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Measure N
New Haven USD Bond Measure
New Haven Unified School District Classroom, Science Lab, Student Safety Measure. To repair/ upgrade local schools, including classrooms/ labs for science, technology, engineering, math, reading/ writing; improving campus safety/ security; replacing aging roofs, heating/ cooling systems, restrooms/ plumbing, shall New Haven Unified School District’s measure authorizing $272,000,000 in bonds at legal rates be adopted, at average levies of $60 per $100,000 assessed value (approximately $17,200,000 annually) while bonds are outstanding, with independent oversight, audits, no funds for administrator salaries, and funds used locally?
Vote Required: 55%
SCORE: 2.4
Comments: The score was lowered from the maximum of five because of the failure to provide information on the duration of the bonds and the estimated cost of repayment, whether there were any existing bonds in place, whether the proposed bonds were Capital Appreciation bonds or follow a regular amortization schedule, and because of extraneous verbiage designed to influence a Yes vote such as “funds used locally” and “no money for administrators’ salaries”. Proposition 39 bonds are prohibited from being spent on administrators’ salaries and operating expenses.
Measure QQ
City of Union City, Essential Services Protection
“Union City Essential Services Protection Measure. To protect essential city services such as 9-1-1 emergency response; street/ pothole repair; crime/ gun violence prevention; fire protection/ paramedics; neighborhood police patrols, and reducing blight/ keeping neighborhoods clean, shall the measure be adopted amending Union City’s business license ordinance, lowering many small businesses’ taxes, with rates up to 0.25% of gross receipts (as described in the ordinance) until ended by voters, raising $3,500,000 annually, with public spending disclosure/ independent audits?”
Vote Required: 50%+1
SCORE:2.9
Comments: The score was lowered from the
maximum of five because there was a lack of honesty as to what the money would
be spent on. As a general tax the proceeds could be spent on any legal purpose.
Not one dollar needs to be spent on the listed items. Providing “annual audits”
means fairly little in the case of a general tax. There is little to meaningfully
audit since the money can be spent on any legal purpose. The claim that the tax
would remain until “ended by voters” is deceptive because it implies there is a
mechanism within the measure to terminate the tax. There is no probable way to
end this tax other than by the difficult citizen initiative process.
Effectively this tax increase would be permanent. The statement regarding
“lowering many small business taxes” seems deceptive and contrary to the amount
of new tax revenues being raised.
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BALLOT WATCH DOG 