Newport would pay double to fix schools

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT-MESA -- Homeowners in Newport Beach will be paying on average

more than twice as much as those in Costa Mesa to repair crumbling

schools -- if voters approve Measure A on June 6.

If it is passed, the $110-million school bond would tax Newport-Mesa

homeowners annually on the assessed value of their property.

That annual tax is estimated to be $22.35 per $100,000 of assessed

property value.

The average assessed value for single-family homes in the Newport-Mesa

Unified School District is $217,000, making the average annual tax

increase on a single-family home $48.49.

Between the two cities, however, there is great disparity.

In Newport Beach, the average assessed value of single-family homes is

$512,995; in Costa Mesa, that number is $166,794, according to figures

from the Orange County Assessors Office.

So while the bond might cost the average homeowner in Costa Mesa less

than $40 a year, it would cost the average Newport Beach homeowner more

than $100 annually.

It is a fact recognized by district officials, but they say it is the

nature of the beast.

“There is no question it follows where the highest assessment is, and

there is no question where the most expensive homes are,” said Supt.

Robert Barbot. “That has been openly discussed. There is obviously that

downside of bonds.”

Some Newport Beach residents say it is irrelevant who pays the higher

tax.

“You made a choice where you live and that’s the tax rate,” said Scott

Anderson, a Newport Beach resident. “It’s not a fairness issue. People in

Newport Beach pay higher taxes and they always have.”

The reason to vote for the bond, he said, is to support your local school

district -- regardless of the city in which you live.

In Costa Mesa, residents have voiced fears that their neighborhood

schools will not receive the same attention as those in Newport Beach.

Bond supporter Kurt Yeager said it is a question often heard from Costa

Mesa residents during phone pitches made by bond campaigners.

But district officials continue to assure residents that there is a

specific breakdown of the work that will be done at each school.

The task of determining the order in which repairs and improvements are

made will fall primarily on an oversight committee currently being formed

by the district.

The committee’s job is to ensure all bond proceeds are spent in a proper

and efficient manner, said Mike Fine, assistant superintendent in charge

of finances.

The school bond tax falls on the shoulders of not only homeowners, but

all property owners, including those who own commercial and industrial

businesses.

FYI

Tax based on assessed property value:

Value Annual tax

----- ----------

$100,000 $22.35

$200,000 $44.70

$300,000 $67.05

$400,000 $89.40

$500,000 $111.75

$600,000 $134.10

$700,000 $156.45

$800,000 $178.80

$900,000 $201.15

$1,000,000 $223.50