News

County counsel’s impartial analysis of the Ferndale Unified School District’s proposed school bond in the sample ballot recently sent to voters contains an error on the estimated yearly tax that homeowners in the district will pay if it passes.

Known as Measure Q, the proposed $7.7 million bond measure to fix a wide array of infrastructure issues, from repairing leaking roofs and updating plumbing to improving technology infrastructure and replacing outdated heating and cooling systems, is on the November ballot.

The correct estimated annual tax obligation for a home valued at $350,000 is $210 a year — or $60 per $100,000 of a home’s assessed value — but county counsel’s analysis dropped a zero at the end.

The school district is sending a correction letter to affected voters.

“In the sample ballot received for the Nov. 8 election, the Impartial Analysis by county counsel for Measure Q states, ‘This means that a property assessed at $350,000 would likely have an annual tax obligation of $21.00 under this Measure,’” FUSD Superintendent Beth Anderson said in an email. “It should read ‘an annual tax obligation of $210.00 under this Measure.’ The district wants to be sure everyone is made aware of the correction and has accurate information.”

Anderson said she did have an opportunity to review the analysis prior to printing but somehow missed the error.

A news release from the Humboldt County Elections Office notes that while there is an error in the county counsel's impartial analysis, “the Voter Information Guide, the ballot used to cast your official vote and other information related to Measure Q is accurate.”

In addition to the FUSD letter, “notification signs noting the correction will also be posted at all polling places where voters can cast a ballot on this measure,” the release states.

In a Wednesday interview, Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Kelly Sanders said she was contacted by the district that morning and immediately began working with Election Manager Juan Pablo Cervantes and Anderson to come up with a solution.

“It’s unfortunate but we’re going to help address that,” Sanders said.

The Humboldt County Office of Elections has discovered an error in the Impartial Analysis by County Counsel for Measure Q in the Humboldt County Voter Information Guide for the Statewide General Election.

The impartial analysis printed in the sample ballot states, “This means that a property assessed at $350,000 would likely have an annual tax obligation of $21 under this Measure.” The impartial analysis should read, “…an annual tax obligation of $210 under this Measure.”

While the impartial analysis contains an error in the Voter Information Guide, the ballot used to cast your official vote and other information related to Measure Q is accurate.

Measure Q is the Ferndale Unified School District Bond. Since Measure Q is not a countywide measure, this correction is for voters who reside in the Ferndale Unified School District.

The Humboldt County Office of Elections is committed to ensuring that voters have accurate information when casting their vote.

To make certain that voters are aware of the correction, the Ferndale Unified School District will be mailing a correction letter to registered voters who will be voting on this measure. Notification signs noting the correction will also be posted at all polling places where voters can cast a ballot on this measure.

The County of Humboldt apologizes any for confusion this may have caused voters.

For more information, please call the Office of Elections at (707) 445-7481 or email [email protected]. For more information on the upcoming General Election, please visit the Statewide General Elections web page. To register to vote or check your voter registration status online, please visit the county’s Voter Registration web page.