RESOLUTION NO. ___________
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
LANCASTER ORDERING THAT AN ORDINANCE BE
SUBMITTED TO THE VOTERS AT THE GENERAL
MUNICIPAL ELECTION TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 5,
2024, APPROVING ENACTING AN AMENDMENT TO THE
CITY’S TRANSACTIONS AND USE TAX, DIRECTING THE
CITY ATTORNEY TO PREPARE AN IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS
OF THE MEASURE, SETTING PRIORITIES FOR FILING A
WRITTEN ARGUMENT RELATING TO THE BALLOT
MEASURE, AND PROVIDING FOR REBUTTAL
ARGUMENTS RELATING TO THE BALLOT MEASURE
WHEREAS, the health and safety of all residents in the City of Lancaster (“the City”) is our top priority; and
WHEREAS, the City is committed to strong community partnerships, safe neighborhoods and parks, quality services to support residents, and respectful and responsive city employees to make the City a strong, caring and safe community for all residents; and WHEREAS, the City has been proactive in its actions to protect residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, to safely reopen businesses and partner with local employers to ensure a strong economic recovery, serving as a model for other cities in Los Angeles County; and WHEREAS, the City is committed to maintaining quick 911 emergency response times, youth, veteran and senior services, keeping public spaces safe and clean, addressing homelessness, repairing streets, and maintaining other essential city services; and WHEREAS, like the rest of the State and the country, the City faces serious fiscal challenges due to the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic with funding for high-priority services threatened as a result; and
WHEREAS, the City currently expects an alarming decrease in revenues that will severely limit its ability to provide these essential City services; and WHEREAS, the City has taken cost-saving measures, including implementing hiring and salary freezes for existing employees, reduced operating budgets, capital outlay and a workforce reduction by the elimination of vacant positions; and
WHEREAS, additional locally controlled funding is necessary to protect essential city services and keep our community strong, healthy and safe into the future; and WHEREAS, the City Council proposes to submit to City voters an ordinance to automatically increase the City’s Transaction and Use Tax if, whenever, and to the extent permitted by applicable law; and
WHEREAS, the Transaction and Use Tax revenue will remain in the City, overseen by a community oversight committee; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has determined that the situation and circumstances described above constitute an emergency for purposes of Section 2(b) of Article XIII C of the California Constitution.
THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LANCASTER DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The City Council hereby finds and determines that the foregoing recitals are true and correct. The recitals are hereby incorporated into the operative provisions of this Resolution by this reference.
SECTION 2. The City Council intends to call the City’s General Municipal Election, to be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, for the purpose of submitting the ordinance attached hereto as Attachment 1 (the “Ordinance”) and incorporated herein to the voters pursuant to Section 9222 of the California Elections Code. The City Council hereby finds and determines that the situation and circumstances described in this Resolution constitute an emergency for purposes of Section 2(b) of Article XIII C of the California Constitution and that the Ordinance may be submitted to voters at the City’s General Municipal Election, to be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, despite such election not being an election for members of the City Council.
SECTION 3. The full text of the Ordinance is attached to this Resolution as Attachment 1 and shall be printed in the voter pamphlet. The measure to be submitted to the voters shall appear on the ballot as follows:
City of LANCASTER
YES
Lancaster Essential Services Protection Measure
“Shall an ordinance protecting Lancaster’s long-term financial stability; maintaining essential city services; repairing streets/potholes; addressing homelessness; maintaining 911 emergency response; keeping public areas safe/clean for all; retaining local businesses; protecting local water sources; maintaining veterans, senior, mental health, community programs; by amending the city’s sales and use tax ordinance to provide an automatic increase, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, to Lancaster’s sales and use tax rate if, when, and to the extent the rate may lawfully be increased — whether because another use tax expires, the Legislature increases the statutory aggregate maximum use tax applicable to the City, or otherwise — be adopted?”
NO
A copy of the Ordinance shall be available for inspection by the public in the City Clerk’s Office, located at 44933 North Fern Avenue, Lancaster, California 93534. In addition, a copy of the ordinance shall be available, upon request, to any voter at the expense of the City.
SECTION 4. The proposed Ordinance enacts a general tax as defined in Article XIIIC of the California Constitution, and shall not take effect unless and until approved by a vote of at least a majority of the voters voting on the question at the election.
SECTION 5. The proposed ordinance shall be submitted to the voters for approval in compliance with the election resolutions to be adopted by the City Council, with the addition of the following:
A. The City Attorney is hereby directed to prepare an impartial analysis of the measure pursuant to Elections Code Section 9280.
B. The City Council hereby authorizes the following members of the legislative body to prepare and submit a ballot argument in favor of the measure pursuant to Elections Code Section 9282: Ken Mann and Lauren Hughes-Leslie.
C. The City Council hereby authorizes rebuttal arguments, for this measure only, to be submitted pursuant to, and consistent with the requirements of, Elections Code Section 9285.
D. In all particulars not recited in this Resolution and the election resolutions to be adopted by the City Council, said election for the ballot measure described in Section 3 shall be held and conducted as provided by general law for holding municipal elections.
SECTION 6. The City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this resolution.
PASSED, APPROVED and ADOPTED this ______ day of June, 2024, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
ATTEST: APPROVED:
______________________________ ______________________________ ANDREA ALEXANDER R. REX PARRIS
City Clerk Mayor
City of Lancaster City of Lancaster
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) ss
CITY OF LANCASTER )
CERTIFICATION OF RESOLUTION
CITY COUNCIL
I, _____________________________, _________________________ City of Lancaster, California, do hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of the original Resolution No.___, for which the original is on file in my office.
WITNESS MY HAND AND THE SEAL OF THE CITY OF LANCASTER, on this ____________ day of _____________________, _________.
(seal)
__________________________________
ATTACHMENT 1
[PROPOSED ORDINANCE]