Duff on Covina

...may the breadth of awareness grow, but not consume us whole.

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Location: Oregon, United States

Monday, February 27, 2006

1998-07-06 Letter Fern Bashing Wilcox & Christiansen

Finance facts offered
Covina's city finances are in a chronic mess because of Propositions 13, 52 and 218, which are far from simple. Here are the facts:
The 1994 city ordinance which set the utility tax rate at 8.25 per cent also included a five-year sunset clause so the tax will expire automatically in November 1999.
For the last four years Councilmen John Wilcox and Chris Christiansen have promoted themselves as strong supporters of small government, low taxes, Proposition 13 and its offspring. But on June 16 Christiansen proposed,. and Wilcox supported, a plan to replace the utility tax with special assessments on property for each city service, particularly the city library.
However, such property assessments for ordinary city services are expressly forbidden by Proposition 218, to wit:
'No fee or charge may be imposed for general government services including, but not limited to, police, fire, ambulance or library services, when the service is available to the public at large in substantially the same manner as to property owners." [Article XIII D, subdivision 6(b)(5), California Constitution].
Clearly, neither Wilcox nor Christiansen can tell his assessments from a hole in the ground.
MIKE FERN
COVINA 7/06/98