County Considers Bond Issue for New Court Facilities : Ballot: With several potential tax measures already up for a vote in November, supervisors are worried the proposal may face serious opposition.

With a host of potential tax measures already vying for a place on November’s ballot, county officials said Thursday that they will ask the Board of Supervisors to consider one more, valued at $390 million, next week.

In a memo approved by County Administrative Officer Ernie Schneider, board members were warned that the county needs that much money to pay for building new court facilities. No money is currently available, so he is proposing a November ballot measure that would authorize a general obligation bond to be repaid by taxpayers.

Officials have not yet determined how much such a bond measure would cost residents, but they estimate it would be about 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed value on a property. For the owner of a home assessed at $200,000, that would mean an annual tax increase of about $50.

On Tuesday, supervisors will be asked to authorize a study of the proposal. They have until Aug. 10 to decide.

“This would provide for new and remodeled court facilities in Santa Ana ($350 million) and a new South Municipal Court ($40 million),” read the memo, written by budget specialists and approved by Schneider. “We are in the process of compiling a development report on South County that will be ready in August, so this latter number may increase.”

But even if the costs remain the same, the proposal could face serious political opposition, and it would take a two-thirds majority of county voters to pass.

Transportation improvements, jail construction and open space acquisition have all been considered for a possible November vote. Of those, a transportation sales tax measure is considered the most likely, and jail construction is not considered a serious contender.

Moreover, if gas tax initiative Proposition 111 fails in June, as many county officials fear is likely, voters may be asked to waive the state’s so-called Gann limits on government spending to allow a major flood-control project to go forward. That would not raise taxes but could suffer from association with government spending proposals.

With so many priorities jockeying for position, some county officials and other observers are concerned that voters may simply vote down the entire slate.

“There’s always a need to give consideration to the question of any tax increase,” Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez said. “I think there has to be an agenda that is cohesive in terms of addressing these items that the county desperately needs.”

Vasquez and other county leaders also have expressed concern about the county’s indebtedness. The proposed measure, if approved by voters, would increase that debt. A recent county report warned that high-priority capital improvement projects on the horizon could “place the county above national median, potentially raising questions as to the county’s ability to safely weather future budget difficulties.”

But Associate Administrative Officer Eileen Walsh said the court bond proposal would not damage the county’s fiscal security because costs would be spread out across the entire population.

To impress voters with the measure’s importance, the report also suggests creation of a campaign finance committee that would work outside the county government. County funds cannot be spent to advocate a bond measure.