Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Intergovernmental Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council asks finance committee to review county tax-sharing agreement and options for revenue apportionment
Summary
Council directed the finance committee to take an initial look at the city-county tax-sharing agreement and whether Chico should seek a different apportionment of property or sales tax revenue from Butte County; councilors flagged complexity and staff workload concerns.
Councilmember Winslow requested that the Chico City Council pursue further analysis of the city's tax-sharing agreement with Butte County and the potential to seek a larger share of tax revenue. The council voted to send the matter to the Finance Committee for further review.
Winslow said demographic and jurisdictional shifts since the agreement was set (including a growing share of the county population living in incorporated areas) could support asking the county to reconsider revenue apportionment. He told council the county recently passed its own measure and that now may be an opportune time to engage on apportionment questions.
City staff and the city manager cautioned the council that assembling a compelling case for changing an established tax-sharing agreement is complex, could require significant staff time and may involve legal or intergovernmental negotiations. Staff suggested the Local Government Committee and Finance Committee would be appropriate venues for further discussion, and the council agreed to refer the item to Finance with the understanding staff will scope the work while mindful of ongoing budget-season workloads.
The referral passed unanimously (7-0). Councilmembers noted that any change to the agreement would require county cooperation and possibly supermajority approvals depending on the mechanism, so staff were asked to outline next steps rather than to pursue immediate legal action.
