San Bruno voters will have the opportunity to decide on a bond measure that would fund repairs to stormwater systems, upgrades to fire stations and equipment and invest in repaving and fixing roads on their November ballots.
If passed, Measure Q would authorize the city to take out $102 million in bonds to pay for those infrastructure projects with a tax rate of three cents per every $100 of assessed property value — or $300 a year on a $1 million house.
After extensive constituent polling, roads, fire safety infrastructure — including replacing the outdated Fire Station 52 — and stormwater systems were found to be priorities for San Bruno residents, Councilmember Tom Hamilton said.
“We have close to half a billion in unfunded projects, and this particular bond measure was put together to specifically address the needs we identified through extensive polling and outreach with constituents,” Hamilton said.
Another measure on the ballot, Proposition 5, will determine what percent of votes are required for the bond to pass. If Proposition 5 passes, it will lower the required threshold for borrowing money for public infrastructure projects, affordable housing construction and down payment assistance programs from 66.3% to 55%. That applies to measures on the November ballot like Measure Q, as well as future measures.
The funds could only be used for infrastructure projects like those listed on the measure’s ballot language and a citizen oversight committee would be appointed to ensure that occurs.
“It’s to build things. It’s definitely to build things,” City Manager Alex McIntyre said.
The bonds could generate up to $3.3 million annually, issued over the next 20 to 30 years when market conditions are favorable, Hamilton said.
The life periods on the bonds are indefinite, but McIntyre said residents might see some upgrades sooner than others, based on complexity. The city already has some of the tools needed to address road and repaving streets, he said, whereas planning and rebuilding a new fire station could take longer.
Ultimately, while San Bruno has a long way to go in addressing its aging infrastructure, the bond passage would be a strong start, McIntye said.
“We would rather bite off that which we can chew and have great success on than overcommit ourselves,” he said.
City leaders and state officials are unified behind the measure being key to addressing infrastructure issues, with endorsements from Assemblymember Diane Papan, D-San Mateo, state Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, Supervisor David Canepa, former San Bruno Mayor Jim Ruane and former San Bruno Treasurer John Marty.
The City Council also unanimously voted to put the measure to voters.
“We don’t always agree on our City Council, but all five of us agreed on this,” Hamilton said.
