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To construct a new Scotts Valley Middle School on the current site, multipurpose rooms at Vine Hill and Brook Knoll Schools, and a library at Scotts Valley High School, replace portables at Vine Hill and Brook Knoll with new classrooms and,
if moneys are available, make other improvements to school buildings approved
by a citizens’ oversight committee and the District Board, shall the Scotts
Valley Unified School District issue $44.2 million of bonds, at interest
rates within legal limits? |
TAX RATE STATEMENT FOR BOND MEASURE B CODE SECTIONS 9400 TO 9404 As shown in the enclosed sample ballot, an election will be held in the Scotts Valley Unified School District of Santa Cruz County to authorize the sale of $44,200,000 in general obligation bonds. In compliance with Elections Code Section 9400 – 9404, the following information is submitted: The best estimate of the tax rate which would be required to fund the above bond issue during the first fiscal year after the sale of the first series of bonds, based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is $0.069 per $100 assessed valuation in fiscal year 2002-2003. The best estimate of the tax rate which would be required to fund this bond issue during the first fiscal year after the sale of the last series of bonds, based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is $0.089 per $100 assessed valuation in fiscal year 2009-2010. The best estimate of the highest tax rate which would be required to fund this bond issue, based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is $0.118 per $100 assessed valuation in fiscal year 2004-2005. The best estimate of the average tax rate which would be required to fund this bond issue, based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of the filing on this statement is $0.057 per $100 assessed valuation. These figures are based on projections and estimates only and are not binding upon the District. The actual timing of the sale of bonds and the amount sold at any given time will be governed by the needs of the District, the debt limit at the time of sale, the condition of the bond market and other factors. The actual future assessed values will depend upon the amount and value of taxable property within the District as determined in the assessment and equalization process. The actual tax rates and the years in which they will apply may vary from those presently estimated. s/ Stephen Fiss Scotts Valley Unified School District |
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IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS BY COUNTY COUNSEL MEASURE B The Board of Trustees of the Scotts Valley Unified School District has ordered an election to submit to the voters of the School District the question of whether bonds of the District shall be issued and sold in the aggregate principal amount not to exceed $44,200,000 for the purpose of raising money for the acquisition, construction, and improvement of school facilities. A "yes" vote is a vote to
authorize the bonds to be issued and financed by ad valorem taxes levied
annually on real property in the School District. A "no" vote is a vote against issuing the proposed
bonds. In order for this bond measure to pass, it
must be approved by at least two-thirds of the voters voting on the measure. The proceeds of the sale of the bonds will
be used to carry out the projects described in the ballot proposition. The maximum number of years any bonds
issued will run will not exceed a period set by State law. Similarly the interest paid on such bonds
shall be limited by State law. The Tax Rate Statement printed in the
ballot pamphlet provides information concerning projections of the increase
of the property tax rate on real property within the School District. Since the interest rate on the bonds is
determined when the bonds are sold, the exact amount of the tax increase can
only be determined after the bonds are sold. DANA McRAE, COUNTY COUNSEL By Jane M. Scott, Assistant County Counsel |
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VOTER
INFORMATION PAMPHLET
MEASURES, ANALYSES AND
ARGUMENTS (whichever is applicable to
your ballot) Arguments in support of, or in opposition to, the proposed laws are the opinions of the authors. |
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ARGUMENT
IN FAVOR OF MEASURE B
The
children of the Scotts Valley Unified School District need your YES vote on
this local school bond. The facts are: · We
must replace Scotts Valley Middle School. It was built in the 1940’s and
would not be cost-effective to upgrade to meet modern health, safety &
educational standards. · Brook Knoll and Vine Hill Elementary Schools need multi-purpose rooms where children can eat lunch, attend student performances, art & science fairs, and take physical education classes in bad weather. · Scotts
Valley High School needs a permanent full-size library. The current facility
is temporarily housed in converted classrooms, which are needed for
instructional purposes. ·
Old portable classrooms at Brook Knoll and Vine
Hill must be replaced with permanent buildings. Measure B funds will: · Build
a new Scotts Valley Middle School on the current site. · Build
multi-purpose rooms at Brook Knoll and Vine Hill Elementary Schools. · Build
a permanent, full-size library at Scotts Valley High School. · Remove
the old portable classrooms at Brook Knoll and Vine Hill and replace them
with permanent buildings. ·
Be subject to independent annual financial
audits, and be overseen by independent citizens’ committee of volunteers to
ensure the school district stays accountable to local taxpayers. The cost is reasonable: Local bonds are paid
off through property taxes based upon the assessed
value of property, not its market
value. The average yearly cost of the bond will be $56.54 per $100,000 of
assessed property value. For example, the cost for the owner of a median
assessed-value home (currently assessed at $290,329) in the Scotts Valley
Unified School District will pay an average $164.50 per year over the life of
the bonds. That’s just $13.67 per month
to give our children & grandchildren schools they need and deserve! s/ Virginia T. Allender, Senior Advocate s/ Thomas C. Bush, Chief of Police, Scotts Valley Police s/ Janine A. Charlton, Scotts Valley Middle
School Parent Club President s/ Jacqueline A. Heald, 2001 Scotts Valley
Woman of the Year s/ Fred A. Zanotto, Community Leader |
REBUTTAL
TO ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF MEASURE B As usual, the argument
in favor of Measure B is a lot of fluff that lacks
much stuff. Proponents
of Measure
B have failed to convince us that this bond measure isn’t just
another disaster waiting to happen. Remember the high school bond measure? It turned into a major disaster with final
costs being triple what were originally projected. And the high school still isn’t done, done right anyway. Those who ignore history are doomed to
repeat it. The
arguments in favor of Measure B lists needs that seem rather ambitious at a
time when the economy is in a recession.
Does the school district have the foggiest idea of what the real costs
of their vision will be let alone the hard bids for this ambitious list of
projects? We can’t help but feel that
Citizens
of Scotts Valley will find themselves obligated to
bail out another failure as these
bond measure projects double and triple in cost once construction has begun? How
does that old saying go, “figures lie and liers figure”? We can’t help but feel that the proponents
of this measure have done this here.
That average $164.50 per parcel tax increase translates to a 5%
per annum increase in property taxes. And what happens if this recession deepens and property values
drop? Will we be left with a
project(s) that we cannot afford to complete? No,
Measure
B is a bad bond measure and deserves
your No vote. On
March 5, 2002 Vote No on measure B
s/
Vernon C. Bohr Jr., Chairman, Committee Against B – Scotts Valley s/
Carolyn M. Busenhart, Chairman, Committee Opposing Measure B – Scotts Valley |
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VOTER
INFORMATION PAMPHLET
MEASURES, ANALYSES AND
ARGUMENTS (whichever is applicable to
your ballot) Arguments in support of, or in opposition to, the proposed laws are the opinions of the authors. |
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We grow weary of
writing ballot arguments, but
will continue to write them as
long as the
school districts continue to try and tax
their residents because they
think they can. With school enrollment down, and the county in a recession,
it seems fiscally prudent to ask, some of the following questions before
blindly voting for a school bond measure of $44.2 million. 1.
Does the Scotts Valley Unified School District really need
to tear down a school that’s still good just to build a new one on the
existing site. 2.
With Santa Cruz county being the library Mecca of the
world, does the school district really need another library? 3.
Shouldn’t they finish the last bond measure project and
fix the heating system and other problems with the new high school before
embarking on new bond measure projects and further indebting the citizens of
Scotts Valley. 4.
DOES THE SCHOOL DISTRICT HAVE THE FOGGIEST IDEA OF
WHAT THE BOND ITEMS IN THIS BOND MEASURE WILL REALLY COST? DO THEY EVEN HAVE A BUDGET FOR THEIR
PROJECTS LET ALONE HARD BIDS FOR THE COSTS.
The HIGH
SCHOOL COSTS were NEARLY three
times what they originally PROJECTED. Without plans and bids, the school
district is asking you to fund a potential failure
that you will be obligated to bail out later. We say,
let the School District grow up, finish the projects they already have, and
show a little fiscal responsibility before coming to the voters for $44.2
million dollars more of mad money. On
March 5, 2002, vote no on Measure B s/
Carolyn M. Busenhart, Chairman, Committee Opposing Measure B – Scotts Valley s/
Vernon C. Bohr Jr., Chairman, Committee Against B – Scotts Valley |
REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT AGAINST MEASURE B We,
as parents, teachers, business owners and community leaders who live in
Scotts Valley, ask for nothing more than a quality learning environment for
local children. Consider
the facts: ·
The main building housing Scotts Valley Middle
School was constructed in 1941 and has far surpassed its useful life
span. It is simply not cost effective
or fiscally prudent to upgrade this old school. ·
Multi-purpose rooms at our elementary schools are
critically needed. ·
The temporary library at Scotts Valley High is
woefully inadequate and the space will soon be needed for classrooms. If we expect students to excel we must
give them the basic learning tools they need. The lack of an adequate school
library is unacceptable. ·
Construction costs have been accurately
determined. A reputable construction-management firm evaluated the real-world
costs of all bond-funded projects. Two independent general contractors reviewed
their report and certified that the cost projections were realistic. ·
Measure B funds will be subject to a
comprehensive fiscal oversight and auditing process, including a citizens
committee to review expenditures and a continuous auditing process conducted
by an independent financial consultant. ·
State law mandates that all bond funds be used
for school construction & renovation. None are for school district
salaries or operating expenses. Measure
B is a reasonable and fiscally sound response to an obvious need. Let’s provide local kids with school
buildings that match the academic excellence our community has come to
expect! Scotts
Valley Education Association s/
Caroline J. Bombardieri, Teacher s/ Brian L. Bothman,
General Engineering Contractor s/ Pamela P. Lawson,
Parent s/ Marshall E. Wolf,
CIO – Compaq Computers s/ Allison C. Niday, President, Brook Knoll Elem. School, P.T.A. |
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