HomeMy WebLinkAbout19245 - RESOLUTIONS - 5/6/1998 RESOLUTION NO. 19245
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 AS
-- PROPOSITION 224.
WHEREAS billions of dollars of critical building, engineering and design proejets,
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 qualifications-based 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," also known as the Professional Engineers in California Government
(PECG) Initiative (Proposition 224), would completely change 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 (Proposition 224) would eliminate local control and
force 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 state bureaucracy
accountable; and
WHEREAS Proposition 224 would give one state 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 riot millions, in
additional expenses; and
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WHEREAS to meet potential workload demands, hundreds, if not thousands, of state
employees would need to be: employed and paid, even if no projects were underway; 1
and
'WHEREAS taxpayers would pick up the tab 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;
and
WHEREAS the City Council of the City of Palm Springs previously adopted
Resolution No. 19140 on October 15, 1997, opposing this Initiative Measure; and
WHEREAS the City Council desires to remind voters of its opposition to this Initiative,
Propostion 224.
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," an Initiative
Measure on the June 1998 ballot as Proposition 224, which, if passed, 1
would cost our cities, counties, special districts and economy millions of
dollars.
Section 2. That the Pal n Springs City Council supports the efforts of the growing
coalition of Taxpayers Fed Up With More State Bureaucracy (Fed Up)
and other taxpayer protection groups in their pursuit of informing the
voters about the potentially devastating impacts that the June 1998
Inititative Measure designated as Proposition 224 would have on local
governments and the entire State of California.
ADOPTED this 6th day of May , 1998.
AYES: Members Barnes, Hodges., Oden and Mayor Kle-indienst
NOES: None
ABSENT: Member Oden
ATTEST: CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA
B
City Clerk City Manager
REVIEWED & APPROVED AS TO FORM