The county library system won the prize in property tax
balloting that concluded last week, but narrowly missed the rewards
of a companion measure, tha-nks to low turnout and Milpitas
residents who said no to both measures.
The county library system won the prize in property tax balloting that concluded last week, but narrowly missed the rewards of a companion measure, tha-nks to low turnout and Milpitas residents who said no to both measures.
Measure A, which will extend for a decade an existing library parcel tax of $33.66, passed with more than 72 percent of the vote in an all-mail ballot. Measure B, which would have increased property taxes $12 a parcel per year received 64 percent support, failing by 871 votes. Both measures needed a two-thirds majority.
Final results released Tuesday show a 36.1 percent turnout (of possible voters) for Morgan Hill and 32 percent in Gilroy.
Morgan Hill provided the fourth highest number of “yes” votes for Measure A and the third highest for Measure B, handily passing both measures.
Only four cities – Campbell, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Morgan Hill – passed Measure B. All but Milpitas endorsed Measure A.
Gilroy came in eighth (out of 10) on Measure A and seventh on B.
The measures did best in the cities with the highest voter turnout. In Los Altos, where 48.9 percent of voters mailed in their ballots, measures A and B received 83 and 76 percent, respectively, of the vote.
Deputy County Librarian Sarah Flowers, a former Morgan Hill librarian, said Tuesday that results mirrored polling last fall. She said the nearly 5,800 votes cast against Measure B in unincorporated areas refl-ect a perception by some residents that they are not served by the library system, especially in North County.
“There are unincorporated areas all over the county and some of them aren’t very near any of the libraries,” Flowers said. “I think in Gilroy-San Martin-Morgan Hill they see the service, but in places where people are farther out, they don’t have a sense of connection.”
Carol O’Hare, co-chair of the Morgan Hill Measure A/B campaign, said there were many reasons that cities turned in different tallies, including Saratoga’s recent huge fundraising to furnish its newly expanded library.
“People get tired,” O’Hare said.
Further she sees a connection between walking precincts and a high number of “yes” votes.
“In the March 2004 election, the precinct that did the best was the one surrounding El Toro School,” she said, “and that is where we contacted almost every voter.”
Jackson Oaks and Holiday Lake Estates, on the other hand, turned in the lowest number of “yes” votes in the March election, despite being an affluent area. No one walked those streets seeking support.
This time no precincts were walked; the campaign relied entirely on phone banking.
“Our phone banking campaign, run by Vicky Reader, did a really fine job,” O’Hare said.
The success of Measure A guarantees the library system a $5.4 revenue stream for the next 10 years, about 20 percent of its budget.
Staff Writer Carol Holzgrafe contributed to this story.
Gilroy Dispatch reporter Matt King can be reached at mk***@gi************.com or 847-7240.
