Santa Cruz, California, Water System Charter Amendment, Measure H (November 2016)
| Measure H: Santa Cruz Water System Charter Amendment |
|---|
|
| The basics |
| Election date: |
| November 8, 2016 |
| Status: |
 Approved
|
| Topic: |
| Local water |
| Related articles |
| Local water on the ballot November 8, 2016 ballot measures in California Santa Cruz County, California ballot measures Local charter amendments on the ballot |
| See also |
| Santa Cruz, California |
A measure concerning the city's water system was on the ballot for Santa Cruz voters in Santa Cruz County, California, on November 8, 2016. It was approved.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of amending the city's charter to allow the city council to use revenue from the water system to get matching funds or grants and to issue debt for capital facilities. |
| A no vote was a vote against amending the city's charter to allow the city council to use revenue from the water system to get matching funds or grants and to issue debt for capital facilities. |
Election results
| Measure H | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 18,077 | 80.65% | ||
| No | 4,336 | 19.35% | ||
- Election results from Santa Cruz County Elections Office
Text of measure
Ballot question
The following question appeared on the ballot:[1]
| “ |
Shall an amendment to the Charter of the City of Santa Cruz Section 1429 be adopted?[2] |
” |
Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Santa Cruz City Attorney:
| “ |
The City of Santa Cruz is a charter city. The California Constitution authorizes the voters to adopt a city charter. The city charter has the force and effect of state law. Charter cities have the power to make and enforce all ordinances and regulations about municipal affairs, including those relating to the City’s legal authority to establish, purchase and operate public works to furnish residents with water, sewer, waste collection and disposal, transportation and other public facilities and services. Under this legal authority, the City of Santa Cruz Water Department operates and maintains a water system, consisting of diversions, wells, pumps, reservoirs, tanks, treatment and distribution facilities that provide fresh, potable water throughout the City of Santa Cruz and certain areas of Santa Cruz County outside of the City’s jurisdictional limits. Section 1429 of the City Charter, entitled “Water System Inalienability,” generally prohibits the City from selling, leasing, or otherwise encumbering the water system, other than property determined by at least a five vote City Council majority to be surplus, or any “rent or income” derived therefrom, without voter approval. In order to provide matching funds to take advantage of available state or federal grants or issue debt to financial major capital facilities, however, annual revenue from operating the water system frequently must be pledged as the source of the matching funds or for debt repayment. This proposed amendment to Section 1429 would retain language protecting the inalienability of the City’s water system, but would delete the reference to “rent or income,” to clarify the City’s ability to take advantage of available grant funding and favorable debt financing terms, by pledging revenue from the water system for matching funds for grant awards and issue debt for capital facilities. This ballot measure has been placed on the ballot by the Santa Cruz City Council. It requires a simple majority to pass. [2] |
” |
| —Santa Cruz City Attorney[1] | ||
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the governing officials of Santa Cruz, California.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Santa Cruz Local water. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Santa Cruz County Elections Office, "Local Measures on the November 8, 2016 Ballot," accessed November 14, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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