Editorial: A vote on cityhood, but a bigger debate

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/19/2760327/a-vote-on-cityhood-but-a-bigger.html

Published: Wednesday, May. 19, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 16A

It's time for Arden Arcade residents to determine their own fate. They'll get to vote in November on cityhood, after the expected go-ahead today from the Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission.

If voters approve, Arden Arcade would officially become Sacramento County's eighth city on July 1, 2011, with a population of about 98,400 and a property tax base of more than $7.6 billion.

A new city should also give a kick in the pants to county officials to do some deep thinking about what the future role of county government should be.

Arden Arcade would have to compensate the county for lost tax revenue – an estimated $8.7 million a year hit to the county's general fund. Under a "revenue neutrality" pact endorsed by county supervisors Tuesday, the payments will total $219 million and be paid over about 35 years. After the full repayment, the county "will be required to reduce programs or raise new revenue to support its programs," LAFCO says.

Sacramento County is struggling with sizable budget deficits. This new incorporation will likely hasten the day when county leaders will have to make a choice: Provide the health and social services that everyone in the county – whether living in cities or not – has a right to expect. Or continue to insist on offering municipal services, most notably law enforcement, that will be more and more unaffordable.

There is another issue with this incorporation: Supporters have not been forthcoming enough about who is funding their effort.

A leader of the Arden Arcade cityhood group hemmed and hawed through some intense questioning Tuesday, insisting it has met all legal requirements. Its website lists supporters, but not how much they have donated, and there's one sizable contributor who remains anonymous.

Supervisor Roger Dickinson voted against the revenue agreement because of what he called lack of transparency, and Supervisor Susan Peters noted correctly that such obfuscation is not the right way to start a city.

The incorporation group should disclose a complete donors list, pronto.

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