Voters decide state and local ballot issues

When voters showed up at the polls on Nov. 4, they weren't in the mood for new taxes. Several county and state tax initiatives were soundly defeated in states from Pennsylvania to Colorado. In Florida, Orange County held its first mail-in election, only to have voters reject by a 12 percent margin an increase in the sales tax. Highlights of the election were:

California

• Orange County voters voiced strong support for a non-binding measure endorsing the Unified School District's decision to move away from bilingual education in favor of English immersion. Voters supported the measure 86 percent to 14 percent. Although the measure was non-binding, the vote was seen as a barometer of public support for English immersion. About 25 percent of students in the county speak limited English.
• Voters of three fire-prone communities in San Diego County voted "yes" for special taxes for fire prevention. Under Proposition 218, voters in Ramona, Jamul and Tecate were required to decide whether to continue paying for the services. The proposition requires that two-thirds of voters approve all local taxes.

Colorado

• Voters gave a "thumbs down" to a ballot initiative that would have raised gas and car taxes to help pay for transportation projects. The proposal was rejected 58 percent to 42 percent.

The proposal would have raised nearly $17 billion through 2035, and would have paid for light rail and other transit projects in six counties.

Initiative supporters had a hard time promoting the new tax since there is a state budget surplus and most taxpayers will receive refunds. The initiative ran out of steam after Gov. Roy Romer pulled his support.

Although counties in Colorado did not take an official stand on the issue, it would have been a plus in their favor, since 87 percent of Colorado roads are maintained by counties.

Florida

• Voters in Orange County defeated a proposed 1-cent increase in the sales tax 56 percent to 44 percent. County businesses raised more than $600,000 for a six-week campaign to support the tax, according to Ben Hardcastle, director of communications for Orange County. Most of the tax increase would have funded schools and transportation projects.

"We were surprised by the margin of defeat," Hardcastle said. "Early polls showed there was an opportunity for the tax to pass." He added that Orange County has had several previous tax increases voted down while neighboring counties have been successful in their efforts.

This was the first election using only mail-in ballots in the county. This method generated a 54 percent voting rate, versus a 26 percent turnout for a similar election in 1987.

Illinois

• Three counties - JoDaviess, Kendall and White - approved caps on property taxes; and Carroll, LaSalle and Whiteside counties voted "no." In LaSalle County, the largest of the six counties, the public schools waged a campaign against the caps, saying it would hurt the schools. Voters rejected the caps there by a 60 percent margin.

New Jersey

• Voters gave a "thumbs up" to a bond issue that will allow grants and low-interest loans to local governments for the management of stormwater and wastewater; they also voted for a bond issue that will use water supply bond funds as loans to local governments for water supply projects.

Prior to the election, the New Jersey Association of Counties passed a resolution in support of the two bond issues.

New York

• Voters rejected a statewide referendum for a constitutional convention by a margin of 62 percent to 38 percent. Many of the state's counties supported the convention, which would have given them an opportunity to seek relief from mandates, according to Ken Carnnell, director of research for the New York State Association of Counties.
• The state's counties spend $3.7 billion annually on mandated Medicaid expenses. An earlier convention produced a proposal to shift that financial burden to the state. Voters rejected the proposal. A convention would have cost $50 million. Voter turnout was low around the state and most incumbents at the county level won re-election, Carnnell said.
• Westchester County has a new county executive - Andrew Spano, 61, the former county clerk. He is the second Democrat to serve in the 58-year history of the office.
• Rockland County, N.Y. elected C. Scott Vanderhoef county executive; Orange County, N.Y. elected Joseph Rampe county executive and Nassau County, N.Y. re-elected incumbent Thomas Gulotta county executive.

Ohio

• Two measures on the ballot in Ohio affected counties - one passed and one did not. The one that passed allows judges to deny bail to certain people charged with non-capital felony offenses. This could lead to some overcrowding in county jails, according to the County Commissioners Association of Ohio.
• The failed measure, supported by the association, would have amended workers' compensation laws. The measure would have cut costs and time for both taxpayers and counties.
• Also in Ohio, Hamilton County voters OK'd a tax levy to provide transportation, care, meals and other services to its elderly residents. The vote was 65 percent to 35 percent.

Pennsylvania

• The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania helped promote passage of an amendment that authorizes enactment of a homestead exemption and represents the first step toward restructuring the local tax system and making it more fair for all taxpayers. It passed 61 percent to 39 percent.

The current wording requires municipalities to tax residential and business properties equally. The amendment allows local governments to lessen the burden on homeowners by exempting part of the residential property value from taxation.

Armed with the voters' support, the General Assembly is now expected to pass legislation to give local governments the authority to impose a sales or personal income tax to make up for the lost property-tax revenue.

The association, working with a number of other groups, mailed out question-and-answer pieces to each county and also helped develop sample editorials and radio spots.

• Residents of Allegheny County and 10 surrounding counties in the southwestern part of the state rejected a 0.5 percent tax increase to fund new stadiums for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Pirates, as well as expand Pittsburgh's convention center.

Turnout was low, statewide, but was inflated in the counties involved in the tax, according to Doug Hill, executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. The measure was defeated 65 percent to 35 percent.

"It was labeled a 'stadium tax' even though a good percentage of the money would have been for other things," Hill said.

In the 10 counties surrounding Allegheny County, 30 percent of the tax would have gone to pay for the stadiums. The counties would have kept the remaining 70 percent, Hill said.

Three counties in the state with home rule elected county officials. Only one of 11 incumbents was defeated.

Texas

• Three proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot that affect counties in Texas passed. They are amendments relating to taxes on property owned by elderly people; authorizing an exemption from taxes on water-conservation property; and relating to the water development board's use of existing bond authorizations.
• Voters in Houston rejected an attempt to end an affirmative action program, leaving intact a requirement that a percentage of subcontract work on city contracts be done by minority and women-owned businesses. The program has dramatically increased the number of city contracts that go to minority contractors. Voters rejected the measure to end the program by 55 percent to 45 percent.

Washington

• Voters decided to keep a reduction in the share of property tax that goes to the state. The bill passed 63 percent to 37 percent. The measure saves the average home owner about $13 a year. It also gives local government a voice in whether to raise the property tax rate.