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The school district has not issued a $20 million bond the taxes are meant to pay for. Instead, the money will sit in an account until enough homes in the neighborhood are built to issue the bond, according to Cary Brockman, facilities planning director for Capistrano Unified.

That could be a problem. Following a spate of lawsuits, Pacifica developer SunCal filed for bankruptcy protection in November. Its financial backer, Lehman Bros., had already filed for bankruptcy in September.

"They've all filed bankruptcy and walked away from the project," Sarver said. "There's nobody ready to develop that area anytime soon."

That leaves residents wondering why they spend so much each year on special taxes.