Voter Guide 2004: Atherton residents asked to renew parcel tax Voter Guide 2004: Atherton residents asked to renew parcel tax (October 13, 2004)

By Andrea Gemmet
Almanac Staff Writer

Leafy Atherton is land-rich and the town government is cash-poor -- real estate prices are high, but the town's budget is relatively small. It's largely the result of a decision by town founders to exclude commercial activities from the residential enclave.

Atherton relies on an annual parcel tax to shore up its budget, funding everything from road and drainage improvements to helping pay for its police force and other city services.

On the ballot is Measure O, a four-year renewal of the special tax at its current rates, which vary by property size and cost most Atherton homeowners $750 a year.

Although the council was warned by its finance director that the current rates, which bring in about $1.8 million a year, aren't enough to keep the town free of red ink over the next four years, members opted to keep to the status quo and research other options for filling the town's coffers.

Two-thirds of voters must approve Measure O for it to pass.

The parcel tax has become a way of life in Atherton, says Councilman Bill Conwell, who is serving his fifth term on the council. The tax has passed every time it's been on the ballot, with two notable exceptions. Voters turned it down in November 1999 and again in March 2000.

The failures were widely seen as an expression of voter outrage over a series of financial and management missteps, and its subsequent passage in June 2001 is regarded as a restoration of confidence in a leaner, more efficient town government.

The parcel tax measure currently in effect expires June 30, 2005.

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