In the upcoming June 2 election, El Cerrito voters will decide whether to pass a parcel tax to fund the construction of a new library in the city.
Measure C proposes an annual tax of up to $0.17 per square foot of built area to raise $3.1 million annually for the next 30 years. Vacant parcels will be taxed at a flat rate of $100. As a citizen initiative placed on the ballot after the gathering of signatures, Measure C requires a simple majority to pass.
According to an impartial analysis of the measure by City Attorney Sky Woodruff, the revenue will be used for the “planning, permitting, environmental review, construction, and furnishing of a new library and the city’s library operating costs of the new library for the first ten years.”
As a special tax, revenue can only be used toward the library and is subject to an annual independent audit.
Alan Miller, president of El Cerrito Library Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the city’s library, has co-authored an argument in support of the measure.
The argument refers to the library in its current state as “small, noisy, and seismically unsafe,” and in need of health, safety, and accessibility improvements.
The authors of the argument also point out that a new, updated library building would provide a boost to nearby businesses and increase the property value in the region.
Members of Neighbors For a Better El Cerrito, a local group advocating against the measure, have penned an argument against the proposed parcel tax.
In the argument, they express concern that the city will raise the tax rate — as permitted by the measure, to keep up with inflation — resulting in higher costs to residents over the 30-year term.