|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The deadline to vote in an advisory election about how to fund a new Atherton civic center is Tuesday, June 6.
The ballot question is: “Should the Town of Atherton supplement private donations with available non-dedicated General Funds to meet the funding shortfall, where one exists, for construction of the new Town Center?”
The question is on the ballot because a 2012 ballot measure, approved by more than 70 percent of voters, said the design and construction of a new town center should primarily be paid for with donations. Exceptions were included for the library, which has its own library-only tax funds, and for money set aside for new building and planning offices.
So far, the town has not been able to raise enough money. At the same time, town officials estimate a robust economy means they have, or expect to have by the time construction would be completed, enough money to pay the remaining estimated costs to build a new town center based on a design the council approved in February. The town has also considered short-term borrowing if needed.
Before they can do that, however, they need to get approval to overturn the 2012 funding restrictions.
Voted ballots that are mailed back must be postmarked by June 6 and received by June 9.
Voted ballots may also be dropped off at the Atherton town offices, 91 Ashfield Road, during business hours, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m., or at the county’s Voting Center in the Registration & Elections Division at 40 Tower Road, San Mateo, on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
On Election Day, June 6, the Voting Center will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Ballots may be dropped off at the town offices until 8 p.m. that day. No other polling places will be open on Election Day.
Voters may also vote in person at the Voting Center.
The “Track and Confirm” tool on shapethefuture.org can verify when ballot materials were mailed and when the Registration & Elections Division received voted ballots.
Preliminary election results should be available on the Almanac website shortly after 8 p.m. on June 6.
The county has scheduled only two Election Day releases of vote totals: at 8:05 p.m. for vote by mail votes already counted and at 8:30 p.m. for in-person ballots cast at the county’s voting center.
More totals are scheduled to be released on Thursday, June 8, Tuesday, June 13 and Friday, June 16 at 4:30 p.m. each day.
By Barbara Wood
By Barbara Wood
By Barbara Wood
Joan Lane, trailblazing volunteer and Stanford’s go-to for ‘sticky problems,' dies at 97March 25, 2026 3:23 pm
I urge everyone who has not already done so to vote and to vote YES.
Mom, apple pie, cops and their new police station, how can you be against any of these things?
But the responsible thing to do before asking voters to ratify something is to present the actual bill of costs. This is not ready yet. Read the Kathy McKeithen article in the current Almanac. The request is premature without the finalized and committed contractual bids. Why ratify a blank check?
VOTE NO.
NO NO NO!!!!!!!! This town does nothing but WASTE tax payer money. This town simply needs to make the right choice and outsource all police services to the Sheriff in the County. If it is good enough for Woodside, Ladera, Portola Valley, San Carlos, Unincorporated Menlo Park and on and on…it is more than good enough for Atherton. If you do the math and realize what it costs in slary, benefits, equipment etc…the absolute right thing to do it have a much larger agency take over services and put the money to much better use.