How is the new parcel tax structured?
Measure A is a result of many months of dialogue among the school district, business and community representatives, and the public. In that process the needs of the schools, the pros and cons of various parcel tax structures, and the ability of businesses and residents to pay were carefully weighed. As a result, Measure A balances the needs of business, residents, and the schools in a way that fairly distributes responsibility for maintaining our high-quality education system. Under the proposed parcel tax, both residential and commercial property owners each year will pay 32 cents per square foot, but only on their building square footage (not their total property or “parcel”). The maximum amount a property owner will pay will be $7999 per parcel. Put another way, property owners will only pay a tax on the first 24,996 square feet of their buildings. Properties that have no buildings on them (such as parking lots) will pay $299. The taxes paid under the new parcel tax will replace tho
