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RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE FILING OF AN APPLICATION
FOR GENERAL ASSISTANCE MANDATE RELIEF PURSUANT
TO WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE SECTION 17000.6
96-86
WHEREAS, the State Legislature enacted Welfare and Institutions Code Section
17000.6 allowing counties to apply to the Commission on State Mandates to seek relief
from the mandated minimum general assistance grant level of Section 17000.5; and
WTEREAS, Section 17000.6 requires that such relief from the general assistance
mandate be based on a showing by the county that maintaining the grant level of Section
i 7000.5 would result in "significant financial distress" to the county; and
WHEREAS, "significant financial distress" is defined as the inability to maintain
basic county services (ones considered fundamental or essential) adequately or effectively;
and
WHEREAS, Butte County has suffered unmet service needs totaling $32.$ million,
which have caused mast of the County's basic services, such as public safety and those
services to our vulnerable populations of infants, children and adults unable to care
adequately for themselves, to fall well below adequate or effective levels; and
WHEREAS, the circumstances causing financial distress and declining basic
services levels are largely beyond the power of the County to control, such as State
property tax shifts that have greatly reduced local discretionary revenue to counties over
the past several years, as well as: unstable revenue sources; minimal ability to raise
revenue locally; minimal control over State mandated programs; growing numbers of
clients caught in the poverty and crime cycles; minimal ability to change organizational
structure in service delivery systems in cast-effective ways; and
WHEREAS, in response to budget shortfalls and constraints over the past several
years, the County and this Board have implemented major efficiency measures aimed at
enhancing revenues and controlling expenditures, including, reduction to a 36 hourlfour
day workweek, reductions in staffing and service levels, reorganization and consolidation
of service delivery systems, establishment of a utility users tax, securing a return of
property tax revenues that fund fire protection which were inadvertently shifted to the
state, and many other efforts that are more fully described within the County's application;
and
WHEREAS, while the above efforts have helped greatly, they have not been able
to keep the available funds for the County's basic services from declining below adequate
or effective levels.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Supervisors of the
County of Butte as follows:
1. This Board does hereby declare that compliance with the general assistance
standard of aid mandated by Welfare and Institutions Code Section 17040.5 will result in
significant financial distress to the County.
2. This Board does hereby authorize the Chief Administrative Officer to
execute on behalf of this Board an application for relief from such mandate pursuant to
Welfare and Institutions Code Section 17000.6 and directs that such application be filed
with the Commission on State Mandates.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of Supervisors of the County of Butte
this 23rd day of July, 199b, by the following vote:
AYES: Supervisors Meyer, Dolan, Houx, Thomas and Chair McLaughlin
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
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ED IVIcLAUGHLIN hair of the
Butte County Board of Supervisors
ATTEST:
JOHN S. BLACKLOCK
Chief Administrative Officer and
Clerk of the Board of Sppervisors