By David Boyce
Almanac Staff Writer
Portola Valley voters will likely get a chance to lower the town’s tax on utility bills when they go to the polls June 6.
The Town Council is expected to put a measure on the ballot that would ask voters whether they want to lower the 5.5 percent tax to 3.5 percent, just seven months after voters approved the renewal of the tax.
Why? Because shortly after the November election, the town learned it would start receiving more property tax revenues from the county, probably about $493,000 a year.
A 3.5 percent utility tax combined with the $493,000 would cover maintenance and repair of town facilities, the expense category for which utility tax revenues are earmarked, said Councilman Ed Davis.
In explaining his intent to vote at the March 8 council meeting to put the measure on the ballot, Mayor Steve Toben spoke of “an intense public interest in seeing the council respond” to the unexpected increase in property tax revenues.
Other councilmen echoed that thinking. “We don’t want to appear to the general public to be salting away large surpluses,” said Councilman Ted Driscoll in an interview.
“Knowing that we could reduce it by a considerable amount, it’s just silly to wait around,” said Councilman Ed Davis.
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