The Contra Costa County Community College District Board will discuss on Wednesday whether or not to place a $450 million bond on the June Ballot to further update and build facilities.
The bond would require a 55% voter approval and as proposed in Resolution No. 57-D would cost homeowners would not exceed $25 per year per $100,000 of assessed valuation of taxable property. However, according to exhibit B within the agenda packet, the District is estimating the actual cost to be around $13 per $100,000 of taxable income.
Back in December 2013, the Board reviewed the polling results and then unanimously directed staff to proceed with a $450 million Bond Measure to be placed on the June 2014 ballot. On January 22, staff presented a draft of the ballot language and bond project list for the Boards review.
Recent polling performed by EMC Research suggests that 67 percent of Contra Costa County voters would support a capital bond measure in the amount of $450M. A drop-off in voter support greater than 12 percent would have to occur for the District to fall below the 55 percent voter approval needed for passage.
Projects within the bond are included at all colleges and district sites; here are a few projects:
- Modernize the engineering technology building (Diablo Valley College)
- Construct a new science and learning center complex (Diablo Valley College)
- Modernize or construct a new art building (Diablo Valley College)
- Modernize the physical education complex (Diablo Valley College)
- Modernize the college complex building (Los Medanos)
- Construct a new student activities building (Los Medanos)
- Modernize the physical education, gym, and aquatics facilities (Los Medanos)
Some regional education center projects include:
- Construct new Brentwood Center
- Expend the San Ramon Center, but not limited to: expanded parking; expanded library services; and improvements to classrooms and labs for transfer and career technical programs
Note – a full list of the projects may be viewed in their agenda packet.
Abbreviation of the Measure:
To upgrade educational facilities at Diablo Valley, Contra Costa, and Los Medanos Colleges, and the San Ramon and Brentwood centers, and help prepare students for jobs and college transfer by modernizing classrooms and labs, building facilities for health, medical, science, and technology training, and implementing earthquake safety, accessibility, and infrastructure improvements, shall the Contra Costa Community College District issue $450 million of bonds at legal interest rates with independent oversight , audits, and all funds spend on local sites.
ECT Tax Rate Example:
Currently, residents in Contra Costa pay a portion of their 1% County Wide Taxes to the Community College District. Residents have already voted to tax themselves two additional times at the expense of the Community College District with a 2002 Bond and 2006 Bond.
According to my personal tax rate area within Oakley:
- Within the 1% I pay to the County in what they call a “Countywide Tax”, the Community College District gets 6.35% along with the State ERAF getting another 2.56%.
- Community College Bond 2002: .0043 = $10.06
- Community College Bond 2006: .0090 = $21.06
If approved, this bond could add up to $75 more to the District each year based off my home value.
To put this in perspective to East Contra Costa Fire Protection District who is also contemplating putting a parcel tax on the June Ballot, they only receive just 5.35% of the 1% of the “Countywide Tax” in my Tax Rate Area. The District is looking to maintain service instead of having reductions while the Community College District is looking at improve and add facilities.
Contra Costa County School District Election Results
Click to enlarge
To find out more about the potential bond, here is the agenda with the information which can be found on Item 57-D on page 174 of the PDF.
11 comments
Absolutely no. They can live within their means.
The schools get plenty of money and do not need any more. If I am going to give money to schools, its going to be K-12 and that is a big IF. I am sad this is the first I’ve heard about this. Thanks for pissing me off this morning ECT!
You should not be bringing in fire service with education. It’s apples to oranges. Stay on topic Burk.
a tax dollar to a fire district and a community college is the same to me.
dont fund schools? no wonder your kids are stupid
@ CC
You can’t fund schools if you are dead, injured or burned out of your home!
Fire service funding is a greater priority dummy! This time it’s the adults that are stupid.
Fund schools yes. Overfund them NO.
Schools already take over 50% of all property tax dollars in most of the tax rate areas of East Contra Costa. That is cumulative for K-Community College level.
This would be adding onto that existing take. To suggest schools are not being funded would be pretty ridiculous.
NOT A CHANCE. Just like the fire tax they want. A couple of days ago it was announced a federal grant that was just approved. It stated that East contra costa only get 6% and not 12% that other districts get. So instead of fixing the problem, they want to raise our taxes. TYPICAL LIBERALS.
NO ON THIS AND NO ON THE FIRE TAX!!!!!! FIX THE PROBLEM.
Joe, you make an excellent case for an IQ test prior to posting. What does a FEDERAL grant for ConFire(approved through a GOP controlled House of Reps, btw) have to do with ECCFPD’s local property tax based funding problem?
jb from Idaho,
Although I am a NO on the proposed taxes on both Community College and the Fire department, let’s make sure we all understand what is going on before engaging our comments.
FIRE:
Federal Grant= Bail out for Contra Costa Fire. No such “Bail Out” this time around for ECC Fire.
ECC Fire is a completely different agency than Con Fire.
Taxes taken for Fire departments in general are all over the board, but on average in East County we pay far less than other parts of the county for fire districts. East County averages 6 cents on each dollar of property tax…elsewhere it is as high as 26 cents!
EDUCATION:
I just looked at my property taxes, and I am paying OVER 65 percent of my property taxes to SCHOOLS-including the community college district!
Property tax is broken up in two parts;
First part (1 percent of your property value) which is distributed in a formula which you cant see unless you go to the contra costa county auditor controllers web site, enter a tax area. After doing so you can see where your tax dollars go. The community college district gets to tap our property taxes TWICE in that part of the bill.
Second part is your add on taxes, assessments BONDS, etc. This is the part you see on your tax bill. I don’t know about you but currently I am ALREADY paying for TWO additional Contra Costa Community College bonds!!!!!
Wake up sheeple! Contra Costa Community College district is already collecting 4 TIMES from your current property tax bill AND they still charge students for attending. Now they want a 5th source of revenue?
Its time to just say NO. It is our education system that needs to live within their means.
No.. no…. and NO….. 3 bonds in 12 years? Pass this one and I will bet they will float yet ANOTHER bond in 3-5 years. Enough!!!
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