The school district’s budget crisis has emerged as one of the
most pressing issues facing city leaders.
Gilroy – The school district’s budget crisis has emerged as one of the most pressing issues facing city leaders.
State laws bar Gilroy Unified School District, already saddled with $15 million in debt, from substantially raising so-called impact fees levied on each new home to offset the cost of educating new students. Now, GUSD officials are asking the city to help convince developers to voluntarily give back more to the school district to prevent classroom overcrowding. Developers, in turn, have show a willingness to help, but they say the city should first lower fees it levies for new roads and sewers, or scale back demands for solar-powered panels, additional park space and other so-called amenities routinely demanded during the regulatory process.
The issue is likely to become a major campaign topic this fall, and six candidates for the city’s top governing body are already weighing in on the matter. Here’s what they had to say when asked for their thoughts on the GUSD budget crunch, and whether the city should give up its own fees or make some other sacrifice to help the district:
Tim Day, planning commissioner
“I don’t think the city can afford to give up their impact fees. Those are built in to (the regulatory process) to accomplish other purposes than education. You’re just robbing Peter to pay Paul if you’re taking away fees to pay the schools. Now, volunteer-type amenities, I do think that’s a viable way to help. Past that, I don’t know what the answer is.”
Robert Dillon, former council member
“The district and the developers will have to say, ‘This is what we need to do.’ And if they don’t strike a deal, we’re going to have to stop building. It’s silly to build houses and not have schools to educate the children. They’re either going to have to come up with something, or have something decided for them.”
Joan Spencer, planning commissioner
“I’d have to look at the budget a little more closely before I could be on board with (lowering city impact fees). The city is having their own challenges as far as money. It’s going to take the district, developers and the city really sitting down and working through the details. If we don’t have enough schools and good schools, then everybody’s property values will drop.”
Cat Tucker, parks and recreation
commissioner
“My exact feeling is the city should look into sharing resources. In the past, other cities such as San Jose provided [subsidized] garbage collection to the school district and it would save them a million dollars a year. I thought that was inspiring. There’s got to be a way that we can help our school district with something as simple as that or maybe something else.”
Russ Valiquette, councilman
“If the developers and the district need something from us, whether that’s a reduction in impact fees or something that they might have come up with, that’s something we as a council need to seriously look at and review … Developers will never like impact fees. If we charge a penny they’ll still find a way to complain about it. But whatever the city, the developers and district come up with, I want the district to make sure this is it, that they don’t come back and ask for more money.”
Roland Velasco,
councilman
“There are individuals in the past who have been very pro-growth, and they may be saying right now that maybe it’s time to start slowing our growth. The (council decision to delay awarding a housing permit competition) is a shot across the bow to the development community to meet with the school district and try to come up with a solution.”
