Tomorrow is the day. Incumbents Philip Putnam and Michael Cacciotti are defending their South Pas City Council seats against newcomer Bill Sherman. And then there’s the Measure L library tax. I’ll post results when I can, but here’s hoping the South Pasadena Review — having paid employees and all — can beat me to the punch this time. You can read a bit about Putnam here and Sherman here. It doesn’t look like Cacciotti submitted a statement to the League of Women Voters, so I’ll retype from the county’s sample ballot (any typos are mine):

My goal for the coming term is to champion the values shared by South Pasadena residents:

Fiscal responsibility

Rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure

Preserving our small-town character through sustainable growth

Providing excellent city services for residents

Protecting and improving our environment to create a healthier and more beautiful community

Ensuring that our business district grows successfully and sustainably, including its existing merchants

Conserving our resources to save money

Ending the threat of a surface freeway route in South Pasadena

Light-rail, clean freight trains and pedestrian/bike-friendly alternatives to expensive, air-polluting tunnels and freeways

Moving along, here’s the wording from Measure L:

Shall an ordinance be adopted extending the Library Special Tax, which is due to expire on June 30, 2011, for an additional 5 years until June 30, 2016, to provide funding for the maintenance and operations of the South Pasadena Public Library at the current level of library services?

And here’s the city attorney’s impartial analysis of Measure L:

This measure, if approved by two-thirds (2/3) of the voters voting on the measure, will extend the current Library Special Tax for five (5) years (from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2016) and any further extension must be approved by two-thirds (2/3) of the voters voting on such extension at another municipal election.

Currently, pursuant to Section 2.89-4 of the South Pasadena Municipal Code, any revenue generated by the special tax can only be used for maintenance, operating, and administrative costs of the Library. That restricted use of the special tax revenue would continue to apply if the measure is adopted.

The annual rate by category for the special tax would also continue at the current rates, approved by the voters in March of 1999 as follows:

1. Single family residence and condominiums pay $24.00 if they are less than 2,000 square feet; $36.00 if between 2,001 and 4,000 square feet; $48.00 if over 4,000 square feet. “Square feet” refers to square feet of Building Areas as determined by the Los Angeles County Assessor.

2. Multi-family residential units, such as apartment buildings, pay $12.00 per Dwelling Unit on the parcel.

3. Non-residential parcels pay $24.00 per parcel if one-quarter (1/4) acre or less; $48.00 per parcel if over one-quarter (1/4) acre to one-half (1/2) acre; $72.00 per parcel if over one-half (1/2) acre to three-quarters (3/4) acre; $96.00 per parcel if more than three-quarters (3/4) acre.

4. The following types of property would remain exempt from the tax:

a. Parcels owned by charitable or community service organizations or churches that qualify for an exemption from ad valorem taxation under California law.
b. Vacant parcels.
c. Parcels owned by the federal, state or local government, or any state or local agency.
d. Any owner who has income, adjusted for family size, at or below eighty percent (80%) of the area median income as determined under the Section 8 Income Limits for Los Angeles County. (These limits are published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.)

The following restrictions would also continue if the measure is passed:

If in any year the City Council does not budget and appropriate sufficient funds for the basic level of library services, the special tax would be fixed at a reduced level in relation to any reduction in the budget.

Any surplus amounts raised by the special tax in any one year may only be used for the purposes described in South Pasadena Municipal Code Section 2.89-4, and must be carried over to the following fiscal year. The existence of a surplus in one year must be considered by the City in levying the special tax for the next year.

The special tax will continue to be collected by the Los Angeles County Assessor in the same manner as property taxes.

Got it? City Clerk Sally Kilby and City Treasurer Victor Robinette are running unopposed. Happy voting!