Click below for Packet
http://www.cityofgrandterrace.org/archives/38/02082011%20Council%20Packet.PDF
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BUDGET PARK STATER'S AND MORE OH MY
The agenda and council packet 150 pages long contains some interesting reading.
The first thing that came to my attention is that the Park Workshop was referred to as justification for continued support for the park development. Given that a "Workshop" is being the basis of forming a conclusion perhaps there should be minutes on the record of such workshops. There may be people who do not attend workshops that intend to speak at the Council Meeting during On the Record time, are these people going to be heard in full measure after a council member has declared being convened that the public supports the park's development? Some how all meetings on the topic should be compiled prior to a council member saying there is full public support for a project. Drawing a conclusion early or making such statements are hard to reverse.
The request for an independent appraiser has just been released, yet the budget for the property is in the 800,000.00 area. Is there any land in Terra Loma area that could be purchased and a park built to serve a truly isolated segment of our community.
The second thing that came to my attention is that Debra Hurst has not been given the information she requested. TRANSPARENCY FOLKS..
The third thing is that the hard work of Staff has found a billable item that the City General Fund paid for that can be justified as RDA Expense. Good Going Staff. That helps to fill in the hole that was left behind by bad accountability practices of the past.
The fourth thing is that the Staff has provided more information on the issue of Gov. Brown's plan to end the RDA's and the city's reality in that situation.
Folks the staff is seeing the writing on the wall, and are working to get their heads, and hearts behind that potential reality. City Manager Betsy Adams, should be commended for her efforts to comb through the morass left behind. To be additional challenged with the RDA's immediate demise no doubt adds to the challenge tremendously. Other than Fire, Water, Police, and Trash Contracts. If there isn't money to pay for it, those city services are all subject to cuts if they don't pay for themselves.
The city employee benefits plan was included in this agenda packet. Is it time to go shopping for benefits that fit the budget better? Some of us normal people have had to increase our payments to our insurance costs.
Read These:
This Came In From the Email:
Here is some timely information on RDA's. Karen Renfro, author of the documents, is an long-time advocate for the dissolution of Redevelopment Agencies.
1. Of the documents the first page has important information concerning the Governor's proposal with a financial snapshot of RDA assets and liabilities and the fact that the GOVERNOR IS NOT PROPOSING TO PUT AN END TO RDA'S, JUST AN END TO HOW THEY CURRENTLY OPERATE. THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURES ARE PROVIDING A METHOD TO GAIN $1.7 BILLION TO FUND CORE SERVICES LIKE PUBLIC PROTECTION AND SCHOOLS. THE SUN NEWSPAPER REPORTED TODAY THAT LAYOFFS TO POLICE WILL BE AVOIDED DUE TO POLICE UNION CONCESSIONS. SCHOOLS ARE DELIBERATING SERIOUS CUTS.
2. The Governor is proposing successor agencies. How they will take shape will be known in about three weeks according to the press and Betsy Adams, GT City Manager,(see the current city council packet for the 02/08/2011 city council meeting)
3. RDA Bonds which are paid by property tax increment revenues are not voted on by the taxpayers. Successor agencies will be required to gain voter approval before any project can incur debt.
There is great debate as to whether RDA property tax increment is a tax. Many agree it is a tax because it siphons money away from other entities that provide needed revenues to allow the state to back fill the funding obligation it has to fund schools.
RDA's have operated with little oversight. State Controller, John Chiang, had the responsibility to collect RDA reports and provide basic information on the activities of RDA's but not their effectiveness.
Thirteen RDA's are currently being audited to quantify their overall effectiveness. Of particular interest to the debate will be if RDA's justifiably create jobs and new sources of tax revenues directly attributable to the project funded. A study, " Subsidizing Redevelopment in California," by Michael Dardia, (Public Policy Institute, San Francisco, 1998) concluded that RDA's property tax diversions to be a net loss.
Respectfully submitted, Blog reader
