Solano Community College jumped on the tax bandwagon this week when trustees voted 6-1 to place a $348 million property tax measure on the November ballot.
Trustee Catherine Ritch voted no, and for good reason. She said the finer points of the proposal had not been laid out completely for the board to consider, and called for the board to take “a deep breath” before approving the staff recommendation. It may be too harsh to say that Ritch’s concerns fell on deaf ears, but they were certainly not persuasive enough to prevent the other six trustees from voting yes.
Now, voters across Solano County, with the exception of residents of the Rio Vista area — they are outside the college district’s boundary — must decide if they’re willing to add another $18.99 a year in property tax for each $100,000 of assessed property value. The tax hike total was provided by the college staff in a report to trustees.
The move by Solano College’s board was not unexpected.