Larkspur-Corte Madera School Parcel Tax Measure Possibly Passed

LARKSPUR-CORTE MADERA, CA - Voters in the Larkspur-Corte Madera School District have apparently narrowly passed a parcel tax measure for school improvements.

The first update this afternoon of the results of the election show the measure received 68.02 percent of the vote. Measure A needed 66.66 percent approval to pass. The vote-by-mail special election was held between April 25 through May 3.

More than 3,900 voters cast ballots in the Measure A special election. Registrar of Voters Lynda Roberts will conduct a public manual tally of a random selection of ballots on May 10.

Measure A adds $185 to the existing $484 annual parcel tax that was approved in November 2009. The $679 parcel tax, if approved by two-thirds of voters, takes effect June 1.

The tax will raise an estimated $3 million a year based on the amount of the tax for the 2016-2017 tax year and 4,400 taxable parcels in the district. Measure A contains annual 5-percent inflation adjustments after the first year and exemptions for seniors who are age 65 before July 1.

The tax revenue will support math, science, reading and writing programs, maintaining small class sizes, and attracting highly qualified teachers at the Neil Cummins Elementary School, the Cove School and Hall Middle School.

--Bay City News/File photo