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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 03021999 - C38 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS d,•.,•f� ;;:.``� Contra f�- r- 1 PHIL BATCHELOR, COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR r/ Costa County DATE: February 24, 1999 SUBJECT: LEGISLATION: AB 550 (TORLAKSON) SPECIFIC REOUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: ADOPT a position in SUPPORT of AB 559 by Assemblymen Tom Torlakson which would adopt a legislative finding that it is necessary to enact innovative and systemic solutions to local government fiscal problems that will stabilize the funding of local government services. BACKGROUND: The Board's 1999 Legislative Program contains a provision that the Board will "Support the efforts of CSAC and the Urban Counties Caucus to at least cap the growth of ERAF, and preferably begin to return some of the base to counties and cities." The Board has previously supported AB 24,AB 304 and SB 155 which all reduce the amount of the County's contribution to the ERAF. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: —®YES SIGNATURE: r� RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S)- ACTION IGNATURES:ACTION OF BOARD ON _ Mat„ch-2� s APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED . OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE XX UNANIMOUS(ASSENT ) 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. ATTESTED M a r c 1999 Contact: PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE SOARD OF cc' SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR BY DEPUTY Assemblyman Torlakson hes introduced AB 550 which, as introduced, contains the following legislative findings: The annual shift of ad valorem property tax revenues from counties,cities,and special districts to educational entities forthe relief of state government fiscal obligations has been a major factor in local government budget shortfalls and reductions in local public services. Actions by the state to return revenues to counties, cities, and special districts to mitigate the impact of ad valorem property tax revenue shifts have not adequately addressed local government budget shortfalls and service reductions. It is necessary to enact innovative and systemic solutions to local government fiscal problems that will stabilize the funding of local government services. As introduced, AB 550 does not contain any solution to this problem. However, it can serve as a vehicle for enacting some fundamental fiscal reform if and when there is a willingness to move in that direction. Since Ala 550 is consistent in a general sense with the Board's 1909 Legislative Program in terms of returning property tax revenue to local agencies, it is recommended that the Board indicate its support for AB 500,with the understanding that there will be subsequent substantive amendments that will need to be reviewed carefully. cc: County Administrator Auditor-Controller Tony Enea, Senior Deputy County Administrator Assemblyman Tom Torlakson Room 2003 State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95314 Les Spahnn Heim, Noack, Kelly & Spahnn 1121 L Street, Suite 100 Sacramento, CA 95814 -2- CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE-I999-2000 REGULAR SESSION ASSEMBLY BILL No. 550 Introduced by Assembly Member Torlukson February 18, 1999 An act relating to local government finance. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST Ala 550, as introduced, Torlakson. Local government finance: property tax revenue allocation: local agency relief. Existing property tax law requires the county auditor, in each fiscal year, to allocate property tax revenue to local jurisdictions in accordance with specified formulas and procedures, and generally requires that each jurisdiction be allocated an amount equal to the total of the amount of revenue allocated to that jurisdiction in the prior fiscal year, subject to certain modifications, and that jurisdiction's portion of the annual tax increment, as defined. Existing property tax law also reduces the amounts of ad valorem property tax revenue that would otherwise be annually allocated to the county, cities, and special districts pursuant to these general allocation requirements by requiring, for purposes of determining property tax revenue allocations in each county for each of the 1992-93 and 1993-94 fiscal years, that the amounts of property tax revenue deemed allocated in the prior fiscal year to the county, cities, and special districts be reduced in accordance with certain formulas. It requires that the revenues not allocated to the county, cities, and special districts as a result of these reductions be transferred to the Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund in that county for 99 AB 550 —2— allocation 2— allocation to school districts, community college districts, and the county office of education.. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations with respect to the impact of reduction and transfer requirements, state responses to those impacts, and the need to address local government fiscal concerns. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. The people of the State of California do enact as follows: 1 SECTION 1. The Legislature hereby finds and 2 declares all of the following: 3 (a) The annual shift of ad valorem property tax 4 revenues from counties, cities, and special districts to 5 educational entities for the relief of state government 6 fiscal obligations has been a major factor in local 7 government budget shortfalls and reductions in local 8 public services. 9 (b) Actions by the state to return revenues to counties, 10 cities, and special districts to mitigate the impact of ad 11 valorem property tax revenue shifts have not adequately 12 addressed local government budget shortfalls and service 13 reductions. 14 (c) It is necessary to enact innovative and systemic 15 solutions to local government fiscal problems that will 16 stabilize the funding of local government services. 0 99