Voters Approve Sales Tax in Antioch, Election-Year Changes in San Ramon

Voters in San Ramon appear to have overwhelmingly approved ballot measures to shift city council and mayoral elections to even-numbered years while Antioch voters supported a half-cent sales tax and Moraga School District voters approved a parcel tax measure.

About 84 percent of voters in San Ramon approved Measure D and about 82 percent supported Measure E, according to unofficial election results. Both measures will change the election date for both city council members and mayors from November of odd-numbered years to November of even-numbered years.

In order to make the changes to the city's election schedule, the terms of the current mayor and council members will also be extended by one year, according to city officials. City leaders say the amendments will net $142,000 in savings per election.

In Antioch, about 68 percent of voters appear to have cast their ballots for Measure C, a half-cent sales tax that is expected to raise roughly $4.3 million annually to help the city out of its financial woes, according to unofficial election results.

City officials say the tax, which will add half a penny to each dollar spent in Antioch, will cover the cost of about 22 new police officers and several additional code enforcement personnel.

City council members, who voted unanimously to put the measure on the ballot, have said the sales tax will not solve the city's fiscal problems but would help it regain its footing as a shrunken police force and code enforcement department wrestle with soaring rates of crime and blight.

Since the economic downturn, Antioch has lost about $13 million annually and the city council has implemented weekly furlough days, hiring freezes, postponed wage increases and reduced retirement benefits for non-public safety employees.

Measure C is one of the few options the city has left to regain financial stability, city officials said. The tax will expire automatically after seven years.

Moraga School District voters appear to have approved a $192 parcel tax to continue funding a variety of math, science, music and arts programs.

According to the ballot measure, the tax will also allow the district to "maintain manageable class sizes; keep schools safe and well maintained; keep school libraries open; keep classroom technology up-to-date and attract and retain the best qualified teachers."

The tax will be imposed on each parcel of taxable property for the next six years starting on July 1, 2014. However, low-income residents over 65 are eligible for an annual exemption from the tax.

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