Parcel Tax Ballot Arguments Due
Deadline for filing Piedmont parcel tax ballot arguments is August 20. Rebuttal arguments due August 27.
Individuals and groups submitting arguments for or against Piedmont’s municipal parcel tax renewal on the November ballot must meet strict requirements, including length, language, and prioritization of the arguments. After acceptance by the City Clerk, qualifying arguments will be published in the Voter’s Information Pamphlet that is mailed to all Piedmont voters.
As required by law, Piedmont City Attorney Tom Curry prepared the following statement as the Impartial Analysis of the proposed measure. Five members of the 2011 Municipal Tax Review Committee plan are expected to submit a statement against the measure.
Impartial analysis of City Parcel Tax by City Attorney Tom Curry,
Measure _ would continue an existing Municipal Services Tax that has been collected in Piedmont since 1980. Every four years thereafter, the voters have approved extensions of the tax. Revenue from the Municipal Services Tax goes to the City’s General Fund and therefore can be used to fill gaps when residents’ demand for city services exceeds the funds generated by real property taxes, sales taxes and other revenue. The General Fund provides Piedmonters with basic services such as police and fire protection, street maintenance, building regulations, library services, recreation, parks maintenance, planning and public works.
Measure _ does not increase the current tax rate or change the procedure for setting the rate; it merely extends the life of the tax for another four years to June 30, 2017. The tax rate would continue to vary by parcel depending on the size and the nature of a parcel’s use (i.e., residential/commercial). Advanced notice and a public hearing would continue to be provided before the City Council sets the annual tax rate. The Municipal Service Tax must be used locally and will undergo annual financial rev1ew.
A “Yes” vote on Measure _ means the voter is in favor of continuing the existing tax.
A “No” vote on Measure_ means the voter is opposed and the existing tax would no longer be collected.Two-thirds (66%) of the qualified voters casting a vote in favor would approve Measure_ .
The above statement is an impartial analysis of Measure _. The full text of Measure_ is printed in the Voter’s Information Pamphlet and is also available on the City of Piedmont’s website at: http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us.
The Measure designation for the November ballot is not known at this time, hence the blanks in the City Attorney’s analysis.
According to the City Clerk, “Pursuant to Elections Code Section 9295, several items must be made available for public review for a period of 10 calendar days after the deadline for their submission to the City Clerk’s Office. Generally this is done by making the items available in the City Clerk’s office. However, to increase transparency, these documents will be posted at http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us.”
For information on parcel tax arguments, contact: John Tulloch, City Clerk, at 510.420.3041 or jtulloch@ci.piedmont.ca.us
