By Tina Fisher Forde Cunningham
The Forde Files No 68
City, state duke it out for RDA funds
The Forde Files No 68
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The city of Tehachapi's 2013-2014 mid-year budget adjustment, showing an anticipated fund balance change of negative $1.7 million, graphically illustrates the down-and-dirty battle between the city and the state of California over Redevelopment Agency (RDA) funds.
The RDA program – which enabled Tehachapi to carry out acclaimed projects like the Centennial Plaza (and enabled less conscientious cities to rip off the program, which contributed to its demise) – no longer exists, but the city and state are scrapping over money that the state required the city to transfer from its General Fund to the Tehachapi Redevelopment Successor Agency.
The money has not been lost to the city, City Manager Greg Garrett said at the April 7, 2014 City Council meeting, held in Wells Education Center, during Finance Director Hannah Chung's mid-year report.
"We saved this money with our blood, sweat and tears," Garrett said.
State auditors were due to show up the next day, however, to skirmish for the funds.
"The state auditors continue to create rules and regulations as they go," Garrett said. "They will be three days in the conference room. We will fight to keep the money."
Mayor Phil Smith called the state's eradication of the RDA program "a typical state raid to balance their budget."
"When this issue was passed, they didn't know what they were doing," City Councilman Ed Grimes said.
Garrett said the overall health of the city budget is "A-plus, excellent."
The six-month budget tune-up shows that the city has been hit with variables, "but none of these numbers are scary. They are firm numbers. We don't want more going out than coming in. The General Fund is the bank for Tehachapi. At the end of the day, we have $2.8 million in hard cash in the bank and the mandated $800,000 for emergency funds.
"Your team keeps a keen eye on things," Garrett said. "We don't like spikes. We like growing in a nice arc."
In response to a question from public speaker Charles White about millions that the city had set aside for low-income housing and other projects, Chung said, "After the state took the RDA, RDA no longer belongs to the city. The city is a managing organization.
"We have to report to the state what we'll be spending in six months. The city is just a middle man. We jump through hoops to use our money. We're dealing with it as best we can."
The state's rules for housing, Garrett said, have not been made yet.
"I wouldn't do it over again," Garrett said. "The Successor Agency is a pain."
Tehachapi is in good shape compared to some other cities.
The state of California is demanding $70 million from one medium-size city, Garrett said.
"We need to be conservative in everything we do."
Oh, Deer!
We got ourselves a convoy! Deer know they are safe in Bear Valley and they make themselves at home. Taken April 9, 2014 at Shoreline Court and Port Royal Court, near the Oak Tree Golf Club third fairway. There were 16 deer in all.
San Diego Crew Classic, April 6, Mission Bay
Found the money – A discussion arose at a recent Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District committee meeting regarding a $100,000 donation from Tower Investments toward construction of the new Tehachapi Replacement Hospital. A public speaker characterized the sum as “a bribe,” as Tower owns commercial property at Capital Hills near the hospital site and stands to gain from development there. According to the meeting minutes, the board committee members, who rejected the public speaker’s perspective, appeared to have forgotten about the offer. To Forde Files, it looks more like a promise than a bribe. Several items on the Tower Investments LLC web site, dated 2006, show that Tower pledged to turn over a check for $100,000 at the opening of the hospital if it was built on the Broome Ranch property. Memo to board members: Don’t forget to collect that check at the ribbon cutting. On second thought, ask them for more.
A wave of prayer – The 28th Annual Kiwanis Prayer Breakfast returns to McMullan Hall at St. Malachy Catholic Church, Thursday, May 1. The breakfast, which attracts area leaders and features local clergy, starts at 6:44 a.m. That’s right, 6:44 a.m. Linda Petttitt is providing the breakfast; test pilot and aviation entrepreneur Russel O’Quinn is speaking. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Buy a table of seven and invite friends. Tickets are available at The Original Apple Shed, Witt’s both branches of the Bank of the Sierra and from any Kiwanis member. Call Don Bowman, 661-822-5516 or donbowman@att.net.
Fixed it – The Forde Files first person story on the Dash-80 Boeing 707 prototype rollover on Aug. 7, 1955 in the last issue of The Loop had a couple of minor errors. (A journalist can proofread a story 50 times and still miss something.) To read longer, more detailed versions with additional photos and a copy of the flight test log of that day, see the online edition of The Loop, http://www.theloopnewspaper.com, or Forde’s site, fisherfordemedia.com.
