State/Local
Budget Update
Three factors continue to squeeze the Belmont budget: the prolonged regional economic downturn, cost escalations, and the State of California's financial crisis.
Belmont has dealt with the economic downturn through a series of budget corrections in recent years. The two largest were a $1.3 million package, approved by the City Council on February 25, 2003 and a $1.5 million package approved on June 22, 2004 as part of the FY05 budget.
The State poses an equally large and fundamentally more troubling threat to local services. Over the past 20 years, Belmont has lost more than $5 million in local revenues to the state. Each year, $600,000 that was supposed to fund local services is no longer available to the community. The FY04 budget adopted by the State required Belmont to cut several hundred thousand dollars. As a result of that intrusion in local control, and the continued economic decline, additional budget cuts were approved on October 28, 2003.
Upon taking office, Governor Schwarzenegger made the budget situation worse by reducing the Vehicle License Fee - a local revenue - by 67%. Now, his updated FY05 budget includes two years of takeaways from local governments totaling $2.6 billion. For Belmont, it would mean the loss of more than $700,000. In return for these two years of cuts, the Governor is supportive of a constitutional protection of local revenues. A coalition of local governments and advocates of local services have qualified a similar initiative on the November ballot.
What can you do?
Keep Informed!
Citizens for Local Control
Belmont Budget Brief for FY 2005
BUDGET Updates from the League of California Cities
League of California Cities Homepage
State budget information
L.O.C.A.L. - Leave Our Community Assets Local
Belmont City Council Report and Resolution regarding the State Budget
Get Involved!
L.O.C.A.L. - Leave Our Community Assets Local Coalition
Join L.O.C.A.L.
List of our Legislators
State Senate
State Assembly
Governor Schwarzenegger
Updated: 09/01/2004
