Piedmont’s Election Forum on Thursday, October 11, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Piedmont City Hall, will include:

• Measure Y, City of Piedmont Parcel Tax
• Measure A1, Alameda County Oakland Zoo Parcel Tax
• Measure B1, Alameda County Transportation Sales Tax

The League of Women Voters of Piedmont will host the Forum, with speakers presenting  both “pro” and “con” positions concerning the local ballot measures.  Audience questions may be submitted following the presentations.

All are invited to attend the Forum or watch it live via KCOM-TV Channel 27 and the City’s website http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/video/ .

The Citizens’ Advisory Committee on the School Parcel Tax will meet on Thursday, October 11, to  hear an update from School Superintendent Connie Hubbard on the 2013 School Parcel Tax proposal.  The meeting will be from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. at the District Administrative Office, 760 Magnolia Avenue.

October & November School Board Meetings Open Discussions on  Parcel Tax-

The Piedmont School Board Invites Public Input 

The Piedmont School Board will decide whether to ask voters to renew the School Support Tax at a November 28 Special Meeting.  At its next three regular meetings (October 10 and 24, and November 14), the Board will review and discuss options for the proposed measure, including duration, amount, potential to increase, and any potential exemptions.  By November 14, the Board expects there will be a draft measure developed based on recommendations, discussion and public input.  Given State funding cuts, the existing School Support Tax constitutes over 30% of the District’s budget and thus its renewal is incredibly important to the education of our community’s children.  I encourage anyone who has input for the Board’s consideration in developing the proposal to be put to voters in March 2013 to attend one of the next three Board meetings or email Board members with your comments.

Thank you for your involvement!

Richard W. Raushenbush,

Board President Piedmont Unified School District

Editors’ Note:   The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.

Resident Rebuts Council Member’s Assertions –

Editor,

Piedmont City Councilman Jeff Wieler has recently argued that a reduction of one firefighter per shift in Piedmont would result in a lower rating for the city’s fire protection by the Insurance Services Office (ISO), and a higher insurance cost for homeowners.

This is absolute nonsense and another example of Measure Y proponents’ scare tactics.  > Click to read more…

Parcel Taxes Unfairly Based on Parcel Size –

 Dear Fellow Piedmonters,

On September 19th, I received a “Vote Yes on Measure Y” mailer from Mayor 
John Chiang. The proponents keep “spinning” the talking point that Measure Y is not a new tax, but just 
a continuation of a old tax for General City Services. This is not true.  > Click to read more…

Resident Wants “Transparency and Honesty”-

City Council gave $2.45M of taxpayer money to the Hills undergrounding district. City Council then authorized each other to investigate themselves. Naturally, they found no fault with themselves. City Administrator Grote was the staff for the “audit” and investigated himself. Repeated requests for an independent investigation were responded to with silence.  > Click to read more…

Piedmont School Board invites public comment on the 2013  Parcel Tax Measure at Oct/Nov meetings-

Piedmont Unified School District will be recommending a School Support Tax to be placed on the ballot for March 2013.

The time to voice your opinion before the Board of Education approves a measure for the ballot is NOW.

The Board of Education would like to hear from the community on the renewal of the School Support Tax scheduled for March 2013.  It has been approved by the community for the past 27 years and represents 30% of the District’s operating budget.

To express your opinion, attend one of the following Regular Board Meetings to be held:

• Wednesday, October 10, 2012
• Wednesday, October 24, 2012
• Wednesday, November 14, 2012

The Board of Education will take action on a measure to renew the School Support Tax at a Special Board Meeting to be held:

Wednesday, November 28, 2012.

 All meetings start at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 120 Vista Ave.,  and will be televised on KCOM.

These meetings provide an opportunity to provide input on the amount and duration of this essential School Support Tax for all Piedmont students in grades K-12.

Input may also be provided to the Superintendent at: chubbard@piedmont.k12.ca.us and to the Board President at: rraushenbush@piedmont.k12.ca.us

– Press release – Piedmont Unified School District – 

The following announcement was received from the Associated Parent Clubs of Piedmont Giving Campaign for Piedmont Schools –

“A Great Public Education Isn’t Free. It’s up to us.”

The 2012-13 Giving Campaign for Piedmont schools kicked off this week, with dozens of volunteers gathering at two Piedmont homes to assemble and distribute campaign materials.
Piedmont parents with children in elementary, middle and high school received the mailer this week for the district’s largest annual fundraiser, seeking  donations to help offset the devastating ongoing budget cuts faced by California public schools.

Piedmont schools currently receive only 58 percent of their operating budget from the state and federal government, and rely on the generous support of our community to help offset the growing educational funding gap.

This year The Giving Campaign asks that each family consider contributing $1,000 per student to this year’s fundraiser. Donations of any amount will help protect the teachers, staff and essential academic programs that make Piedmont schools dynamic, competitive and strong.

Check your mailbox for this year’s Giving Campaign information and details on how you can help. For more information or to donate today, visit  www.piedmontgivingcampaign.com. Our kids will thank you!

Piedmont resident thinks financial oversight and accountability are still missing –

Yes, I appreciate the high level of city services that Piedmont provides, and I’m willing to pay for them.  And yes, it is a fact that complex public works projects often have unforeseen problems that must be solved.

Clearly, the Undergrounding fiasco showed that the City’s management team failed to solve the problems, which cost Piedmont taxpayers millions.  But, what has been learned from this failure?  > Click to read more…

Letter from Member of the Municipal Tax Review Committee on Measure Y –

The refrain will be heard repeatedly over the coming weeks: It’s a renewal, not a new tax, only $9 per week and necessary to maintain vital services. In truth, the parcel tax is unnecessary, wasteful and has nothing to do with funding essential services.
Despite what is stated in the ballot argument for Measure Y, the proposition does not even have the unanimous support of the City Council.  > Click to read more…