Money that property owners once paid to support municipal services as well as irrigation district operations has been flowing to Sacramento instead for the past 16 years.
South San Joaquin Irrigation District – just like other special districts up and down the state – has been involuntarily sending money to Sacramento since the early 1990s. So far, the state has requisitioned more than $4.1 million from the SSJID.
Cities and counties have been forced to send money only since 2002 when then Gov. Gray Davis had to deal with a $32 billion state deficit. Manteca since then was forced to give up $14.4 million from traditional municipal funding sources – primarily property tax – to help balance the state budget.
The commandeering of local revenue is almost stealth since most taxpayers don’t realize it is happening plus the state has made little fanfare after the initial budget moves. Each time there had been talk about paying it back but for the most part that isn’t happening. Some of the funds taken during the Davis era, for example, were supposed to be paid back starting this year. That obviously isn’t going to happen as the state now has a $42 billion deficit.
Since then, voters have passed a ballot measure that makes it difficult for the California Legislature to “borrow” additional money from local government to cover its deficit in a fiscal emergency until the previous “loans” are repaid.
The state is actually still borrowing money from cities. The 8.25 cent sales tax per $1 of taxable sales in Manteca is split up with a penny staying in Manteca, 6.25 cents to the state, half cent to Measure K for transportation projects in San Joaquin County, and half cent for Manteca public safety manpower.
The state for several years now has been holding on to 25 percent of the city’s share for up to 18 months before sending it back to the cities that it originates from.
It costs an average of $1,790 a year to provide municipal services – excluding garbage, water, and sewer – for a three person household in Manteca.
Property taxes on a typical Manteca home with a $250,000 assessed value generate $2,500 but only $275 of that makes its way to the city’s general fund coffers. The lion’s share of what is left goes to schools.
The rest of the $1,515 needed to provide services for a typical household comes from sales tax receipts, utility fees on natural gas and electricity, cable franchise tax fees and a myriad of other sources.
Manteca ranks sixth among 11 surveyed cities in the immediate area and others of like size in per capita expenditures per resident of $498. Not surprisingly it is also ninth in terms of public employees per 1,000 with 5.96 workers. A check of those 11 cities shows the 75 percent of the general fund Manteca dedicates to police and fire services puts it at No 2 on the list. It is tied with Stockton and only topped by Turlock that is at 77 percent.
South San Joaquin Irrigation District – just like other special districts up and down the state – has been involuntarily sending money to Sacramento since the early 1990s. So far, the state has requisitioned more than $4.1 million from the SSJID.
Cities and counties have been forced to send money only since 2002 when then Gov. Gray Davis had to deal with a $32 billion state deficit. Manteca since then was forced to give up $14.4 million from traditional municipal funding sources – primarily property tax – to help balance the state budget.
The commandeering of local revenue is almost stealth since most taxpayers don’t realize it is happening plus the state has made little fanfare after the initial budget moves. Each time there had been talk about paying it back but for the most part that isn’t happening. Some of the funds taken during the Davis era, for example, were supposed to be paid back starting this year. That obviously isn’t going to happen as the state now has a $42 billion deficit.
Since then, voters have passed a ballot measure that makes it difficult for the California Legislature to “borrow” additional money from local government to cover its deficit in a fiscal emergency until the previous “loans” are repaid.
The state is actually still borrowing money from cities. The 8.25 cent sales tax per $1 of taxable sales in Manteca is split up with a penny staying in Manteca, 6.25 cents to the state, half cent to Measure K for transportation projects in San Joaquin County, and half cent for Manteca public safety manpower.
The state for several years now has been holding on to 25 percent of the city’s share for up to 18 months before sending it back to the cities that it originates from.
It costs an average of $1,790 a year to provide municipal services – excluding garbage, water, and sewer – for a three person household in Manteca.
Property taxes on a typical Manteca home with a $250,000 assessed value generate $2,500 but only $275 of that makes its way to the city’s general fund coffers. The lion’s share of what is left goes to schools.
The rest of the $1,515 needed to provide services for a typical household comes from sales tax receipts, utility fees on natural gas and electricity, cable franchise tax fees and a myriad of other sources.
Manteca ranks sixth among 11 surveyed cities in the immediate area and others of like size in per capita expenditures per resident of $498. Not surprisingly it is also ninth in terms of public employees per 1,000 with 5.96 workers. A check of those 11 cities shows the 75 percent of the general fund Manteca dedicates to police and fire services puts it at No 2 on the list. It is tied with Stockton and only topped by Turlock that is at 77 percent.
