Public can weigh in on Burbank Unified’s latest bid to put parcel tax before voters
Somewhere between persistence and pie in the sky are the aspirations of Burbank Unified School District officials, who are expected to push to place another proposed parcel tax on the March 2020 ballot, after a previous one failed to garner enough support to pass last year.
District staff and the board of education are slated to hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. Thursday at Burbank City Hall, 275 E. Olive Ave. Following the discussion, board members are expected to vote on a resolution in favor of placing a parcel tax on the ballot.
The meeting will be held roughly a year after school board members held a similar public forum to authorize a proposed parcel tax, eventually known as Measure QS, in July 2018.
Measure QS was a 10-cents-per-square-foot fee on taxable real property that would have generated a little more than $9 million annually for a district that had to slash $3.5 million from its budget this past school year.
The average Burbank homeowner’s property measures about 1,700 square feet, which would have translated into a $170 annual fee.
The proposed parcel tax last year also included senior-citizen exemptions and the creation of an oversight committee to monitor funding. Measure QS did not include a sunset clause, meaning it could only be revoked by voters — which proved unpopular with many residents.
Despite a strong turnout, Measure QS failed by 938 votes, finishing with 25,413 “yes” votes, or 64.33%, vs. 14,093 “no” votes. The measure required a two-thirds vote of support, or 66.7%, to pass because of Proposition 13 stipulations.
District staff members are expected to present tweaks to their previous proposal on Thursday.
The tax is expected to stay at 10 cents per square foot, despite a call from the Burbank Chamber of Commerce to increase it to 15 cents.
“The challenge with the [chamber’s] proposal, raising it from 10 cents to 15 cents, it shifts the tax burden onto homeowners and small businesses because they will be paying 50% more,” Burbank Unified Supt. Matt Hill said.
“The board and I talked about that, and we don’t believe that’s fair to the community,” he added.
While school district officials have rejected parts of the chamber’s recent plan, such as setting a $3,000 cap on property over 20,000 square feet, Burbank Unified is proposing a $25,000 ceiling. That maximum saves a company like IKEA $15,000 annually, Hill said.
That cap ultimately lowers the parcel tax’s projected revenue of $9.1 million annually to $8.4 million.
“A $3,000 cap was a couple million dollars we’d lose in revenue,” Hill said. “But, $25,000 is a drop of $700,000, and we think we can revise the parcel tax’s budget without shifting the burden to homeowners and small businesses.”
Board members did find compromise with the chamber, which did not endorse Measure QS last year, by including a 12-year sunset clause.
There would also be exemptions for seniors 65 and older and disabled residents receiving supplemental-security income. Also, an oversight committee would be created, should the measure pass.
Chamber officials said they would consider funding a “Yes” parcel tax campaign and give an endorsement if the district made a few changes to the previously proposed tax. What remains to be seen is if the district did enough to entice the chamber’s support.
“There’s going to be an impact throughout our business community unless we can get an equitable approach here,” Burbank Chamber chief executive Tom Flavin said.
“So, we have to be concerned about that, but we’re also concerned about being able to fund the schools to the level they need to be funded,” Flavin added.
The ballot language for the unnamed parcel tax states, “to maintain high-quality Burbank schools by retaining excellent teachers/staff; small class sizes; and maintain/expand career/college courses, art, music, science, innovative programs, safety and wellness support, shall this Burbank Unified School District measure to levy 10 cents per square foot of improved property, not to exceed $25,000 per parcel annually, exempting seniors/certain disability recipients, providing approximately $8.4 [million] annually for 12 years and requiring independent oversight/audits, be approved?”
District officials have said the failure of another parcel tax would have serious consequences, including a potential increase in class sizes and reductions in career-technical education courses, elementary music, middle and high school arts, the gifted and talented education, or GATE, program, elementary physical education, middle school Spanish courses and technological support.
The measure’s passage will, according to the district, help attract and retain employees, maintain low class sizes, continue and expand career and college courses, and maintain and increase safety and wellness support.
