Will Los Osos approve tax to buy Sunnyside school? See latest results
A Los Osos ballot measure that would create a tax to buy an old school and turn it into a public park was passing after the latest release of vote totals Tuesday afternoon.
As of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, “yes” votes for Measure B-26 were ahead with 52.8% of the vote, while “no” votes were trailing at 47.2% after 4,301 votes had been counted.
That was a margin of 237 votes.
The measure had trailed initially, before the “yes” votes moved ahead in the count update released on Monday.
More than 96% of votes were cast by mail-in ballot.
The initiative would create a $15-per-month parcel tax to fund the purchase of the property of the former Sunnyside Elementary School site and transform it into a community park.
The elementary school closed in 2002, and the Central Coast Waldorf School started renting some of the classrooms on campus in 2012.
The San Luis Coastal Unified School District recently listed the property for sale, with an appraised value of $6 million, according to the Los Osos Community Services District.
Last year, a coalition of Los Osos voters collected enough signatures to place Measure B-26 on the June ballot to fundraise for the purchase on behalf of the CSD.
What is the tax?
Measure B-26 would create a special tax designed to raise $1,114,255 annually for 15 years to support the purchase and maintenance of the Sunnyside Elementary School property, according to a description on the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder’s website.
When the 15 years are up, the tax would raise $602,200 annually for maintaining the property, the website said.
For the first 15 years, each parcel in Los Osos would pay a tax of $185 per year, or $15.42 per month. Then, the tax would reduce to about $100 per parcel annually, depending on Consumer Price Index adjustments.
The county would collect the tax on behalf of the community dervices district at the same time as property taxes.
If voters pass the tax, the Los Osos CSD would negotiate with the school district to buy the property. If successful, the CSD would own and manage the site according to the community’s vision.
