$275-Million Initiative : Santa Clarita Road Tax OKd for Ballot

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to place a tax initiative on the November ballot that could raise up to $275 million for roads in the Santa Clarita Valley over the next 25 years.

Just three weeks ago, proponents of the measure said it would never reach the Nov. 7 ballot because Santa Clarita and Los Angeles County officials were still drafting the complex documents needed to create the agency that would administer the funds. Proponents predicted that a special election would have to be held in December.

But to their surprise, planners and attorneys hammered out details of the proposal in time, said Lou Garasi, head of a citizens transportation committee spearheading the effort.

The tax, which must be approved by two-thirds of the voters, would add from $75 to $200 to annual property tax bills. The tax would be levied on most property within the William S. Hart Union High School District, but would not include the rural town of Val Verde and small portions of the city of Los Angeles located within the Hart district. Senior citizens would be exempt.

Technically, the supervisors voted to create a joint-powers agency with Santa Clarita to oversee the funds. While the agency’s board must now hold a public hearing to set the boundaries of the tax district, that step is viewed as a formality, Garasi said.

The supervisors appointed Dave Vannatta, planning deputy to Supervisor Mike Antonovich, and county Planning Director Jim Hartl to the agency’s board. Santa Clarita Mayor Jan Heidt and Councilman Howard P. (Buck) McKeon will represent the city. The four will select a Santa Clarita Valley resident as the fifth member.

Proponents of the measure conceded that persuading voters to tax themselves will not be easy. “The sale of this is going to be tough,” said J. J. O’Brien, a member of the citizens committee.

But O’Brien and others said Santa Clarita’s crushing traffic problems could persuade voters to support the tax.