Gilroy
– The county library system won the big prize in property tax
balloting that concluded last week, but narrowly missed the rewards
of a companion measure thanks to low turnout and Milpitas residents
who said no to both measures.
Gilroy – The county library system won the big prize in property tax balloting that concluded last week, but narrowly missed the rewards of a companion measure thanks to low turnout and Milpitas residents who said no to both measures.
Measure A, which will extend for a decade an existing library parcel tax of $33.66, passed with just more than 72 percent of the vote in an all-mail ballot. Measure B, which would have increased property taxes $12 a parcel received 64 percent support, failing by 871 votes. Both measures needed a two-thirds majority.
Final results released Tuesday show 32 percent turnout in Gilroy, with voters supporting the measures at rates slightly lower than voters county-wide, with 69 percent approving Measure A and 60 percent voting yes on B. Both measures passed in Morgan Hill, with 75 and 68 percent of the vote.
The measures did best in the cities with the highest voter turnout. In Los Altos, where 48.9 percent of voters mailed in their ballots, measures A and B received 83 and 76 percent of the vote.
But in Milpitas, where only 29 percent of the electorate cast ballots, both measures failed. Milpitas was the only one of nine cities in the library district to vote down Measure A, and only Cupertino cast more ballots against Measure B.
The Milpitas city council endorsed measure A but said no to Measure B. Milpitas Librarian Linda Arbaugh said the library ballot measures suffered from the council’s split support and bad timing. In March, Milpitas voters also said no to a school district parcel tax of $140 that also was called Measure A.
“I think there was some confusion with the school ballot,” Arbaugh said. “I’m really dismayed. The library staff worked really hard on the campaign, and the result is disheartening.”
Deputy County Librarian Sarah Flowers said Tuesday that results mirrored polling done by the library system last fall. She said the nearly 5,800 votes cast against Measure B in unincorporated areas reflect a perception by some residents that they are not served by the library system, especially in North County.
“There are unincorporated areas all over the county and some of them aren’t very near any of the libraries,” Flowers said. “I think in Gilroy-San Martin-Morgan Hill they see the service, but in places where people are farther out, they don’t have a sense of connection.”
Measure A guarantees the library system a $5.4 million revenue stream for the next 10 years, about 20 percent of its budget.
