Countywide : Costly Mandatory Programs Decried

City leaders in Orange County are sending a message loud and clear to the state and federal governments: Stop mandating costly programs without providing funds to carry them out.

Local officials say such mandates by both Congress and the state Legislature cost local government millions of dollars every year--and add significant financial burdens to their shrinking budgets.

“In California and Orange County, we’re under a deficit budget and we’re struggling to balance our own budget,” said Buena Park Councilman Donald L. Bone. “It’s unfair. We’re saying . . . ‘Quit imposing mandates without giving us the funding to carry out the mandates.’ ”

Buena Park last week joined four other cities in the county in supporting a bill that seeks to relieve local governments from financing programs required by the federal government.

These same cities are also passing resolutions and sending letters to Sacramento officials. They support stopping the state from passing on mandates to local governments without providing necessary funding to comply.

“We’re opposed at the state level because mandates cost us more money. On the other hand, the state is siphoning off money (from cities) to balance its budget,” said Don White, Laguna Hills’ director of administrative services.

In hopes of getting some financial relief on the federal level, the city councils in Buena Park, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach and Laguna Hills have either passed resolutions or have written letters in support of a bill proposed by Rep. Gary A. Condit (D-Ceres).

Condit’s bill, the Federal Mandate Relief Act of 1993, would require the federal government to finance any state and local mandates it enacts. A hearing has not been scheduled for the bill.

“I think this legislation is a wake-up call that (cities) have no money to pay for mandates,” said Buena Park City Manager Kevin O’Rourke.

Buena Park officials said it costs the city several million dollars a year to carry out mandated programs.

For instance, to accomplish the state-mandated recycling program, Buena Park, like most other cities, passed on the increased costs to residents. The city will also spend thousands of dollars to update its General Plan, as required by state law.

Funding for these programs usually comes from the city’s general fund--money that otherwise could be spent to provide services or fund city operations, officials said.

In Huntington Beach, it is estimated that the state and federal programs the city is forced to implement cost $2.1 million a year, city officials there said.

“It just puts us further in the hole in having to provide services to local residents,” said Richard D. Barnard, Huntington Beach’s deputy city administrator.

Fountain Valley, along with other cities, will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to remodel public facilities to make them accessible to the disabled, legislation passed by the federal government.

“For over a year, we’ve said to the state and federal governments that we’re tired of the state mandating to the city and not coming up with a recovery (program) to cover the cost of mandates,” said Fountain Valley Mayor Laurann Cook. “That has been one of our main complaints.”

City officials said support of Condit’s bill does not mean that the mandates are not needed or are without merit.

“Nobody’s arguing that the programs are not worthwhile, because they add to public health and safety,” Barnard said. “We’re just saying: ‘Hey, when you get these great ideas, give us the money to carry them out.’ ”

More than 50 California cities and counties and the Orange County Division of the League of California Cities, along with other state and national groups, are supporting Condit’s bill, said Mike Lynch, the congressman’s chief of staff.

However, Condit said, it’s going to be an uphill battle to get the bill passed. “If (cities) do not get involved, we will not be successful,” he said.