League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Monterey County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Measure A Parcel Tax Pacific Grove Unified School District 2/3 Approval Required Fail: 6,102 / 66.37% Yes votes ...... 3,092 / 33.63% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Full Text of Measure A

INTRODUCTION To aid in preserving educational quality in our schools in the face of Statewide budget cuts, including but not limited to science, math, music, art, computers and libraries; maintain small class sizes; and retain teachers; shall Pacific Grove Unified School District levy $65 per parcel for five years to replace and extend the previously approved tax, with independent citizens' oversight committee, and all funds spent locally and no money used for administrative salaries or taken by the State? STATEMENT OF PURPOSES To provide local revenue that cannot be taken by the State and to aid in maintaining exceptional public education in our schools, the Pacific Grove Unified School District proposes to levy and collect a qualified special parcel tax as described below (see "SPECIAL TAX AND PROCEDURES" below), and to implement accountability measures in connection with the special parcel tax to provide oversight and accountability to ensure that funds are used to: Preserve core academic programs such as science and math; Protect enrichment programs, including art and music instruction; Maintain small class sizes in all grades; Retain qualified teachers; Provide for staffing and operations of libraries and computer labs; Reduce the impact of Statewide budget cuts by providing a stable local funding source that cannot be taken away by the State or other school districts; Protect the taxpayers' investment in education and ensure District accountability by providing for oversight and independent financial audits of revenues and expenditures. The Board of Education will utilize parcel tax proceeds for the purposes listed above, unless the Board of Education determines in any given year that changes in student population, fiscal constraints, or other changes in state or federal funding make doing so unfeasible or inadvisable. In any event, the Board of Education will not fund any program or reduction other than those listed above from the proceeds of the special parcel taxes. SPECIAL TAX AND PROCEDURES Special Tax Generally. Subject to two-thirds approval of the voters, the special tax of $65 per parcel shall be levied and collected for a period of five (5) years, commencing July 1, 2013 and be collected by the Monterey County Tax Collector at the same time as and along with, and shall be subject to the same penalties as general ad valorem taxes collected by said tax collector. Definition of Parcel. A parcel is defined as any unit of land in the District that receives a separate tax bill from the Monterey County Tax Collector. However, with respect to any parcel that is classified by the Monterey County Assessor as a timeshare property, for the purposes of levying and collecting the special tax against such parcels, to the extent permitted by law such levy shall be set in amount proportional to the percentage of the year owned by said timeshare. Exemptions. (1) All property that would otherwise be exempt from property taxes will also be exempt from the qualified special tax. Exclusive Procedures. The procedures described herein with respect to the levy and collection of the special tax and exemptions, and any additional procedures established by the Board of Education, shall be the exclusive claims procedure for claimants seeking an exemption, refund, reduction, or re-computation of the special parcel tax. Whether any particular claim is to be resolved by the District or by the County shall be determined by the District, in coordination with the County as necessary. The District's Board of Education shall adopt such additional or supplemental procedures as it deems necessary or convenient for the administration of the qualified special tax. ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES Legally Required Accountability Measures. In accordance with the requirements of California Government Code sections 50075.1 and 50075.3, the following accountability measures, among others, shall apply to the special parcel taxes levied in accordance with this Measure: (a) the specific purposes of the special parcel tax shall be only those purposes identified above; (b) the proceeds of the special parcel tax shall be applied only to those specific purposes identified above; (c) a separate, special account shall be created into which the proceeds of the special parcel taxes must be deposited; and (d) an annual written report shall be made by the District's chief fiscal officer to the Board of Education of the District showing (i) the amount of funds collected and expended from the proceeds of the special taxes and (ii) the status of any projects, programs, or purposes required or authorized to be funded from the proceeds of the special taxes, as identified above. Additional Accountability Measures. In addition to the accountability measures required by State law, an independent Community Oversight Committee shall be appointed by the Board of Education to provide fiscal oversight in order to ensure that said funds are spent for the purposes approved by the voters and to communicate with the public regarding the expenditure of said funds. The Community Oversight Committee will review the expenditures of these funds by the District and will report on an annual basis to the Board and to the community on how these funds have been spent. PROTECTION OF FUNDING Current law forbids any decrease in State or Federal funding to the District because of the District's adoption of a parcel tax. However, if any such funds are reduced because of the adoption of this parcel tax, then the amount of the special parcel taxes will be reduced annually as necessary in order to restore such State or Federal funding. SEVERABILITY The Board of Education of the District hereby declares, and the voters by approving this measure concur, that every section, paragraph, sentence and clause of this measure has independent value, and the Board of Education and the voters would have adopted each provision hereof regardless of every other provision hereof. Upon approval of this measure by the voters, should any part be found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid for any reason, all remaining parts hereof shall remain in full force and effect to the fullest extent allowed by law.