Millbrae to vote on bond for rec center

City officials and tax advocates claim the bond is an essential part of the vision to build the new center projected to cost $30 million, while opponents argued the effort is misguided.

Vice Mayor Wayne Lee said the measure needs voter support to start construction on a new center capable of accommodating the demands of a growing, modern community.

“Overall, it’s just going to be an asset and something we badly need,” he said.

Planning Commission Chair Maureen Davis shared a similar perspective, noting the wide variety of additional services which could be offered at the rebuilt center.

“It would be a remarkably improved space,” she said.

The original facility was built nearly 50 years ago, and the property insurer paid $6 million following the fire to replace the value of an aging structure. Tax advocates claimed the insurance settlement is insufficient to rebuild a center suitable for modern standards.

Critics though believe officials should make due with the money that is available, rather than ask tax payers for more.

“Millbrae should not borrow so much. Millbrae has funding for a replacement Community Center from the insurance alone,” according to an argument by Mark Hinkle filed with the county Elections Office.

Hinkle, president of the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association, furthermore argued officials should focus on paying their unfunded liabilities and improving services before seeking to rebuild a new center.

“To issue even more debt now is flat-out irresponsible,” said Hinkle, who is a frequent critic of tax measures floated throughout San Mateo County.

Advocates meanwhile claim they are cognizant of the cost associated with the project and tried to keep the bill low, hence the decision to seek less than half of the expected price for building the new center. The bond would cost property owners $8.70 per $100,000 of assessed home values, which is likely to amount to about $64 per year for the average homeowner.

“People weren’t willing to pay for the fuller project,” said Chris Del Negro, chair of the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission.

With an assumption the measure passes, officials are looking to combine the insurance settlement with additional revenue generated through sale of surplus city property to fill the existing funding gap.

Interim City Manager Tom Williams said officials have identified land suitable for redevelopment which could be sold as part of the financing plan. One of the sites is Schultz Park, near Taylor Middle School, which would need voter approval to sell. Officials are waiting for a bond decision before seeking support for the property sale.

Should the bond fail before voters, tax advocates said they would need to reconsider their plan for rebuilding the center, but would likely resist shrinking their vision to construct a smaller facility.

“It wouldn’t make sense to build a smaller center,” said Del Negro, noting the previous facility already struggled to meet the demands of the existing community.

Tax critics offer an alternative perspective though.

“The proposal to rebuild that requires this bond is a much more grandiose project than envisioned by many in the Millbrae community, who simply want the financially appropriate decision,” said Hinkle.

Davis disagreed.

“What’s being planned here is what people want. This didn’t come out of nowhere,” she said, pointing to the extensive amounts of public outreach which went into the facility planning. “We are not building it fancy just for fancy’s sake.”

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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