Reso 2009-095 - Laserfiche WebLink

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IN THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN LEANDRO RESOLUTION N0.2009-095 (1123) RESOLUTION OBJECTING TO ANY SEIZURE BY STATE GOVERNMENT OF THE CITY'S STREET MAINTENANCE FUNDS AND SUPPORTING LITIGATION CHALLENGING ANY SUCH SEIZURE WHEREAS, the current economic crisis has placed cities under incredible fmancial pressure and caused them to make painful budget cuts, including layoffs and furloughs of city workers, decreasing maintenance and operations of public facilities, and reductions in direct services to keep spending in line with declining revenues; and WHEREAS, since the early 1990s the state government of California has seized over $10 billion of city property tax revenues statewide, now amounting to over $900 million each year, to fund the state budget even after deducting public safety program payments to cities by the state; and WHEREAS, in his proposed FY 2009-10 budget the Governor has proposed transferring $1 billion of local gas taxes and weight fees to the state general fund to balance the state budget, and over $700 million in local gas taxes permanently in future years, immediately jeopardizing the ability of the City to maintain the City's streets, bridges, traffic signals, streetlights, sidewalks and related traffic safety facilities for the use of the motoring public; and WHEREAS, the loss of almost all of the City's gas tax funds will seriously compromise the City's ability to perform critical traffic safety related street maintenance, including, but not limited to, drastically curtailing patching, resurfacing, street lighting/traffic signal maintenance, payment of electricity costs for street lights and signals, bridge maintenance and repair, sidewalk and curb ramp maintenance and repair, and more; and WHEREAS, San Leandro along with other California cities will be forced to eliminate part or all of their street maintenance operations or forced to cut back in other areas (including public safety staffing levels) to use city general funds for basic street repair and maintenance. This could result in potential City liability for traffic accidents and serious personal injuries as basic street maintenance is ignored or deferred; and WHEREAS, in both Proposition 5 in 1974 and Proposition 2 in 1998 the voters of our state overwhelmingly imposed restriction on the state's ability to do what the Governor has proposed, and any effort to permanently divert the local share of the gas tax would violate the state constitution and the will of the voters; and WHEREAS, cities and counties maintain 81 % of the state road network while the state directly maintains just 8%; and WHEREAS, ongoing street maintenance is a significant public safety concern; and