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08/23/2004 <br />ORIGINAL <br />RESOLUTION NO. 14603 <br />RESOLUTION SUPPORTING PROPOSITION 1A, THE <br />"PROTECTION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVENUES" <br />MEASURE, ON THE NOVEMBER 2, 2004 STATEWIDE BALLOT <br />WHEREAS, State government currently seizes more than $5.2 billion <br />annually in local property tax funds statewide from cities, counties and special <br />districts, costing local governments more than $40 billion in lost revenues over <br />the past 12 years; and <br />WHEREAS, since 1991 the State has taken over $35 million from <br />Redwood City's local funds, including $6.5 million in the current fiscal year, <br />accounting for two- thirds of the City's budget deficit; and <br />WHEREAS, these ongoing shifts and raids by the state of local property <br />tax funds and other funding dedicated to local governments have seriously <br />reduced resources available for local fire and paramedic response, law <br />enforcement, public health and emergency medical care, roads, parks, libraries, <br />transportation and other essential local services; and <br />WHEREAS, these funding raids also add pressure for local governments <br />to increase fees and taxes to maintain basic local service levels; and <br />WHEREAS, this drain of local resources has continued even during <br />periods when the state's budget has been overflowing with surpluses; and <br />WHEREAS, Proposition 1A is a historic measure that will appear on the <br />November 2004 statewide ballot that would limit the State's ability to take and <br />use local government funding; and <br />WHEREAS, by protecting local government funding, Proposition 1A would <br />protect local funding for public safety, healthcare, and other essential local <br />services; and <br />WHEREAS, Proposition 1A will not raise taxes and, in fact, will help <br />reduce pressure for local fee and tax increases by limiting state raids of local <br />government funding; and <br />WHEREAS, Proposition 1A does not reduce funding for schools or any <br />other state program or service, and Proposition 1A was carefully written to allow <br />flexibility in the event of a state budget emergency; and <br />Atty /Reso /Reso.1483 14603 <br />081104 1 Muff # 214 <br />