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Measure J Police Station City of Brentwood Bond Issue 2,132 / 73.9% Yes votes ...... 754 / 26.1% No votes
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Index of all Measures |
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Information shown below: Fiscal Impact | Impartial Analysis | Arguments | | |||||
Shall the City of Brentwood be authorized to issue General Obligation Bonds in the amount of six million dollars ($6,000,000) principal amount to finance the construction, acquisition, and improvement of a new Police Station, and all costs incident thereto?
Attention of all voters is directed to the fact that the foregoing information is based upon the City's projections and estimates only, which are not binding upon the City. The actual tax rates and the years in which they will apply may vary from those presently estimated, due to variations from these estimates in the timing of bond sales, the amount of bonds sold and market interest rates at the time of each sale, and actual assessed valuations over the term of repayment of the bonds. The dates of sale and the amount of bonds sold at any given time will be determined by the City based on the need for construction funds and other factors. The actual interest rates at which the bonds will be sold will depend on the bond market at the time of each sale. Actual future assessed valuation will depend upon the amount and value of taxable property within the City, as determined by the County Assessor in the annual assessment and the equalization process. Dated: July 27, 2001
The City of Brentwood proposes to issue general obligation bonds in the amount of $6.0 million to finance the construction of a now police station. According to the tax rate statement provided by the City's financial consultant, the approximate cost for a homeowner with a residence of an assessed valuation of $300,000 is $29.00 annually which is 9.63 cents per $100 assessed value with possible reductions over the 30-year period of the bonds if the total assessed value of property within the City increases. The current debt level of the City of Brentwood is approximately 0.31% of total assessed value which is well within the maximum 15% authorized by the California Constitution. General obligation bonds are typically the most cost effective bonds a city can issue. The interest rate for the bonds cannot exceed 12% and in the present market, interest is expected to be in the 2.4-6.9% range. Other financing alternatives will probably be more costly. The City of Brentwood proposes to finance the construction of a new Police Station. The Police Station is currently located in two buildings separated by a public street consisting of approximately 7,500 square feet. The proposed improvement will provide the expected twenty-year space needs of the Police department, approximately 30,000 square feet. The current station cannot accommodate a dispatch center or permit the expansion of the evidence room. The improvements would also provide a separate juvenile holding area, confidential,victim/witness rooms, a secured parking area, and permit the department to expand from its current force of 31 sworn officers to its anticipated force of over 100 sworn officers. In 1999 the City of Brentwood commissioned George Meyers and Associates to assess the City's Police Department space needs. The report stated that the City needs 18,000 square feet today. The report concluded that over the next 20 years the existing Police Station is less than one quarter the size needed to support a city with Brentwood's population. The City proposes to issue $6.0 million in bonds and to raise any other funds needed for the improvement to the Police Station from other public fund sources, to reach a total of at least $10 million.
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Arguments For Measure J |
The Police Station serving the residents of the City of Brentwood must be replaced. To do so, the City must ask local voters to approve a $6 million police station bond. Bond funds would be combined with developer fees to construct the proposed $10 million new police station. This investment in our community will benefit all the residents of Brentwood.
The facts are clear. The City's police station is inadequate. The police department is currently housed in two buildings and rented space divided by a public street, Professional estimates of the space needs at the police station to serve a community like Brentwood make it clear that the current police station is totally inadequate, being less than half the needed space. The lack of space and the design of the two buildings make it difficult to provide effective police services. There is no room for proper detention of juveniles, interview of witnesses and victims, detention of criminals and storage of records. Bond money will be combined with money generated from new growth to fund this needed public structure. The cost of the bond is reasonable. The police station bond will cost property owners $29.00 per year for an average home valued at $300,000. Many Brentwood residents have worked throughout the last two years to urge the City to place the police station bond on the ballot. Detailed plans and careful analysis of our police needs have resulted in a well-developed plan to construct a police station that the City can be proud to own. Join us in voting YES on MEASURE J. /s/ Michael A. McPoland, Sr.
(No arguments against Measure J were submitted) |