COUNTY COUNSEL'S IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS OF MEASURE L
California law permits school districts to issue bonds to pay for construction, repair, replacement, and acquisition of school facilities provided 55 percent of voters who vote on the measure approve the sale of the bonds. The Old Adobe Union School District Board of Trustees has placed on the ballot the question of whether to issue $38,500,000 in bonds for such purposes.
Money raised by bond sales may only be used for the purposes and projects stated in the Bond Project List set forth in Measure L, following this analysis. Proceeds could be used to modernize, renovate, construct, acquire, equip, expand, or otherwise im- prove educational and support facilities. The Bond Project List includes a complete list of projects and allowed expenditures. As required by law, Measure L prohibits using bond proceeds for teacher or administrator salaries or other operating expenses.
The Board of Trustees has certified that it evaluated safety, class size, and infor- mation technology needs in developing the Bond Project List. Inclusion of a project on the Bond Project List does not guarantee it will be funded or completed. The District may seek State funds to augment Bond proceeds to advance the Bond Project List. The Board of Trustees will establish the priority and order in which projects are undertaken.
If adopted, Measure L includes “Accountability Safeguards” that require the Board of Trustees to: annually conduct independent financial and performance audits; establish an Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee; and maintain bond proceeds in a separate account in the County Treasury. Measure L further requires District Superintendent to provide an annual report to the Board on the status of projects undertaken and the amount of bond proceeds received and expended in each year.
If approved, Measure L authorizes Old Adobe Union School District to issue and sell general obligation bonds in series, at different times, as projects are under- taken. Bonds of any series must mature within the statutory maximum number of years from date of issue. The interest rate on the bonds will depend on the market rate at the time bonds are sold, but cannot exceed the maximum rate set by law. Bonds will be repaid from property taxes levied on real property within the District based on the value of land and improvements on each property. Those taxes would be in addition to current property taxes on real property within the District.
BRUCE D. GOLDSTEIN County Counsel By: s/ Robert Pittman Assistant County Counsel
The amount of tax needed each year will depend upon the amount needed to repay outstanding principal and interest. The District’s Tax Rate Statement, which fol- lows this analysis, estimates the highest tax rate necessary to fund the bonds is $30 per $100,000 of assessed value. Those tax levies are projections, and could go up or down, depending on a number of factors including the timing and amount of bond sales, and changes in assessed property values in the District.
If all bonds are sold, the total debt service (including principal and interest) will be $79,000,000. The tax will raise approximately $2,200,000 annually.
A “yes” vote on Measure L will authorize the District to issue the bonds and levy taxes to pay for the indebtedness. A “no” vote on Measure L will not authorize either the issuance of bonds or the associated levy of taxes.