DEAR EDITOR:
Regarding Measure I, what are the voters of the community are
going to do this time around?
DEAR EDITOR:
Regarding Measure I, what are the voters of the community are going to do this time around? I wonder if implementing the “neighborhood school” plan is going to shoot this bond measure in the foot. Why? Because voters who have children attending public schools usually only see the schools that their children attend. If the children of the homeowners who do vote on Tuesday are currently enrolled in a neighborhood school that is in good shape, gets consistently high test scores, and live in a neighborhood where the median assessed value of a home is greater than $250,000, would they vote to increase property taxes for the next 25 years? Their children are guaranteed to attend a particular school whether the bond measure is passed or not.
In some of our neighborhoods, the assessed value of homes is twice as much as the median assessed value of all homes in the city. Therefore, if Measure I passes, the contribution of those residents in those homes will be nearly twice that of those who live in homes whose assessed value is closer to the median – for the next 25 years. Those who purchased a home in Gilroy in the last three to five years will bear the burden of this tax hike, much more so than those who purchased their homes ten or more years ago.
There is some information on the GUSD web site about Measure I, where the final text of the resolution for Measure I is outlined. In Section 5 of the resolution, it is written that “approval of Measure I does not guarantee that the proposed project or projects in the Gilroy Unified School District will be funded beyond the local revenues generated by Measure I. The District’s proposal for the project or projects assumes the receipt of matching state funds …”
To all residents and voters – go to your polling place and have your say in the matter. Make an informed decision, based on the what your perception of the needs of the community is as a whole, one way or the other. There is only one guarantee in this bond measure, and that is a tax on every homeowner in the city for the next 25 years. The estimate is $57 per every $100,000 of assessed value of your home. If your home is assessed at $250,000, your additional tax next year would be approximately $147.50. If your house is assessed at $500,000, your annual additional property tax would be $285.
As much as I’d like to believe that everything that has been promised would get done if the measure passes, everything will get done only if the matching funds are received from the state. Since the matching state funds are not guaranteed, what improvements listed in my “Yes on Measure I” mailings will be cut if the district receives only a portion of the funds expected, and not the entire amount?
Ron Kounanis, Gilroy
Submitted Thursday, Oct. 31 to [email protected]
