When ballots hit the mail next week, voters will find multiple agencies with their hand out.

The state has two bond measures: Proposition 2 ($10 billion for education facilities) and Proposition 4 ($10 billion for parks, water and energy). Locally, we have school bonds from Biggs ($16.5 million), Durham ($24.5 million), Chico ($239 million), Oroville ($18 million), Paradise ($43 million) and Thermalito ($6.8 million) — plus a 1% sales tax from Butte County to shore up services including public safety and libraries ($44 million annually).

That’s a lot of money. We understand the need; at the same time, all these requests are coming when economic uncertainty weighs heavily on people’s minds and pocketbooks. Focusing on the two largest local asks, we endorse — with some reluctance — CUSD’s Measure C and the county’s Measure H.

Measure C >> Should this bond pass, it will be the fourth on district residents’ property tax bills, and the heftiest to boot; the annual estimate is $60 per every $100,000 of assessed value.

CUSD’s facilities master plan identifies $1 billion in needs, and the schools earmarked for improvements this round — Chapman, Rosedale and Parkview elementaries — clearly require better facilities. Funding also will upgrade safety on other campuses and benefit charter schools, too (notably to help Inspire move from Chico High).

Impacts of previous bonds is evident all over town. CUSD rebuilt elementary schools and made significant renovations at junior highs and high schools. Most students now attend schools they can be proud of and feel comfortable in, even as changes in the educational landscape — career technical education, special education, transitional kindergarten — put additional strain on sites’ capacities.

School projects provide a boost to the local economy, as the district works predominantly with local contractors (93% of the work). For the first three bonds, every dollar of local funding ($279 million total) brought in 43 cents of state matching money ($121 million); Measure C is comparable. Good schools contribute to property values, and since 2000, home prices across the district have more than doubled.

So, we see the benefit. Yet, we question if the district is dedicating enough money to maintaining what the bonds are building. Its budget allocates 3% to maintenance, the minimum required by the state. We understand that newer buildings should demand less upkeep, but deferred repairs have contributed to, if not caused, deterioration of older buildings. We hope the school board reconsiders its budgeting moving forward. But, bottom line, our kids deserve classrooms without leaky roofs and asbestos in the walls. The state puts the onus on communities to build better schools. In this environment, despite any misgivings, we support Measure C.

Measure H >> Not to be confused with Chico’s Measure H, which passed in the last election, this one addresses some similar concerns.

Butte County has a huge budget, around $1 billion a year. Of that, though, just 15% is discretionary funding; the bulk goes directly to state-mandated programs and services, beyond the purview of the Board of Supervisors.

The locally controlled sliver is still substantial, though, as it dictates how the county provides for firefighting, law enforcement, criminal prosecutions, health, mental health, homelessness and libraries. Since 2020, cuts have cost 21 deputies, 10 firefighters, two fire stations, 26 probation officers, 10 deputy district attorneys and 40% of library branch hours.

Measure H addresses those areas. Without it, the sheriff will not be able to fully open the new Butte County Jail, the DA’s office will need to delay or dismiss cases, fire response will lag and libraries’ operations will remain sporadic. Butte County has the seventh-lowest per capita tax revenue in the state at $403 per person. As noted before, this request comes at a bad time, with inflation already pinching households without upping the sales tax to 9.25% in Chico and Oroville, 8.75% in Paradise and 8.25% in unincorporated areas.

On the other hand, we can’t recall a measure drawing support from both the Democratic and Republican county parties like this one has. We join them in endorsing Measure H.