2 steps back for city redevelopment

An observant resident halted the progress of redevelopment in Placerville during Tuesday's Placerville City Council meeting.

The only item on the meeting agenda was the second reading of an ordinance agreeing under protest to comply with the provisions of ABX1 27, the Voluntary Alternative Redevelopment Act, in order for the Placerville Redevelopment Agency to continue with the newly approved Placerville Redevelopment Plan.

When Gov. Brown eliminated redevelopment agencies throughout the state of California by signing ABX1 26 on June 29, he also signed ABX1 27 that allows redevelopment agencies to be exempted from elimination if they agreed to "voluntarily" pay extra tax increments to schools and special districts.

On July 12, the City Council approved the first reading of the ordinance to allow the Placerville Redevelopment Agency to be exempted from elimination by complying with the additional tax increment payments. The ordinance must be adopted by Nov. 1 to avoid the Redevelopment Agency's dissolution.

At Tuesday's meeting, July 26, the second reading of the ordinance was scheduled for adoption until Placerville resident  Sharlene McCaslin objected to the ordinance because the text of the first reading of the ordinance and the text of the second reading of the ordinance was not the same.

"According to state law," said McCaslin, "both should be identical. I got them off the city Website and I made copies."

After examining the copies of both ordinances supplied by  McCaslin,City Attorney John Driscoll agreed that Section 3 of the ordinances was materially different. "This is not a typo and if they are materially different, we can't proceed with the second reading."

Vice-mayor Mark Acuna called for a 15 minute recess in order to check the city clerk records at City Hall. When City Council reconvened, City Manager Cleve Morris recommended that no action be taken with regard to the adoption of the ordinance.

"The July 12 version is incorrect. The version of the ordinance in tonight's agenda is the correct one."

Acuna, acting in place of absent Mayor Dave Machado, said that the process of reading and adopting the ordinance will begin all over again at the Aug. 9 Placerville City Council meeting.

E-mail Wendy Schultz at wschultz@mtdemocrat.net or call 530-344-5068.

 

 

Wendy Schultz

Wendy Schultz has been a columnist for the Mountain Democrat since 2002 and a staff writer since 2005. She covers Placerville city events and City Council meetings, writes feature stories and reports on things of interest in El Dorado County.

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