Resident urges early coordination as school parcel tax and city bond measures approach

During the Dec. 11 liaison committee meeting, public commenter Ken H. raised concerns that the Palo Alto Unified School District’s planned parcel tax (he said it would appear in June) could overlap with a city bond measure and affect voter perceptions.

Ken H. urged the city and district to coordinate timing and messaging, noting that simultaneous measures can influence voter decisions. He described the parcel-tax amount as "900 and something like $5 per parcel," a phrasing he used in the meeting to indicate an approximate figure. He also said that, if the city’s bond passed, the school district would receive what he cited as about $65,500,000.

Committee members thanked Ken H. for raising the issue and said it would be worth discussing early next year; the deputy city manager offered to follow up with additional information. No formal action or policy decision was made at the meeting.

The committee asked staff to follow up on whether intergovernmental conversations about ballot timing have already occurred and to report back to the liaison committee so both bodies can assess potential voter impacts.