"Santa Clara County voters will decide this month whether to approve a parcel tax that would generate an estimated $17 million annually for the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, funding wildfire risk reduction, water protection and open space conservation across the region."
"Measure D qualified for the June 2 primary ballot as a citizen's initiative after organizers collected 43,770 signatures, over the required threshold of 37,206. It would levy a tax of 2 cents per square foot of building area annually, with a $7,500 per-parcel cap. The levy would add $30 to the tax bill for a 1,500-square-foot residence."
""Since 2014, the acreage we are responsible for protecting and opening to the public has doubled to 30,000 acres," Mackenzie said. "And yet we're operating on the same revenue stream today as we were 12 years ago.""
""Lands that have been protected to date by the Open Space Authority and its partners are permanently protected," Mackenzie said. "But can they be continued to be cared for, restored, and maintained, to provide the natural services and benefits to the public that we've come to depend upon? Without additional funding, we will be severely limited in future years to be able to steward and maintain these lands.""
Santa Clara County voters will decide whether to approve a parcel tax generating an estimated $17 million each year for the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. The measure qualifies for the June 2 primary ballot as a citizen initiative after organizers collected 43,770 signatures. The tax would be 2 cents per square foot of building area annually, capped at $7,500 per parcel, adding about $30 to a 1,500-square-foot residence. Exemptions would apply for low-income residents and seniors, along with annual audits and independent taxpayer oversight. The authority’s protected acreage has doubled since 2014 to 30,000 acres, while revenue has remained flat at about $12 million annually, limiting maintenance and future stewardship.
Read at San Jose Inside
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]