CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP AGENDA PACKET

7 THE STATE LEGISLATURE, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND THE VOTERS The options available to local officials in governing, managing their finances and raising revenues to provide services needed by their communities are limited. Voters have placed restrictions as well as protections in the state constitution. The state’s voters and the California Legislature have acted in various ways, to support and provide, and to limit and withdraw financial powers and resources from cities, counties and special districts. Some of the most significant limitations on the local revenue-raising include: • Property taxes may not be increased except with a two-thirds vote to fund a general obligation bond. • The allocation of local property tax among a county, and cities, special districts and school districts within each county is controlled by the Legislature. • Voter approval is required prior to enacting, increasing or extending any type of local tax. • Assessments to pay for public facilities that benefit real property require property owner approval. • Fees for the use of local agency facilities and for services may not exceed the reasonable cost of providing those facilities and services. • Fees for services such as water, sewer and trash collection are subject to property owner majority protest. The Legislature has enacted many complicated changes in state and local revenues over the past 30 years. Voters have approved state constitutional protections limiting many of these actions at times followed by even more complicated maneuvers by the Legislature in efforts to solve the financial troubles and interests of the state budget. Reacting to actions of the Legislature and the deterioration of local control of fiscal matters, local government interests placed on the ballot, and voters approved, Proposition 1A in 2004 and Proposition 22 in 2010. Together, these measures prohibit the state from: • Enacting most local government mandates without fully funding their costs. The definition of state mandate includes a transfer of responsibility or funding of a program for which the state previously had full or partial responsibility. • Reducing the local portion of the sales and use tax rate or altering its method of allocation, except to comply with federal law or an interstate compact. • Reducing the combined share of property tax revenues going to the county as well as cities and special districts in a county. • Borrowing, delaying or taking motor vehicle fuel tax allocations, gasoline sales tax allocations, or public transportation account funds. Page 25 of 109