Local government finance
Tiburon Loses Prop. 218 Assessment Challenge
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 26 January 2010 - 3:10pmThe Town of Tiburon has lost another round in its ongoing litigation with property owners over assessments to fund the undergrounding of utility lines.
SD Tax-Processing 'Fee' Declared Illegal
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 1 September 2009 - 4:23pmA fee that the City of San Diego levied on businesses and landlords for processing their taxes has been declared illegal by the Fourth District Court of Appeal. The court ruled that the fee amounted to a general purpose tax that should have been submitted to voters for approval.
State's High Court To Review Another Prop 218 Controversy
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 29 July 2009 - 10:58amThe California Supreme Court has taken up another Proposition 218 case. This one involves voter secrecy in fee elections.
Prop 218 Challenge To Pomona BID Assessments Rejected
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 24 June 2009 - 1:34pmProperty assessments levied to fund the downtown Pomona Property and Business Improvement District did not violate Proposition 218, the Second District Court of Appeal has ruled for a second time.
State High Court Clears Way For Proposition 218 Challenge
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 17 June 2009 - 9:53amFor the second time in less than a year, the California Supreme Court has ruled for individual property owners contesting local government assessments, opening the door for future challenges based on Proposition 218.
Federal Stimulus Grants May Help Locals Meet New Planning Mandates
Submitted by Robin Andersen on 21 May 2009 - 9:45amThere’s never been a weirder time to try to do planning in California.
On the one hand, the state has made climate change a major priority – and it’s driving local government efforts in a hundred different ways, ranging from greenhouse gas analyses in environmental documents to switching out light bulbs in city corporation yards.
On the other hand, the state is cutting back all over the place because of the ever-more-dismal budget crisis. And this is going to make it hard for local governments to meet the requirements the state is laying out.
Washington Stimulates Old-Style Growth, But Change May Come Via Legislation
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 30 March 2009 - 11:00amSuddenly, for the first time in 30 years, Washington is the center of the government money world. This is turning things upside down for the planning and development establishment, as local officials, developers, transportation leaders and others flood the nation’s capital in search of dough. But what will all the dough do? And how will it shape the growth landscape of California over the next few years?
Academics Recommend Proposition 13 Alternatives
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 26 August 2008 - 1:15pmCalling Proposition 13, “deeply flawed,” a new report by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy recommends entirely new approaches to property tax relief.
State High Court Strikes Down Open Space Assessment
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 30 July 2008 - 2:17pmA property assessment to fund open space acquisitions in Santa Clara County has been invalidated by the state Supreme Court, which ruled that the assessment violated Proposition 218.
The court found that the assessment on 314,000 parcels spread across 800 square miles provided only general benefits and was therefore a special tax that should have gone before voters. The unanimous court said that property owner’s 2001 approval of the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority (OSA) assessment was not legal under the state constitution.
State's Solution To Budget Deficit May Have Long-Term Consequences
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 1 February 2008 - 12:10pmWhen you’ve got a $14 billion deficit, everybody’s ox is going to get gored. So the question for the planning and development community in California is not really whether something bad is going to happen. The question is whether it matters very much.