Editing Palo Alto, California (section)

==Local government==
[[File:U.S. Post Office, 380 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto, CA 5-27-2012 2-11-09 PM.JPG|thumb|right|The historic post office]]
Palo Alto was [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] in 1894. In 1909 a [[municipal charter]] created a local government consisting of a fifteen-member city council, with responsibilities for various governmental functions delegated to appointed committees. In 1950, the city adopted a [[Council–manager government]]. Several appointed committees continue to advise the city council on specialized issues, such as land-use planning, utilities, and libraries, but these committees no longer have direct authority over City staff. Currently, the city council has seven members.

The mayor and vice-mayor serve one year at a time, with terms ending in January. General municipal elections are held in November of even-numbered years. Council terms are four years long.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/gov/depts/cou/default.asp|title=City Council & Mayor|publisher=City of Palo Alto|access-date=March 13, 2015}}</ref>

According to one study in 2015, the city's effective property tax rate of 0.42% was the lowest of the California cities included in the study.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Landes|first1=Emily|title=S.F. lost almost $450 million in revenue last year thanks to Prop. 13|url=http://blog.sfgate.com/ontheblock/2016/12/03/s-f-lost-almost-450-million-in-revenue-last-year-thanks-to-prop-13/|access-date=December 4, 2016|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=December 3, 2016}}</ref>