SMMUSD Parcel Tax and Other District Issues to Be Aired When Superintendent Speaks in Malibu

• Committee Urges ‘KISS’ Political Approach to Voters

BY SUZANNE GULDIMANN

More details about the proposed Santa Monica Malibu Unified School district parcel tax were revealed at the Jan. 14 meeting of the board of education.

According to Neil Carrey, the chair of the parcel tax committee, it is feasible for the district to successfully pass a new tax to help offset the district’s projected $12 million deficit, provided the tax does not exceed $225 per property, and the measure is on a separate mail-in ballot.

Carrey recommended that the tax be placed on a special mail-in ballot on May 25, rather than be part of the state election in June.

The write-in ballot would cost the district $360,000, $200,000 more than placing the item on the June general election ballot. However, the separate ballot would, according to Carrey, greatly increase the odds of achieving the two-thirds majority required to pass the new tax.

Carrey said the committee recommends that the tax last for five years and include a senior exemption. It would also require an annual audit and appropriate oversight.

“This is [a] very difficult time,” Carrey told the board. “This is my fourth parcel tax committee. Of all the issues, the economy is the toughest. It could be feasible at $225, but there is some cost sensitivity. If you go below [$225], there could be a better chance you ensure that it passes.” 

The board, however, expressed concern that the lower number would not generate enough money to bail out the district, which is facing a $12 million deficit due to cuts in state funding.

 “It’s clearly not going to eliminate the deficit,” Carrey acknowledged, suggesting that staff analyze “what still has to be cut after a parcel tax” and “look at it at different levels.”

According to the committee, surveys conducted as part of the feasibility study found support for a tax to be at “somewhat lower levels” in part due to economy and in part due to existing parcel taxes.

Many voters reportedly “did not understand that the state funds most of the district.” However, those that did revealed an “incredible depth of commitment.”

The survey apparently revealed that district voters have limited capacity to multitask, becoming “overwhelmed and confused” when confronted with multiple options, which was one of the reasons the committee recommended the separate ballot option that would allow voters the opportunity to “concentrate” on the issue.

The board unanimously approved the May 25 write-in ballot option. The amount of the tax and the language of the measure are still under discussion.

MALIBU MEETING

Malibu residents will have an opportunity to learn more about the parcel tax plan and the state of the district’s budget at a public meeting presented by the district superintendent at the Malibu High School library on Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. More information is available at www.smmusd.org