Incumbents re-elected in Atascadero; Measure F passes

The incumbents are keeping their seats on the Atascadero City Council, meaning the city will likely stay on track with a controversial cost-sharing deal for roadwork related to developing two shopping centers at the north end of town.

Despite a hearty following for newcomer Charles Scovell, Tom O’Malley will be Atascadero’s mayor for a fourth time, according to unofficial election results posted late Tuesday.

O’Malley had 58.6 percent of the vote with all 16 precincts reporting just after 11 p.m., while Scovell had 41 percent of the vote.

In the City Council race, incumbents Brian Sturtevant and Heather Moreno took the lead in a contest between four candidates for two seats.

Newcomer Len Colamarino followed closely behind Sturtevant by 273 votes, and Ward followed Sturtevant by 671 votes.

Meanwhile, Atascadero’s sales tax is increasing for the next 12 years in the name of more city money for road repairs.

About 59 percent of voters approved Measure F raising the city's sales tax by half a percentage point. That brings the city’s sales tax rate up to 8 percent from the state’s base rate of 7.5 percent. The money will go to the city’s general fund.

Voters also favored its companion, Measure E, by 69.1 percent to direct the new revenue to fix local roads.

Both measures required a simple majority vote (50 percent plus one) to pass. Measure E is not legally binding.

On the City Council, the city will likely stay on course for its Wal-Mart shopping center.

In 2012, the Atascadero City Council approved construction of a Wal-Mart center and a separate shopping and dining development called The Annex across from each other at Del Rio Road and El Camino Real.

Key to those discussions was how the city and each developer would fund the construction of two roundabouts at the Del Rio Road interchange with Highway 101, in which the city will also share the cost.

The council’s approval at that time included a cost-sharing plan based on a $4.5 million estimate for the roundabouts that today is now projected to be closer to $12 million.

The City Council’s current course is to go forward with the cost-sharing plan as is, based on the old estimate with the city solely responsible for the overruns, while their challengers had pledged to renegotiate the deal.

There are still provisional and mail-in ballots to be counted in both races and on the measures.

This story was originally published November 4, 2014 at 3:44 PM with the headline "Incumbents re-elected in Atascadero; Measure F passes."