District names parcel tax group District names parcel tax group (April 08, 2005)

By Julie O'Shea

A year after voters approved Mountain View-Whisman's $1.6-million parcel tax, the school board last week finally created an eight-member oversight committee to manage the funds.

The formation of a committee was something promised to voters during the March 2004 election. The group, which is slated to hold its first meeting later this month, will be charged with making sure the district is spending the tax dollars appropriately.

The newly-formed committee includes three school district parents -- Mike Cobb, Chris Kuszmaul and Philip Palmer -- and five city residents -- Greg Fowler, David Greene, Allen Hacker, Karen Leonard and Kevin Stone. The committee will hold public meetings a couple of times a year and make suggestions to the school board.

"We tried to get a balanced group," said district finance chief Rebecca Wright.

Wright said the district just got its first round of parcel tax funding in February and will likely get money again in June.

The tax measure, which passed on its second try with 69 percent of the vote, costs the average property owner $75 a year and will go toward such services as art and music classes, after-school sports and counselors.

Shortly after last year's election, Mountain View-Whisman was sued by Aaron Katz, a Saratoga man who claims the tax should be voided because not every property owner was allowed to cast a vote.

Katz, through a partnership, owes 10 condos within school district boundaries. He said he was disenfranchised because he wasn't allowed to vote in that election.

The school district has already spent $50,000 defending Katz's lawsuit. The money is coming out of the parcel tax funds.

In addition to Mountain View-Whisman, Katz is also suing the El Camino Hospital District, the Campbell Union High School District and West Valley-Mission Community College District, claiming their recent tax elections were illegal.

A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge is slated to decide at a May 2 hearing whether to consolidate the lawsuits.

If Mountain View-Whisman ultimately loses the case, it will be forced to reimburse taxpayers millions of dollars. If El Camino loses, construction plans could be stalled.
E-mail Julie O'Shea at joshea@mv-voice.com

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