Adding Debt to GT RDA... Income Down More DEBT?

Where are the Tea Party Conservatives in GT?

Why are we not protesting the expanding of the RDA DEBT Ceiling? Why are we not shouting about the Expanding of Cost of City Hall's Administrative Costs? If we can't fix Local Governments how can we fix the National Government? It is time the Government and RDA of Grand Terrace is made smaller, cut it to the bare bones. No Perks for City Council Members, and City Employees. Hire a new City Attorney, and Finance Director and start new with a bare bones staff.

Remove all restrictive zoning laws in GT let the people who own land use it as they want. Get the City Council and City off the back and necks of the citizens.

County and State Regulations are bad enough, the city should not add more. Where are the Conservative Republicans or the Tea Party in GT? Are we to be ruled by the Realtors and Developers aka the Inside the Council Associates or "Friends of the City Council", you know the ones that are invited to City Financed Christmas Parties for 200 friends...

The Schwab/Berry administration boasted for years that the RDA was in fine shape and there was no problem. They responded to questions about the ever increasing debt levels with disdain to the speakers. Schwab said "you don't know how to read financial reports". Well recently the City Council admitted it could not read or understand the financial reports and budgets presented by finance.

Now the City Council and RDA want to increase the DEBT level of Grand Terrace RDA and thus the City of Grand Terrace to 75 Million. YELL NO WAY... Increased DEBT IS NOT GOOD... Putting the debt on future generations is BAD at the National Level and the Local Level. It may be time to close city hall and have a part time service write checks for the needed service contracts and be done with the pretences of a City Governments and City Economics.

Income resources are going down. The Debt will be paid with Taxes we currently are receiving and thus will doom the City with a never ending drain on the resources the CITY should have to use for CITY needs. Half of the Cost of the City Manager's Income and Perks come from DEBT FINANCING aka the RDA. There is no prudence in that practice.

TEA PARTY is AGAINST DEBT and GOVERNMENT TAKE OVER OF OUR LIVES what about in GRAND TERRACE?

Grand Terrace may up redevelopment fund ceiling

10:00 PM PST on Friday, January 15, 2010
By DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
The Press-Enterprise

The Grand Terrace City Council has approved a draft plan that calls for a dramatic increase in the amount of money the city's redevelopment agency can collect and borrow.

The approval came in a 4-1 vote this week of the council, which was sitting as the governing board of the citywide Redevelopment Agency.
Councilwoman Lee Ann Garcia voted against it despite assurances from city staff members that the draft is only preliminary and that there will be three more months of fine tuning before the plan becomes official.

"This is a very big step in the history of our city," Garcia said, telling fellow council members that she wants a formal study session to be briefed on details of the plan.

Councilwoman Bea Cortes said she too wants the council to meet in a study session with staff to discuss the plan, but voted with the majority.
Grand Terrace Community and Economic Development Director Joyce

Powers warned the council Tuesday night that the city Redevelopment Agency will reach its $15 million legal maximum of bond debt some time next year, about the same time it will have collected its maximum of $70 million in property tax revenue.

She explained by phone after the meeting that those two numbers are substantially different because the bond money is used to pay for specific development-related projects and the rest of the money raised in property taxes pays for such expenses as housing assistance for low-income families, interest on debt and portions of city staff members' salaries.
City Attorney John Harper told the council that half of the city manager's salary, for example, is charged to the redevelopment agency.

The draft plan calls for the maximum bond money the city can borrow to increase three-fold to $75 million and for the maximum amount of tax money the agency can raise to jump from $70 million to $225 million.
Powers said she doesn't know for certain if the city's actual bond debt and revenue will approach those totals.

"If all the commercial properties built out with nice quality projects yes, there is a possibility," she said.

There are no specific redevelopment projects in the draft plan, but the city has used redevelopment money to pay for everything from the design of a ball field at Pico Park to road improvements and the movement of utility lines underground.

The council will be asked next month to make a determination that the redevelopment plan conforms to Grand Terrace's general plan for future development. A public hearing would be held April 27, Powers said, followed by adoption of a final draft at the May 11 and May 25 council meetings.

Reach Darrell R. Santschi at 951-368-9484 or dsantschi@PE.com