City of Belmont Measure Y — Special Tax Measure (San Mateo County)

What it does

City of Belmont Community Center Tax Measure. Shall the ordinance providing funding for and maintaining supervised children's play, youth, teen and adult programs, childcare, afterschool and senior programs in a disabled accessible, fire and earthquake resistant community center, usable as an emergency health and disaster relief facility, levying 33¢ per square foot of residential improvements and 54¢ per square foot of nonresidential improvements, providing $7,100,000 annually until ended by voters, with senior exemptions and independent audits, increasing the appropriation limit, be adopted?

A YES vote means

Belmont would levy 33¢ per square foot of residential and 54¢ per square foot of nonresidential improvements to fund a community center and its programs, raising $7,100,000 a year until ended by voters, with senior exemptions, and would raise the city's appropriation limit.

A NO vote means

Belmont would not levy this community center tax.

Needed to pass

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Left–right lean

Unclear: our AI read of the official summary isn't confident enough (we require 70%) to place this on the left–right spectrum, so we don't. Read the summary and decide for yourself.

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Background

According to the Belmont City Attorney's impartial analysis, Measure Y was placed on the ballot by a citizen initiative petition proposed by the group "Friends of Belmont Community Center" and signed by more than 10% of registered Belmont voters.

City Council Resolution No. 2026-69 states that the County Registrar-Recorder found 1,799 valid signatures, above the 1,750 required, and that state law then required the Council to submit the ordinance to voters; the Council adopted the resolution on July 14, 2026, with Council Members Pang-Maganaris, McCune, Latimerlo, Jordan and Mates voting aye.

The impartial analysis states the tax would begin July 1, 2027 at 33¢ per square foot of improvements for dwelling units and 54¢ for all other property, exempting owner-occupant residents age 65 and older, and is estimated to raise approximately $7.1 million in the first tax year for a dedicated Community Center Special Fund.

The analysis states that the City Council could raise the rate by specified inflation or personal income growth indexes beginning in 2028-29, that the tax would continue until ended by voters, and that, because it was proposed by citizen initiative, it needs only a simple majority to pass.

Put on the ballot by Citizen initiative petition (Friends of Belmont Community Center); submitted to voters by the Belmont City Council, July 14, 2026 (Resolution No. 2026-69; ayes Pang-Maganaris, McCune, Latimerlo, Jordan, Mates).

From official source 1, official source 2.

Next elections here

• 2028 presidential election · Who has filed so far, from FEC filings

Also on San Mateo County ballots

• City of Brisbane Measure X — Business License Tax Measure
• City of East Palo Alto Measure O — Bond Measure
• City of East Palo Alto Measure CC — Term Limits Measure
• City of Half Moon Bay Measure I — Coastal Land Use Measure
• City of Half Moon Bay Measure Q — Housing Initiative Measure
• City of Menlo Park Measure P — Citizen Initiative to Amend Municipal Code
• City of Pacifica Measure BB — Transactions and Use Tax Measure
• Town of Portola Valley Measure N — Town Charter and Property Transfer Tax Measure
• City of Redwood City Measure E — Rent Control and Eviction Limits Initiative
• City of San Bruno Measure S — Housing Permits and Developments Measure
• City of San Bruno Measure DD — Fireworks Ban Measure
• City of San Bruno Measure EE — Business License Tax Measure
• City of San Carlos Measure G — Transactions and Use Tax Measure
• City of San Mateo Measure H — Transactions and Use Tax Measure
• City of San Mateo Measure F — Charter Amendment Measure

All San Mateo County races and measures →

Quick answers

What does a YES vote on City of Belmont Measure Y mean?

Belmont would levy 33¢ per square foot of residential and 54¢ per square foot of nonresidential improvements to fund a community center and its programs, raising $7,100,000 a year until ended by voters, with senior exemptions, and would raise the city's appropriation limit.

What does a NO vote on City of Belmont Measure Y mean?

Belmont would not levy this community center tax.

How many votes does City of Belmont Measure Y need to pass?

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Should I vote yes or no on City of Belmont Measure Y?

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.

When is the vote?

The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.