CYPRESS : Age, Allen to Discuss Special District Funds
Mayor Cecilia L. Age is scheduled to meet with Assembly Speaker Doris Allen (R-Cypress) in Sacramento today to seek a law change that would give the city more flexibility in the use of special district money.
“The city has about a $2-million surplus in its street-lighting district, and we’d like to be able to use some of that money for things like providing lights for ball fields,” Age said,
Age said state law restricts the ways cities use money from lighting districts. Such districts assess fees on property owners and spend the money on public street lights.
Age said recreation-area lighting is an example of the kind of project prohibited by the law that governs Cypress’ street-lighting district.
“Getting a change would benefit a lot of other cities, as well as Cypress,” Age said.
Allen, who sparked an uproar in the capital earlier this month when she sided with Assembly Democrats to win election to the Speaker’s post, will meet today with officials from several cities in her Assembly district. Allen’s critics have charged that the new Speaker is using the session to court political loyalty.
But Age said Allen has always represented local governments well and today’s session is characteristic of Allen’s concern for her constituents.
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