HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC RESO 97-102RESOLUTION NO, 97-102
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY
OPPOSING THE "GOVERNMENT COST SAVINGS
AND TAXPAYERS' PROTECTION AMENDMENT," ALSO
KNOWN AS THE "PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS IN
CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT (PECG) INITIATIVE"
WHEREAS, every day billions of dollars of critical building, engineering and design
projects are underway from seismic retrofitting to flood control to schools and hospitals; and
WHEREAS, state, regional and local governments are currently allowed the flexibility to
contract with private firms, on a competitive basis, to design these projects; and
WHEREAS, this process allows government the essential flexibility to use private firms
to deliver a project on time and cost effectively; and
WHEREAS, the so-called "Government Cost Savings and Taxpayers Protection
Amendment," also known as the "Professional Engineers in California Government (PECG)
Initiative," completely changes the process by giving the state bureaucracy a virtual monopoly on
designing every project; and
WHEREAS, this will force cities, counties, schools, special districts, regional governments
and even many private businesses to use the state bureaucracy to design roads, parks, hospitals,
health clinics, schools, water treatment facilities, flood control walls and other critical structures -
including all engineering, design, geological and environmental work; and
WHEREAS, virtually every school and hospital constructed to date has been designed by
private firms, not state government; and
WHEREAS, the proposed initiative eliminates local control and forces communities to rely
on the out-of-town state bureaucracy for their design work; and
WHEREAS, local governments would not be able to hold the state bureaucracy
accountable; and
WHEREAS, the initiative gives one state official enormous power to decide who gets tens
of thousands of design and building projects worth billions of dollars; and
WHEREAS, the state controller would have to analyze tens of thousands of proposed
contracts per year costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, in additional
expenses; and
WHEREAS, to meet potential workload demands, hundreds, if not thousands, of state
employees would need to be employed and paid, even if no projects were underway; and
Resolution No. 97-102
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WHEREAS, taxpayers would pick up the tab for billions of dollars in extra costs for
projects, lost jobs and more state employees to evaluate projects; and
WHEREAS, this could mean more delays on important projects such as the Bay Bridge
retrofit and the Alameda Rail Corridor in Los Angeles County.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of National
City opposes the so-called "Government Cost Savings and Taxpayers Protection Amendment" that
will cost our cities, counties, special districts and economy millions.
PASSED and ADOPTED this 5th day of August, 1997.
George H. Waters, Mayor
ATTEST:
el R. Dalla,/City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
George H. Eiser, III
City Attorney