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<br />LEAGUE CONTINUES SURVEY ON <br />RETIREE HEALTH BENEFITS <br /> <br />In November 2006, the League mailed a <br />survey to cities asking for certain information on <br />Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEBs). The <br />goal of the survey was to get an assessment of <br />the costs of public retiree health care coverage <br />among cities. After receiving only 135 responses <br />from 478 cities, the League chose to continue the <br />collection period so that a more complete assess- <br />ment can be made. <br /> <br />The Governmental Accounting Standards <br />Board (GASB) is requiring this information be <br />gathered and publicly disclosed to record the <br />financial position of cities across the nation. Gov. <br />Schwarzenegger has established a Commission <br />on Post Employment Benefits, which will be <br />looking at pension costs, retiree health care costs <br />and other health care system issues. <br /> <br />The information we are requesting from your <br />city is necessary to properly represent city inter- <br />ests with the commission, as well as the legisla- <br />ture and Governor's office. <br /> <br />The League's retiree health benefit survey is <br />available online and can be completed by visiting <br />www.cacities.orQ/rhbsurvey. Please forward the <br />survey link to your city's budget manager, auditor, <br />and benefits administrator or the staff most suited <br />to complete it. <br /> <br />If you have any questions or would like a copy <br />of the survey in POF format, please contact Mary <br />Creasey at (916) 658-8243 or bye-mail at <br />mcreasey@cacities.org. We request that you <br />return the completed Retiree Health Benefits <br />Survey by Friday, February 161 <br /> <br />9A <br />Page 11 <br />LAO from page 1 .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <br /> <br />In its analysis, the LAO reported that the <br />Governor's proposed budget includes only a few <br />program expansions and instead proposes a <br />number of budget-balancing actions. Those <br />actions include a major redirection of transporta- <br />tion funds and significant reductions in social <br />services. If the assumptions in the proposed <br />budget were to occur, the LAO believes that the <br />Governor's proposal would be balanced and <br />prOVide a healthy reserve ofthe 2007-08 year. <br /> <br />Although that is good news for California's <br />fiscal stability, the LAO also feels that several <br />assumptions in the Governor's budget are either <br />overly optimistic or risky, which could ultimately <br />impact the reserve. <br /> <br />A complete analysis of the Governor's pro- <br />posed budget will be released in February. LAO's <br />preliminary budget proposal analysis can be <br />accessed online at www.lao.ca.gov. <br /> <br />LAO Reviews Bond Package. On January 22, <br />the LAO released a report entitled "Implementing <br />the 2006 Bond Package: Increasing Effectiveness <br />Through Legislative Oversight." In the report, the <br />LAO noted that with more than $18 billion allo- <br />cated to new programs, effective legislative <br />oversight is critical to the success of the pro- <br />grams. <br /> <br />The report offers recommendations to assist <br />the Legislature in implementation of the November <br />2006 bond package. The report is available online <br />at www.lao.ca.gov. <br /> <br />Our M:jsslon <br /> <br />Restore and ~'F{J,t'ect lo.t~t cMtrdJ fot citi~$ <br />thrtlflgh eclutkltlol'l and [{({VQ\dI~ to: C:'(l'l)&l1'<fe <br />. tntl (llJali:tYClf life rot all Ca~~ftlrlji:al1S! <br /> <br />Visit the League's Official Websitenwww.cacities.org <br /> <br />PRIORITY FOCUS . PAGE 5 <br />January 26, 2007 . Issue #4 <br />