SUISUN CITY — When the California Supreme Court
upheld on Thursday the dissolution of Redevelopment Agencies and struck
down a voluntary program to keep them alive, it delivered the worst-case scenario for the Suisun City Redevelopment Agency.
The elimination of the Redevelopment Agency
will require cutting the current City budget by $1.4 million, which the
City Council has discussed in theory for several months. Because the
option to pay annually to retain the Redevelopment Agency was
eliminated, Suisun City stands to lose approximately $13 million in
additional cash and assets.
“We’re still digesting the court’s
decision,” said City Manager Suzanne Bragdon. “But from reading the
basic background provided by the court, it’s clear that those not at the
local level – people not on the ground – miss the whole concept that
redevelopment provides tools to make new development and new projects
happen that wouldn’t happen by private investment alone.
"Instead, they describe redevelopment as a
big shell game that allows cities to grab property taxes from other
entities, rather than a tool to grow the overall property tax pool – not
to mention the creation of other tax revenues and jobs – which benefits
everyone, including schools and the State," Bragdon said. "This
decision has severely limited future business development in a community
like Suisun City.”
>> Read about more local impacts and link to the court opinion
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