Albany already taxes parcels to pave streets and fix storm drains. Measure P on the Nov. 3 ballot would tweak that levy — and, if a huge shoreline parcel leaves the tax rolls, rewrite how the city collects it so the money does not collapse.

What Measure P changes

Voters first approved the Street Paving and Storm Drain Special Tax in 2006 (Measure F). Today it runs about $167.65 per equivalent residential unit, with annual CPI bumps capped at 5%, according to California Choices’ summary of the impartial analysis and Ballotpedia.

A yes on Measure P would keep that $167.65-per-ERU rate in place for now, but lower the CPI cap to 3%. It would also expand relief: keep the 100% exemption for qualifying very low-income resident owners, add a 50% exemption for qualifying low-income owners, and add 100% and 50% rebates for qualifying very low-income and low-income renters. The tax would also apply to possessory interests (leaseholds) on parcels whose owners are otherwise exempt.

The Golden Gate Fields trigger

The biggest shift only kicks in if a parcel of 500,000 square feet or more is sold, leased or transferred in a way that makes it tax-exempt. Supporters’ argument, posted on California Choices, points to a possible public purchase of Golden Gate Fields for East Bay Regional Park District use — a change that could wipe out roughly a fifth of local tax funding for pavement and flood work. If that exemption happens, the city could levy up to $0.0638 per lot square foot on all parcels citywide, still CPI-adjusted with a 3% cap. Until then, the old ERU rate stays.

The Albany Scanner and Ballotpedia estimate the tax at about $1.4 million a year until voters end it. The council may levy less than the maximum in any year.

What it takes to pass

Measure P is a special parcel tax, so it needs a two-thirds supermajority. The City Council placed it on the ballot as a referral. California Choices lists no official argument against it; check your Alameda County voter guide for any late filings.

What your vote means

  • Yes: Update the street and storm-drain tax with broader low-income relief, a tighter CPI cap, leasehold coverage, and a square-footage backup rate if a 500,000-square-foot parcel goes exempt.
  • No: Keep the current Measure F structure and rates as they stand today.

Albany has five other local measures (O through T) on the same ballot. Full text and arguments are in the Alameda County voter information guide.