Martinez Board adopts resolution to place $90 million school bond on November ballot

The Martinez Board of Education on July 26 adopted Resolution 2024-34 authorizing a $90,000,000 bond measure to appear on the November ballot that, if sold, would pay for district facility repairs, security upgrades and a proposed new Martinez adult education building.

Andy Cannon, who presented the revised ballot language, said the measure would authorize $90,000,000 in bonds “at legal interest rates and levying approximately $38.40 per $100,000 of assessed valuation, raising $5,800,000 annually, while bonds are outstanding,” and would include a board-appointed citizens oversight committee and annual independent audits. "We are asking that the board would approve this tonight," Cannon said as he summarized projects drawn from the district’s 2020 facilities master plan.

Why it matters: board members said aging HVAC, electrical and roofing problems threaten operations at multiple campuses and that a successful bond would fund critical repairs and renovations across the district. Cannon said projects under consideration include a new adult education building, HVAC and electrical modernization at the high school and junior high, a second gym, cafeteria modernizations, track and tennis-court replacement and security measures such as single-point entry.

Board debate centered on scope and strategy. One member said they had “mixed feelings,” calling mechanical and electrical projects critical but noting taxpayers have been asked multiple times and urging caution. Another member raised health concerns about artificial turf and pointed to competing state and county measures on the same ballot, urging the district to better show voters why each item is necessary. "If we are going to put this on the measure, we definitely need to have open houses to show the voters what it is that we need to repair and replace," a board member said.

Several board members discussed reducing the ask to improve voter receptivity. One suggested removing the roughly $30 million allocation for the adult school and proceeding with a $60 million measure focused on the most urgent projects; another urged keeping the full scope to address all long-standing needs. Cannon cautioned that the dollar figures in the resolution are preliminary multipliers based on the prior plan and would be refined by the facilities committee if the board approved the measure.

On tax impact and timing, Jeff, who assisted with the ballot language and cost details, told the board that bond debt only appears on a taxpayer’s bill when the district actually sells a tranche of bonds. "Every time you sell that bond ... that's the only time it ends up on the tax roll," he said, noting sales historically occur in multiple tranches and tax effects may not show up immediately after voter approval. Cannon noted the district’s average assessed home value is about $500,000 and that at the disclosure level in the resolution that would equate to roughly $192 a year (about $16 a month) for that average assessed value if fully realized.

Public comment: a resident urged the board not to "sell yourself short" and stressed that local bond funding is the primary source to address aging facilities. "The only way these projects are gonna happen is if we do something like this," the resident said, urging the board to tell taxpayers why the funding is needed.

Vote and next steps: following a brief recess to print and verify revised ballot language, board member (S7) moved to approve the resolution and Unidentified Speaker 1 seconded. The motion passed by voice vote with ayes recorded; the board approved the revised language and staff will file required paperwork to place the measure on the November ballot. The district and authorized volunteers may hold factual informational sessions about needs and costs; any campaign advocacy must be conducted by a separate campaign committee.

The board also scheduled a special workshop before the next regular meeting to review board goals and a recent self-evaluation survey. The meeting was adjourned.

(Reporting based solely on the Martinez Board of Education transcript of the July 26, 2024 special meeting.)