Californians have decided on 960 local parcel tax ballot measures from 2008 to Aug. 2023. Voters in Santa Lucia Community Services District, a special district in Monterey County, will decide the next parcel tax measure on Aug. 29, 2023. Since 2008, 577 (60.10%) parcel tax ballot measures were approved and 383 (39.90%) were defeated.
From 2008 to 2022, the average number of parcel tax ballot measures in a given year was 68. During an odd-numbered year, like 2023, an average of 36 parcel tax measures were on the ballot in California. As of Aug. 20, there have been 10 parcel tax measures in 2023, and eight (80%) of those measures were approved and two (20%) were defeated.
In the Santa Lucia Community Services District, the parcel tax ballot measure is called Measure T, and this measure would enact an annual tax of $954.67 on developed and undeveloped estate residential parcels. Revenue from the parcel tax would provide funding for the district’s fire and EMS services. Owners of the parcels would pay the tax. A two-thirds vote is required to approve Measure T.
The last parcel tax election in California was Kirkwood Meadows Public Utility District Measure E, which voters rejected on July 11.
In California, a parcel tax is a specific type of tax imposed on individual parcels of land. It is a local tax enacted by cities, counties, school districts, or other local government entities to generate additional revenue for specific purposes, such as funding public schools, libraries, parks, fire stations, or other local services.
Parcel taxes differ from property taxes, which are determined based on property assessments. Instead, parcel taxes are fees imposed on each parcel of land, regardless of its assessed value.
Parcel taxes usually require voter approval through a local ballot measure, often requiring a two-thirds majority vote for passage. The revenue generated from parcel taxes is typically earmarked for specific purposes.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of local ballot measures in California, as well as the top 100 largest cities in the U.S., state capitals, and local ballot measures related to policing and ranked-choice voting.
Related reading:
Parcel tax elections in California
Local ballot measure elections in 2023
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