Measure W asks voters whether bonds should be sold and taxes collected from property owners to build a new, earthquake-safe fire station in Scotts Valley. The new station would replace the fire station at 7 Erba Lane. (Tyler Maldonado — Santa Cruz Local)
SCOTTS VALLEY >> Scotts Valley voters have until Oct. 24 to return ballots for a Scotts Valley Unified School District parcel tax and until Nov. 7 to return ballots for a bond measure for the Scotts Valley Fire Protection District.
Mail ballots must be postmarked by the election day or returned to drop boxes outside Scotts Valley City Hall at 1 Civic Center Drive or at the county government building at 701 Ocean St. in Santa Cruz.
Learn more about Measure V – Parcel tax for Scotts Valley Unified School District
Learn more about Measure W – Bond measure for Scotts Valley Fire Protection District
Measure V – School Funding
Measure V asks Scotts Valley voters whether property owners should pay a $168 annual parcel tax for seven years to raise nearly $1 million annually for Scotts Valley Unified School District.
Measure V needs more than 66% of the vote to be adopted. The new tax would start in July 2024. Property owners age 65 and older and those receiving Social Security benefits are exempt from the proposed tax, according to the measure.
Measure V ballots were mailed in late September and are due Oct. 24.
“All parcel tax revenue goes directly to SVUSD schools, and is not used for facilities or administrator salaries,” wrote Lindsey Rice and Cheryl Noble, co-chairs of the Yes on Measure V campaign, in an email. “The parcel tax funds help SVUSD pay competitive salaries to teachers, counselors, and staff and continue important academic programs and counseling support,” they wrote.
Voters in 2018 approved a similar $108 annual parcel tax for Scotts Valley schools that is set to expire in June 2024. It brought in $700,000 annually, the Measure V organizers said. Measure V would raise funding to $1 million annually. The new tax would start in July 2024 and last until June 2031.
No group opposed to Measure V filed arguments against the measure with the Santa Cruz County Clerk.
Measure V in-person voting also will be available 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Oct. 24 near the transit center at 246 Kings Village Road in Scotts Valley. (Tyler Maldonado — Santa Cruz Local)
Measure W – Fire Protection
Measure W is a separate special election that asks voters whether bonds can be sold and money collected from property owners to help pay for a new, earthquake-safe fire station for the Scotts Valley Fire Protection District.
The measure needs more than 66% of the vote to be adopted. Ballots were mailed in early October.
Scotts Valley Fire Station 1 at 7 Erba Lane is about 60 years old and does not meet seismic safety standards, according to the Scotts Valley Fire Protection District.
Measure W would allow the sale of up to $22.24 million in bonds to replace Fire Station 1 with a new station at 6000 La Madrona Drive across from the Hilton hotel. The fire district already owns the land. Measure W also would allow Scotts Valley Fire to levy a tax of $27.50 per $100,000 of assessed value to Scotts Valley property owners to repay the bonds, according to the measure.
The bonds would be repaid across 30 years at most, said Scotts Valley Fire Chief Mark Correira.
An engineering firm evaluated the Erba Lane fire station in 2018 and recommended a new facility rather than retrofitting or replacing the building where it stands.
The fire district’s annual budget is about $12 million, and the tax revenue available to the fire district won’t cover a new station, according to the bond measure and Correira.
“The (fire) district must establish a larger, stable source of supplementary revenue to assist in meeting the costs of providing such services,” Correira said.
Having a new fire station on La Madrona Drive also would reduce emergency response times to the south side of Scotts Valley, said Correira.
“Moving the fire station from Erba Lane on to La Madrona puts us near our very busiest area on Mount Hermon Road as well as allows us quick access to meet our response time into Pasatiempo and other neighborhoods,” Correira said. “We would respond in five minutes to the urban areas and to the rural areas in 12 minutes,” Correira said. Some parts of the south side of the city now have longer response times.
Bond money also could be used to upgrade or retrofit Scotts Valley Fire Station 2 at 251 Glenwood Drive, Correira said. Station 2 was built to code by professional contractors in 2001 but has not been seismically evaluated, Correira said.
Measure W bond money would be deposited in a separate account held by the Scotts Valley Fire Protection District, and used only for purposes in the bond measure. Property at 7 Erba Lane could be sold to offset the bond repayment, Correira said.
No group opposed to Measure V filed arguments against the measure with the Santa Cruz County Clerk.
“For the most part, everyone we’ve talked to understands this is an investment the community makes to protect itself, like an insurance policy,” Correira said of the conversations that district leaders had with residents. “There are a couple signs that say ‘no new taxes,’ but that’s probably for both Measure V and Measure W.”
How to return a ballot and register to vote
Ballots have been mailed to voters for Measure V and Measure W.
Measure V ballots must be postmarked by Oct. 24 or returned by 8 p.m. Oct. 24 at a county drop box or to the county elections office at 701 Ocean St., Room 310, Santa Cruz.
- Ballot drop boxes are outside Scotts Valley City Hall at 1 Civic Center Drive and outside 701 Ocean St. in Santa Cruz.
- Measure V in-person voting also will be available 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Oct. 24 near the transit center at 246 Kings Village Road in Scotts Valley.
- Measure V in-person voting is also available at the county elections office at 701 Ocean St., Room 310, Santa Cruz from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 23 and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Oct. 24.
Measure W ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 7 or returned by 8 p.m. Nov. 7 at a county drop box or to the county elections office at 701 Ocean St., Room 310, Santa Cruz.
- Ballot drop boxes are outside Scotts Valley City Hall at 1 Civic Center Drive and outside 701 Ocean St. in Santa Cruz.
- Measure W in-person voting will be available at Scotts Valley High School, 555 Glenwood Drive, Room W2 portable classroom near the locker room and gym.
- Polls are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 4 and 5.
- Polls are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 6.
- Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 7.
- Measure W in-person voting is also available through Nov. 7 at the county elections office at 701 Ocean St., Room 310, Santa Cruz.
- Polls are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
- Polls are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 28-29 and Nov. 4-5.
- Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 7.
Register to vote at RegisterToVote.ca.gov.
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Tyler Maldonado holds a degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley. He writes about housing, homelessness and the environment. He lives in Santa Cruz County.
