Common Misconceptions About Measure E
Ready to bust a few myths about Measure E?
MYTH: Property taxes on average will increase by $600 per year.
Currently, the average assessed value of a home in Sunnyvale is 870K. The calculation to determine property tax rounding up to an assessed value of 900K is: $27.47 x 9 = $247.23 per year.
MYTH: The Charles Street Community Garden will lose sunlight.
Not true. The City did a study and there is no impact to the Garden.
MYTH: Our current main library is perfectly fine.
The current main library has ongoing structural issues and is too small for our community’s needs both today and the city’s projected population increase of 33% by 2040.
MYTH: The City just wants to show off by building a bigger library and building it to LEED standards.
Our library is too small for our current needs and expected population growth. Below is information on square footage of library space per person.
Sunnyvale main library and Lakewood Branch combined: .52 square feet per person
Santa Clara: .83 square feet per person
Mountain View: .74 square feet per person
Los Gatos: .90 square feet per person
Cupertino: 1.03 square feet per person
Los Altos: 1.04 square feet per person
Palo Alto: 1.33 square feet per person
In regard to LEED standards, building a LEED standard building will insure lower operating costs over the lifetime of the building.
MYTH: Our community is more likely to go to libraries near their place of work, not the Sunnyvale Library.
Last year, 380,000 people visited the library.
MYTH: Remodeling our library makes more sense than building a new library.
- The current library has been renovated several times since 1960 and has exceeded its useful lifespan.
- The library will need to be closed during a remodel.