Saugus Developers’ Tax to Be Put to Vote

Trustees of the Saugus Union School District voted Tuesday night to ask voters Nov. 4 to impose a $2,861 tax on developers for each new residential unit to help pay for school construction.

The 4-1 vote authorized a ballot measure that will need approval of two-thirds of the voters to become law.

The governing boards of the four other school districts in the fast-growing Santa Clarita Valley--the Castaic Union, Newhall and Sulphur Springs Union elementary districts and the William S. Hart high school district--are expected to take similar actions tonight.

If all five boards authorize the ballot measures, voters will be asked to approve taxes on developers of up to $7,500 for each residential unit built--a $3,000 tax proposed by the William S. Hart Union High School District, which serves the entire area, plus varying taxes in each of the four elementary school districts. The taxes would be collected when developers apply for building permits.

Unprecedented Growth

Within the last two years, the school districts have experienced unprecedented enrollment growth because of the many new residential units. The Santa Clarita Valley’s population has more than doubled, to 103,000, since 1970, and, with at least 30,000 new residential units in the permit process, the population is expected to double again by the year 2000.

Enrollment in the eight elementary schools in the Saugus district, fairly stable in the late 1970s and early 1980s, jumped from 3,703 in 1984-85 to 4,255 at the end of the 1985-86 school year.

If the trend continues as is predicted, Supt. Charles Helmers said, the district will need seven or eight new schools within 20 years.

The Saugus district originally was considering a $4,500-per-unit fee, but lowered that in deliberations Tuesday.

Helmers said school officials decided to ask voters to approve the developer tax instead of general obligation bonds because they felt it would be more readily accepted by voters. Developers are expected to strongly oppose the ballot measures.