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SR-100-002 (31)~~+ . . City Council Report ~ ~~tYaf Santa Monica City Council Meeting: September 26, 2006 Agenda Item: 1 N To: Mayor and City Council From: Gordon R. Anderson Subject: Adoption of a resolution in Support of the November lnfrastructure Bond Propositions 1A, 1 B, 1 C, 1 D, 1 E Recommended Action It is recommended that the City Council: 1. adopt a resolution in support of the November 7 Infrastructure bonds; 2. direct staff to send copies of the adopted resolution to Governor Schwarzenegger, California State Senator Sheila Kuehl, California State Assemblymember Fran Pavley and the League of California Cities; and 3. direct staff to educate the public on City Council support via the website and links to other governmental agencies such as the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority where information is available. Executive Summary In May 2006, the California State Legislature passed a$37.3 billion package of fiscal and bond measures to provide funding for transportation, housing, levee repairs and flood control projects and education facilities. These measures have been titled Propositions 1A, 1 B, 1 C, 1 D, and 1 E by the Secretary of State and will appear on the 1 November 2006 ballot for voter approval. The bond package includes $20 billion for transportation, including $1 billion each for cities and counties to conduct maintenance and repairs on local streets and roads and $4 billion Statewide for public transit projects such as the Exposition light rail project; $2.8 billion for housing; $10.4 billion for schools; and $4.09 billion for levees and flood control projects. Discussion Proposition 1A Transportafion Invesfinent Fund Bond Act of 2006 will close a loophole and ensure that gasoline sales tax revenue from Proposition 42, passed by voters in 2002, is only spent on transportation improvement projects, as originally intended. This constitutional amendment is designed to "fix" Proposition 42, by permanently dedicating the sales tax on gasoline to transportation purposes with narrow exceptions. In 2002, voters approved Proposition 42 which committed the existing sales tax on gasoline (about $1.3 billion per year) for transportation purposes. The City of Santa Monica has received $1,300,946 in Proposition 42 funds since 2002. These funds are used for street and road repairs. However, Proposition 42 included a provision that allowed these funds to be suspended when the State experienced budget deficits. To date, $2 billion has been diverted to the State. Funds withheld in FY 2003/04 and FY 2004/05 were repaid to the City (with interest) in July 2006. Proposition 1A would discourage suspension of these funds by: authorizing suspension only if the Governor issues a proclamation; stipulating that Proposition 42 funds may 2 only be suspended twice in a ten year period and may not be suspended while a previous loan is still outstanding; and allowing for a ten year repayment period of previous Proposition 42 loans. The FY 2006/07 State Budget does not include any local funding. However, local funding is anticipated to resume in FY 2007/08 with the Santa Monica share estimated at $736,093. Proposition 1B: Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, Port Security Bond Act of 2006 will authorize $19.925 billion of State general obligation bonds on various transportation and port security projects to rebuild California, of which $1 billion will go to cities and $1 billion to counties for local street and road improvement projects. Santa Monica is expected to receive a one-time allocation of $2,883,236 for local street and road improvements. Another, $4 billion for public transit modernization and service enhancement on intercity rail is provided. This is viewed as a viable source of funding required for the Exposition Light Rail Phase 2 to Santa Monica Proposition 1C Housing and Emergency Trust Fund Act of 2006 will authorize $2.85 billion for housing projects, including $1.5 million for multifamily housing, emergency housing, homeownership for low-income households and $850 million in grants for development of public infrastructure projects that facilitate or support infill housing construction, $200 million for parks, and $300 million for development near public transportation. 3 Proposition 1 D Education Facilities: Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2006 will authorize $10.4 billion to meet the capital outlay needs of higher education facilities and finance grants for construction and renovation of schools. Proposition 1E :Disaster Preparedness and Flood Prevention Bond Act of 2006 will provide $4.09 billion for critical levee repair and construction, as well as flood control projects and the updating and repair of old water mains and sewage systems. Budqet/Financial Impact There is no fiscal impact from the recommendations in this report and no additional budget authority is required to educate the public as recommended. Prepared by: Kathryn Vernez, Assistant to the City Manager, Government Relations Forwarded to Council: 4 ^ ^