94-22RESOLUTION NO. 94 -22
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, URGING THE UNITED
STATES CONGRESS TO DEFEAT LEGISLATION WHICH WOULD IMPOSE UNFUNDED
MANDATES UPON LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, OR ELSE APPROPRIATE
SUFFICIENT FUNDS TO ENABLE FEDERALLY - MANDATED PROGRAMS TO BE
IMPLEMENTED AT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL.
WHEREAS, federal revenue sharing programs once enabled local governments
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to make local choices among programs having local priorities, and matching grants
once made federal funding available for local public works projects supporting
national priorities; but
WHEREAS, revenue sharing programs and grants to local government agencies €
have been replaced by federally mandated programs which are unfunded except by
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local revenues; and
WHEREAS, the imposition of unfunded federal mandates, no matter how
laudable their, purposes, unfairly shifts financial responsibility and '
accountability to the agencies of government having the least flexible and most I
restricted sources of revenue, to the detriment of other programs serving the
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public health, safety and welfare which compete for funds at the local government
level; and
WHEREAS, the process of imposing national priorities upon local governments
has failed to involve local governments in setting either the priorities or the
procedures by which mandates are carried out; and
WHEREAS, the creativity by which one level of government can direct another
level of government to spend its revenues requires limits to avoid destroying the
ability of all governments to respond to the needs of their constituents; and
WHEREAS, the similar problem of unfunded state mandates was addressed in
the State of Florida by an amendment to the Florida Constitution which prohibits
unfunded state mandates except in certain special circumstances such as where the
legislature also authorizes a new revenue source sufficient to fund the estimated
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cost of the mandatory action, or the measure is enacted by an extraordinary vote
of two - thirds of each house; and
WHEREAS, it is time to restore fairness, accountability, and responsibility
to the financial relationship between federal and local governments; and
WHEREAS, certain Members of Congress have recognized the problem by
introducing 23 proposed bills to address the issue; and
WHEREAS, addressing the inequity of federally unfunded mandates is a top
priority on the Action Agenda of the National League of Cities for 1993; and
WHEREAS, the issue of unfunded federal mandates should also be a top
priority of all Members of Congress; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA:
Section 1. The City of Clearwater hereby urges Congress to defeat all
legislation which would impose unfunded mandates upon local government agencies,
or else appropriate sufficient funds to enable federally - mandated programs to be
implemented at the local government level.
Section 2. Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the President of the
Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, each member of the Florida
Congressional delegation, each committee chairman of the House and Senate, and
to the President of the United States of America.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 28th day of February, 1994.
Attest:
01 E. A'f" -
Cyn hia E� Goudeau
Cit Clerk
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Rita Garvey
Mayor- Commissioner