Mar
10
2009
In a move that is becoming commonplace in communities on the Peninsula, the City of Burlingame is considering parcel tax as a way to support its school system. Burlingame already has a $104 per year parcel tax in place that supports the Burlingame Elementary School District, but that tax expires in 2011. And with continuing State budget cuts, the School District will need these funds to avoid dipping too deep into their cash reserves.
Burlingame isn’t the only city who will be asking voters for help this year. San Carlos will be putting a $78 parcel tax on a special ballot in May, less than a year after a similar Measure was defeated. Redwood City is looking at taking similar steps as well.
Here’s some additional information on the Burlingame proposal, courtesy of The Daily Journal:
Burlingame Considers Parcel Tax Renewal
——————————————————————————
Nov
04
2008
To the surprise of few, the City of Burlingame announced that they will likely face a budget deficit of nearly $5M if they approve all of captial expenditures that are specified in the pending budget. The San Mateo Daily Journal has outlined the details in this article:
Burlingame Faces Revenue Cuts
It’s not a surprise because other communities up and down the Peninsula have stubbed their toes in the same manner. San Carlos recently announced that they are operating in a critical deficit mode, and consequently made difficult cuts to balance the budget. While it’s not the primary culprit, the drop in real estate sales has helped exacerbate the problem in many communities. City managers will project a certain amount of increased property tax revenue based upon anticpated sales volume — but we all know that this sales volume has not materialized this year, and the those homes that have sold are taking significant discounts.
So, like San Carlos and other communities on the Peninsula, Burlingame is going to have to make some tough decisions. And like San Carlos, it will probably have to do more with less.
