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LWV League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Smart Voter
Los Angeles County, CA April 13, 2004 Election
Measure Walnut-L
Library Services and Facilities Funding
City of Walnut

Parcel Tax - 2/3 Approval Required

1393 / 39.1% Yes votes ...... 2167 / 60.9% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

Information shown below: Impartial Analysis | Arguments | Full Text

To provide adequate funding for library services and facilities to the residents of the City of Walnut, shall all property owners in the City of Walnut pay a special tax per parcel of property not to exceed $25.26 in the initial year?

Impartial Analysis from Lloyd W. Pellman, County Counsel
Approval of Measure L would authorize the County of Los Angeles (?County?) to levy a special tax of up to a maximum of $25.26 per parcel of property located within the City of Walnut (?City?), beginning on July 1, 2004, which thereafter shall increase by either 2%, or the percentage change in the consumer price index for the prior fiscal year, whichever is less. The County shall not levy, or shall cease to levy, the special tax within the City if the City withdraws from the service area of the County of Los Angeles Public Library (?Public Library?) beginning with the first fiscal year after the withdrawal takes effect.

The tax revenues would be used to fund public library buildings, equipment, materials, vehicles and other facilities for the conduct of public library services and programs, library lending services, information services, library collection development and maintenance, books, magazines, newspapers, journals, manuscripts, audiovisual, electronic media and other information materials, literacy programs, electronic access to information sources such as the internet, administrative expenses relating to the foregoing including the payment of salaries and benefits of library personnel and other incidental expenses, and to recover the costs of the election calling this measure and the reasonable costs incurred by the County in spreading, billing and collecting the special tax. The Public Library shall expend the revenues raised from this special tax only for the purposes identified.

The Auditor-Controller of the County (?Auditor?) shall create a new account into which the proceeds from the special tax shall be deposited. The Auditor shall file a report with the County Board of Supervisors by no later than January 1, 2006, and by January 1 of each year thereafter, stating the amount of funds collected and expended pursuant to this measure, and also the status of the projects required or authorized to be funded. The special taxes shall be collected by the Treasurer and Tax Collector of the County at the same time and in the same manner, and subject to the same penalties as the ad valorem taxes fixed and collected by or on behalf of the County. All laws and procedures regarding exemptions, due dates, installment payments, corrections, cancellations, refunds, late payments, penalties, liens and collections for secured roll ad valorem property taxes shall be applicable to the collection of this special tax. The Librarian for the Public Library shall establish and administer an appeals process to address and correct potential errors or inequities in the levy of the special tax.

This Measure requires a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the qualified electors in the City voting on the measure for passage.

  Official Information

City of Walnut
News and Analysis

San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Suggest a link related to Measure Walnut-L
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Arguments For Measure Walnut-L
The Walnut City Council authorized the inclusion of Measure L on the April General Municipal Election ballot to give residents the opportunity to vote on this special tax. The City Council would like to make you aware of the following:

The current budget for the Walnut County Library is $717,864. Of that amount the City of Walnut Improvement Agency and the Walnut property owners pay $588,067, and the County pays $129,797. The proposed County Library Tax would provide an additional $210,000, which would provide added services or hours and would cover the potential loss of the County funds.

(No arguments against Measure Walnut-L were submitted)

Full Text of Measure Walnut-L
Section 1. A special election shall be held and the same is hereby called and ordered to be held in the City of Walnut, on the 13th day of April, 2004, for the purpose of submitting to the voters of the City of Walnut the question of whether a special tax should be levied by the County of Los Angeles in the amounts and for the purposes hereinafter set forth.

Section 2. Commencing with Fiscal Year 2004- 2005, an annual special tax to raise revenue for the specific purpose of funding Library Services and Facilities (defined below in Section 3) is hereby imposed upon parcels of property located within the City of Walnut. The maximum amount of the special tax per parcel for the initial fiscal year, July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005, shall not exceed $25.26 per parcel of property; thereafter the maximum amount of the special tax shall increase by 2%, or the percentage change in the consumer price index for the prior fiscal year, whichever is less. For any fiscal year, the County of Los Angeles Public Library may levy the special tax at less than the maximum amount per parcel which action may be taken without notice or public hearing. The County of Los Angeles shall not levy, or shall cease to levy, the special tax within the City, if the City withdraws from the service area of the County of Los Angeles Public Library, beginning with the first fiscal year after such withdrawal takes effect.

Section 3. As used in this resolution, "Library Services and Facilities" means: public library services and facilities including, but not limited to, buildings, equipment, materials, vehicles and other facilities for the conduct of public library services and programs; library lending services; information services; library collection development and maintenance; books, magazines, newspapers, journals and manuscripts; audio-visual, electronic media and other information materials; literacy programs; electronic access to information sources such as the Internet and The World Wide Web; education services for persons of all ages; administrative expenses related to the foregoing including the payment of salaries and benefits of library personnel and other incidental expenses; and to recover the costs of the election called pursuant to Section 1 hereof, and reasonable costs incurred by the County in spreading, billing and collecting the special tax.

Section 4. The County Librarian and officers of the County of Los Angeles Public Library and County of Los Angeles are hereby authorized and directed, individually and collectively, to do any and all things and to execute, deliver, and perform any and all agreements and documents that they deem necessary or advisable in order to effectuate the purposes of this Resolution. All actions heretofore taken by the officers and agents of the County of Los Angeles Public Library that are in conformity with the purposes and intent of this Resolution are hereby ratified, confirmed, and approved in all respects.

Section 5. The Auditor-Controller of the County of Los Angeles shall create a new account into which the proceeds from the special tax authorized herein shall be deposited. The Auditor-Controller shall file a report with the County Board of Supervisors by no later than January 1, 2006, and by January 1 of each year thereafter, stating the amount of funds collected and expended pursuant to this measure; and also the status of the projects required or authorized to be funded pursuant to Section 3.

Section 6. The County of Los Angeles Public Library shall expend the revenues raised from this special tax only for the purposes identified in Section 3.

Section 7. The Treasurer and Tax Collector of the County of Los Angeles shall collect the special tax authorized herein for the initial Fiscal Year 2004-2005 and for subsequent fiscal years, on the tax roll at the same time and in the same manner, and subject to the same penalties as the ad valorem property taxes fixed and collected by or on behalf of the County of Los Angeles.

Section 8. Insofar as feasible, all laws and procedures regarding exemptions, due dates, installment payments, corrections, cancellations, refunds, late payments, penalties, liens and collections for secured roll ad valorem property taxes shall be applicable to the collection of this special tax. The secured roll tax bills shall be the only notices required for any special tax levied.

Section 9. The County Librarian shall establish and administer an appeals process to address and correct potential errors or inequities in the levy of the special tax authorized herein.


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Created: June 7, 2004 14:27 PDT
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