Amador County – A bill by Assemblywoman Alyson Huber that would restore vehicle license fees and property taxes in Amador County has stalled in the Senate, apparently while they wait for the May revision of the state budget.
Ione City Manager Jeff Butzlaff told Ione City Council Tuesday “it’s a shell game” based on the fact that Amador County Unified School District is a “basic aid” district. State funds that are triple-flipped and swapped are not restored back to Ione, other cities and Amador County, and also Mono County and the city Mammoth Lake.
Butzlaff and Ione Vice Mayor Daniel Epperson sat through the bulk of a Senate Budget Committee hearing on Tuesday, before Epperson had to leave. Butzlaff said Huber’s Assembly Bill 1191 was dead last on the Committee’s agenda, and he got back to the city at 6 p.m.
Epperson said “everyone else gets this but us, and they don’t get it.” He said: “I watched them appropriate $100 million dollars today.” The Legislative Analyst said the school districts might be getting more money because of an increase in property taxes.
Butzlaff said the overall trajectory of AB1191 has been good, and the report appears to be favorable. County and local cities have been represented at hearings. Supervisor John Plasse went Tuesday, with County CAO Chuck Iley. Butzlaff said Legislative committees on finance and budget have kept AB1191 open, and the rationale the county and cities presented seems to have been taken in. The school district is no longer able to receive vehicle license fees and the state does not restore the funds to cities and the county.
At stake, he said is nearly $400,000 dollars over the last two years for Ione and about $1 million dollars lost by Amador County.
Epperson said the Senate Analyst described AB1191 as an attempt to seek “local fiscal relief,” using the term “like we’re somehow asking them for money.” The Legislature said it originally had “no guarantee” for that money, Epperson said, but if so, then why did the legislation use terms such as switch, flip and swap?
Butzlaff said the Committees are “basically waiting for the May revise” of the state budget, as they are with other bills. Epperson said it seemed to be “more about getting their way than helping anybody out.” He said he saw the Budget Committee approve “$85 million dollars to collect rural fire fees.”
Butzlaff said “I was hoping during my tenure to be able to come back and say it’s a done deal,” but it appears they may not vote on it until the summer.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
