January 25, 2008
Assembly Member or State Senator _____________
State Capitol, Room _____
Dear Assembly Member or State Senator _____________:
The Monterey Peninsula Water Management
District is very concerned about the possibility of the State Legislature
introducing legislation to bail out the State budget deficit in part by
suspending Proposition 1A, the law that was put into place to protect local
government property tax funding from being taken by the state.
Our District was negatively impacted by over
$380,000 that was shifted to the state during the last shift from local
government to the Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund (ERAF). It has been only one year since that fund
raid expired yet the District is still experiencing side effects from the shift
such as reducing funds available to expand its Aquifer Storage and Recovery
Project, which is consistent with the District’s legislative mission to manage,
augment and protect water resources for the benefit of the community and the
environment. Any additional taking of
revenues by the State could further delay that project, as well as other
potential water supply projects and environmental activities.
Local government should not have to serve
as an ATM for the state. Please consider joining us in opposing any plan to
suspend Proposition 1A this year. We appreciate your consideration of our
request. If you would like more information, please contact David A. Berger,
General Manager at (831) 658-5650 or david@mpwmd.dst.ca.us.
Sincerely,
Judi Lehman
Chair of the Board of Directors
cc: Board
of Directors
Association
of California Water Agencies
California
Special Districts Association
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