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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 02111986 - IO.4 TO- BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE Cl.Jl lira Costa DATE: February 10, 1986 co ,� SUBJECT; l�U Ballot Proposition to Pay for Needed Services SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Agree to form a Blue Ribbon Committee on the Financing of County Services. 2. Provide the following charge to the Blue Ribbon Committee on the Financing of County Services: A. Based on public hearings to be conducted by the Committee, determine whether there is a need for additional revenue to finance certain programs specified by the Board of Supervisors. B. If such a need is determined to exist, arrange the programs suggested by the Board of Supervisors in priority order, according to their need for revenue, the relative availability of other sources of revenue than the County to provide for their support, and the perceived likelihood that the voters of the County would support additional taxes to support such services based on a survey to be conducted by the Committee. C. Determine how much additional revenue is needed for the highest priority services on an annual basis and over what period of time. D. Determine the most appropriate mean4 of allocating taxes to provide the revenue needed, consistent with Article XIII-A of the State Constitution. E. Report their findings and recommendations to the Board of Supervisors. 3 . Request each member of the Board of Supervisors to submit to the County Administrator' s Office a list of programs and priorities which should be considered by the Blue Ribbon Committee. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR _X RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE _ APPROVE OTHER SIGNATUREISI: NG C. Fanden Sunne i Weak ACTION OF BOARD ON February 11 , 1986 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. CC: County Administrator ATTESTED _ .L�1 % County Counsel PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF Board Members SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR M382/7-83 BY `� ,DEPUTY Page 2 4 . Direct the County Administrator to provide the Internal Operations Committee with a report on February 24 consisting of the following: A. A summary of the Board Members ' proposed programs and priorities for study by the Blue Ribbon Committee. B. A list of organizations which should be considered for membership on the Blue Ribbon Committee. BACKGROUND: Over the past several years, a number of suggestions have been made to raise taxes to pay for various services which are provided by the County. These have specifically included Mental Health Services and Emergency Medical Services and, more generally, child protective services and various public protection programs, such as police and fire services. At the direction of the Board, the County Administrator convened a staff Task Force to determine how the Board might proceed to place a measure on the ballot to provide sufficient revenue to support the highest priority of these services. Our Committee met with County Counsel and representatives of the County Administrator' s Office on February 10, 1986 to review this matter. A copy of the County Administrator' s report is attached to this report. Our Committee agrees that a Blue Ribbon Committee is needed to advise the Board on whether there is a need to provide additional revenue for some services and, if so, to determine the priority of such services based on a survey of the citizens of the County. We believe the Blue Ribbon Committee should hold public hearings to receive public input on the content of such a survey. Based on the results of these public hearings and the subsequent survey, the Blue Ribbon Committee should recommend what matters should be put to the voters, the amount of revenue which should be raised over what period of time to support these services, and to recommend an appropriate method of allocating such revenue among the citizens of the County, bearing in mind that no additional ad valorem tax on real property can legally be placed before the voters. Supervisor Fanden strongly supported the need for additional revenue to support Mental Health services since the incidence of Mental Health problems is so widespread among the citizens in the community and the mentally ill have few spokespersons compared to those for other services provided by the County. Supervisor McPeak indicated that there was a need first to determine whether there is a need for additional revenue for any services and whether the voters are likely to support additional taxes to pay for such services. She emphasized that the County must convince the voters first that existing programs are being managed, in as productive and cost-effective a manner as possible before deciding to ask the voters for additional revenue to support these services. Based on this discussion, our Committee has made the above recommendations. Further specific recommendations will be made to the Board on February 25 based on the information gathered from the above recommendations. t OFFICE OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR CONTRA COSTA COUNTY Administration Building Martinez, California Supervisor Nancy Fanden To: Supervisor Sunne McPeak Date: January 7, 1986 INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE From: Phil Batchelor `�` Subject: Ballot Proposition to Pay County Administrator for Needed Services BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION: On August 13, 1985, the Board of Supervisors referred to our office a request to outline the structure and assignment for an ad hoc committee to review and prioritize areas and programs in need of additional revenue and identify possible revenue sources, including placing a tax measure on the ballot. Our office was further directed to report our recommendations to your Committee for transmittal to the full Board. In response, our office convened a staff task force to come up with some recommendations which could be made to your Committee. The Task Force consisted of the County Administrator, Sheriff-Coroner, Health Services Director, Director of Community Development, Social Services Director, Chief of the Consolidated Fire District, County Counsel, Auditor-Controller, Mental Health Director and staff from my office. We met on two occasions to attempt to define what program areas would be most likely to receive support from the general public. , We have also reviewed with County Counsel the County' s authority to raise funds under current constitutional limits. Finally, we have discussed the size and structure of a possible ad hoc committee to pursue a ballot proposition. CONCLUSIONS• 1. While a variety of financing mechanisms are available to pay for an increased level of services, most require either State legislation or a voter-approved proposition to impose a new tax. 2. There is a general consensus that one-time expenditures for capital items, such as a building or new roads, are more likely to receive voter approval than are expenditures for ongoing programs. Internal Operations Committee January 7, 1986 Page 2 3 . There is a general consensus that proposals for services, such as fire and law enforcement, may be more likely to receive broad voter support than are programs like social services or mental health. 4. In terms of the legal issues involved, County Counsel has reminded us that: a. While a city has inherent powers to raise revenues by a fairly wide variety of unspecified taxes, a general law county must have specific constitutional or statutory authority to impose a tax. b. While Article XIIIA of the State Constitution precludes the imposition of new ad valorem taxes on real property, it does allow the imposition of a wide variety of non-ad valorem special taxes, if approved by two-thirds of the voters. C. Because of a variety of other limitations discussed by County Counsel, it does not appear that any fee or benefit assessment could be imposed for most of the types of services contemplated by the Board. Therefore, the most prudent course is to consider a special tax, place it on the ballot, and hope to achieve a two-thirds voter approval. A variety of related legal issues have been researched by County Counsel and can be discussed in more detail with your Committee. 5. If the Board wishes to pursue a ballot proposition, a Blue Ribbon Committee of prominent citizens who can raise funds and lobby publicly for a proposition is the most effective way to successfully pursue a ballot proposition. RECOMMENDATIONS: If the Board wishes to pursue a ballot proposition to raise funds for one or more County services or projects, the Board should appoint a 15-member Blue Ribbon Committee of citizens to pursue such a proposition. The Committee should consist of three ( 3) members nominated by each Board member. Staffing can be provided by the County Administrator' s Office with appropriate input from County Counsel and various County departments. The Committee should be charged with conducting some market research to determine what r ' Internal Operations Committee January 7, 1986 Page 3 types of special taxes are most likely to receive support from the voters, determining the cost of the service or project to be placed on the ballot, and making recommendations to the Board. If and when the Board decides to place a proposition on the ballot, County staff involvement must be terminated. No public time or money can be spent on the actual campaign for the proposition. The Blue Ribbon Committee can, however, pursue the campaign, raise funds, and direct the campaign in favor of the proposition as long as no public funds or time are involved. PJB:clg cc: County Counsel Sheriff-Coroner Health Services Director Community Development Director Social Services Director Chief, Consolidated Fire District Auditor-Controller Mental Health Director