HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso - CC - 019-2004RESOLUTION NO. 19-2004
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BURLINGAME
SUPPORTING A STATEWIDE BALLOT INITIATIVE TO REQUIRE VOTER
APPROVAL BEFORE STATE GOVERNMENT MAY TAKE LOCAL TAX FUNDS
RESOLVED by the CITY COUNCIL of the CITY of BURLINGAME that:
WHEREAS, State government annually seizes over $800 million in city property tax funds
(ERAF) statewide, costing cities over $6.9 billion in lost revenues over the past 12 years and
seriously reducing resources available for local public safety and other services; and
WHEREAS, counties have been hit just as hard by the same seizure of county property tax
funds running into the billions of dollars; and
WHEREAS, in adopting the state budget this past year the Legislature and the Governor
appropriated local vehicle license fee backfill and redevelopment property tax funds that are
needed to finance critical city and county services such as public safety, parks, street maintenance,
health services, housing and economic development; and
WHEREAS, the deficit financing plan in the State budget depends on a local property and
sales tax swap that leaves city and county services vulnerable if the State's economic condition fails
to improve; and
WHEREAS, the adopted State budget assumes an ongoing structural budget deficit of at
least $8 billion, putting city and county resources and services at risk in future years to additional
state revenue raids; and
WHEREAS, it is abundantly clear that State leaders will continue to use local tax funds to
balance the State budget unless the voters limit the power of the Legislature and Governor to do so;
and
WHEREAS, the voters of California are the best judges of whether local tax funds should
be diverted, confiscated, shifted or otherwise taken to finance an ever-expanding State government;
and
WHEREAS, the General Assembly of Voting Delegates of the League of California Cities
at its September 10, 2003, meeting voted to sponsor a statewide ballot initiative to empower the
voters to limit the ability of state government to confiscate local tax funds to fund state
government; and
WHEREAS, the League has requested that cities offer support for a November 2004 ballot
initiative that will allow voters to decide whether State government may appropriate local tax funds
to fund state government operations and responsibilities.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS RESOLVED AS FOLLOWS:
1. The City Council hereby expresses its strong support for a statewide ballot initiative to
allow voters to decide whether local tax funds maybe taken, confiscated, shifted, diverted or
otherwise used to fund state government operations and responsibilities.
2. The City Council and City staff are authorized to provide impartial informational
materials on the initiative as may be lawfully provided by the City's representatives. No public
funds shall be used to campaign for or against the initiative.
3. The residents of the City are encouraged to become well informed on the initiative and
its possible impacts on the critical local services on which they rely; and
4. The City Clerk is hereby requested to send a copy of this resolution to the Executive
Director of the League of California Cities.
i1,- D '
Mayor
I, ANN T. MUSSO, City Clerk of the City of Burlingame, do hereby certify that the
foregoing resolution was introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council held on the 11T day of
March, 2004, and adopted thereafter by the following vote:
AYES: COUNCILMEMBER: BAYLOCK, COFFEY, GALLIGAN, NAGEL, O'MAHONY
NOES: COUNCILMEMBER:
ABSENT: COUNCILMEM 3ER:
�0 City Clerk v