HomeMy WebLinkAbout19140 - RESOLUTIONS - 10/15/1997 RESOLUTION NO. 19140
OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM
SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, EXPRESSING OPPOSITION
TO THE SO-CALLED "GOVERNMENT COST
SAVINGS AND TAXPAYERS PROTECTION
AMENDMENT," AN INITIATIVE MEASURE ON '
THE JUNE, 1998 STATEWIDE BALLOT.
WHEREAS billions of dollars of critical building, engineering and design proejcts,
from seismic retrofitting to flood control to schools and hospitals, are underway every
day in California; and
WHEREAS State, regional and local governments are currently allowed the flexibility
to contract with private firms, on a competitive basis, for the design of these projects;
and
'WHEREAS this process allows government the essential flexibility to use private
engineering, architectural and related design firms to deliver a project on time; and cost
effectively; and
WHEREAS the so-called "Government Cost Savings and Taxpayers Protection
.Amendment" completely changes the process by giving a state bureaucracy a virtual
monopoly on designing every project; and
WHEREAS this would force cities, counties, schools, special districts, regional ,
governments and even many private businesses to use the state bureaucracy to design
roads, parks, hospitals, health clinics, schools, water treatment facilities, flood control
walls and other critical structures -- including all engineering, design, geological and
environmental work; and
WHEREAS virtually every school and hospital has been designed by private firms, not
state government; and
WHEREAS the proposed initiative eliminates local control and forces communities to
rely on the out-of-town state bureaucracy for their design work; and
WHEREAS local governments would not be able to hold the stale bureaucracy
accountable; and
WHEREAS the initiative gives one stale politician, the State Controller, enormous
power to decide who gets tens of thousands of design and building projects worth
billions of dollars; and
WHEREAS the State Controller would have to analyze tens of thousands of proposed
contracts per year costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands, if not millions, in '
additional expenses; and
WHEREAS to meet potential workload demands, hundreds, if not thousands, of state
employees would need to be einployed and paid, even if no projects were underway;
and
Res. No. 19140
Page 2
WHEREAS taxpayers would pick up the lab for billions in extra costs for projects, lost
jobs and more state employees to evaluate projects; and
WHEREAS this could result in significant delays on important local and state projects.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Palm
Springs, as follows:
Section 1. That the Palm Springs City Council opposes the so-called "Government
Cost Savings and Taxpayers Protection Amendment' which, if passed,
would cost our cities, counties, special districts and economy millions of
dollars.
Section 2. That the Palm Springs City Council supports the efforts of the growing
coalition of Taxpayers Fed Up With More State Bureaucracy (Fed Up)
in its pursuit of informing the voters about the potentially devastating
impacts of the "Government Cost Savings and Taxpayers Protection
Amendment' on local governments and the entire State of California.
ADOPTED the 15th day of October 1997.
AYES: Members Barnes, Hodges, Oden, Spurgin and Mayor Kleindienst
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ATTEST: CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA
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By_.
J City Clerk City Manager
REVIEWED & APPROVED AS TO FORM