76.33% | ||
| No | 19,956 | 23.67% | ||
- Election results from Contra Costa County Elections Division
Text of measure
Ballot question
The following question appeared on the ballot:[1]
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To maintain quality education with local funding the State cannot take, including: protecting core academics, reading, writing, math, and science, attracting and retaining quality teachers, supporting science lab materials and activities, providing lower class sizes, preparing students for college and the workforce, shall West Contra Costa Unified School District extend the existing school funding measure for 8 years, at the current 7.2 cents per square foot of building area, providing $9.8 million annually, exempting seniors and requiring independent citizen oversight?[2] |
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Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Contra Costa County Counsel:
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The governing board of the West Contra Costa Unified School District has adopted a resolution proposing to extend its current parcel tax (a qualified special tax). This ballot measure asks voters to decide whether an existing parcel tax should continue to be imposed on parcels of taxable real property within the District for eight years, beginning July 1, 2019. The proposed tax would expire June 30, 2027. The tax would apply to each parcel of taxable real property in the District. If a parcel has a building on it, the tax would be 7.2 cents per square foot of total building area on the parcel. That means the annual tax on a parcel with a 1,500 square-foot building would be $108. A parcel of taxable real property is any unit of real property in the District that receives a separate tax bill for property taxes from the Contra Costa County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office. A parcel otherwise exempt from property taxes will also be exempt from the imposition of the parcel tax. The ballot measure includes certain exemptions. Upon proper application to the District, the District may exempt any parcel from the parcel tax that is (1) owned and occupied as a principal residence by a person 65 years of age or older; (2) owned and occupied as a principal residence by a person receiving Supplemental Security Income for a disability; or (3) owned and occupied as a principal residence by a person receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, whose yearly income does not exceed 250 percent of the 2012 federal poverty guidelines issued by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The ballot measure states that the proceeds of the parcel tax will be used for “protecting core academics, reading, writing, math, and science, attracting and retaining quality teachers, supporting science lab materials and activities, providing lower class sizes, [and] preparing students for college and the workforce.” Proceeds from the parcel tax may be used only for the specific purposes set forth in the ballot measure and according to constitutional and statutory provisions. State law requires the District’s chief fiscal officer to file an annual report with the District’s Board of Education that states the amounts of funds received and expended in each year and the status of any projects required or authorized to be funded from the parcel tax proceeds. The proceeds from the parcel tax will be deposited into a District account that will be kept separate from other District accounts. Parcel tax funds will be the subject of an annual independent financial audit, which shall be made public. Two-thirds of those voting on the ballot measure must approve the measure for it to pass. A “Yes” vote is a vote in favor of authorizing the parcel tax for a eight-year period of time. A “No” vote is a vote against authorizing the parcel tax for a eight-year period of time. [2] |
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| —Contra Costa County Counsel[3] | ||
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:[3]
- Tony Thurmond, Assemblymember, District 15
- Rita Xavier, President, League of Women Voters – West Contra Costa County
- Genoveva Garcia Calloway, Councilmember – City of San Pablo
- Kwame Baah-Arhin, Student Trustee, Contra Costa Community College District
- Tiffany Harris, President, Bayside Council of PTAs
Arguments in favor
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in favor of the measure:[3]
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Maintain quality local education and give students the tools they need to succeed by voting YES on Measure T. This measure renews our local educational funding measure providing the tools our students need to succeed in college and today’s workforce. Measure T ensures a basic level of funding for our schools that the state can’t take away, allowing the school district to continue giving students a quality education from kindergarten to high school graduation. We cannot rely on the state government to fund local schools. Voting YES on Measure T will renew the existing funding needed to maintain core academic programs that prepare our students for success. Vote YES on Measure T to:
Measure T guarantees local educational funding for schools and students for the next 10 years. All funding will stay here in our community and can’t be taken by the state for any reason. An independent citizens oversight committee will review all expenditures ensuring they are spent correctly. No funds raised from Measure T will be used for administrator salaries. Seniors and disabled are exempt from paying this tax. Measure T does not increase your taxes – it continues the current local educational funding to maintain programs in local schools. Without Measure T, the district will be forced to make significant cuts to critical programs that our children need. Vote YES on Measure T – protect our schools and help local students. [2] |
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Opposition
Opponents
The following individuals signed the official argument against the measure:[3]
- Contra Costa Taxpayers Association, Jack Weir, President
Arguments against
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in opposition to the measure:[3]
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The West Contra Costa Unified School District wants to tap your wallet – again. Property tax bills show multiple bonds from 1998 to 2012, and property owners will continue to pay these obligations for many years. In addition, a large share of our basic 1% county property taxes goes to WCCUSD. Voters also approved a parcel tax in 2004, slated to expire in 5 years, which was extended twice by voters to 2019. WCCUSD wants, again, to renew the parcel tax while years still remain on the current tax. Measure T would extend expiration another 8 years to 2027. But, has all this taxpayer money been well spent? Currently, the School District is under investigation by two federal agencies, and its $1.6 billion bond program is being audited for mismanagement, fraud and waste. This independent forensic audit was triggered by allegations of abuse disclosed to the public by a District employee “whistleblower.” (Incidentally, a recent report by the Contra Costa Grand Jury stated that the District has been paying over three times more for construction costs than the state average.) The result of the initial phase of the forensic audit was appalling, showing that the allegations are likely plausible. The full report is due August 31. Fortunately, some positive leadership changes have occurred. However, the whistleblower, who tried for years without success to bring problems to management’s attention before going public, just received an unsatisfactory performance evaluation, a clear violation of state law protecting whistleblowers from retaliation. Voters should wait for these investigations to reveal their findings, and demand that the District correct its shortcomings. It’s much too soon to entrust the District with more of our money. Vote NO on Measure T. |
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Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the governing officials of West Contra Costa Unified School District , California.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms West Contra Costa Unified School District California parcel tax. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Contra Costa County Clerk, "November 8, 2016, Local Measures," accessed October 14, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Contra Costa County Elections Division, "Measure," accessed October 14, 2016
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