You might remember some months ago the Santa Clara City Council voted 4 – to - 3 to give away more than $13 million dollars of City money.

     

These funds were targeted to those homeowners South of Forrest Avenue near Stevens Creek who are living without good streets, sidewalks and gutters.

     

This is an area of about 200 homes that used to be in the county. After Prop 13 passed, they petitioned the City of Santa Clara to be annexed into the City.

     

Santa Clara agreed to bring them into the fold. However, the City told them at the time that their streets, gutters and sidewalks were not up to City standards. In fact, their County streets were only about 40% as good as our City requirements.

     

Santa Clara’s position was very clear. You bring your streets up to City standards and we will maintain them from that point forward.

     

Well folks, they never did.

     

They were supposed to form a special assessment district to fund the upgrade of their streets.

     

They never did.

     

However, they did find some sympathetic ears on the current City Council and made their case with dozens of these homeowners showing up at City Council pleading for Santa Clara to fix their streets.

     

Our professional and skilled City Staff studied the issue and came back to our City Council and recommended that given the time elapsed and the issues involved that our City (our taxes) should pay fifty percent of the cost and the homeowners pay the other fifty percent.

     

This was a most generous offer considering the promises made by these homeowners to fix their own streets if they could be annexed into Santa Clara and enjoy our low utility rates and great City services.

     

Following a heated discussion our City Council made the 4 – to -3 decision to pay a HUNDRED PERCENT of the costs of these upgrades.

     

Forking over frivolous funding isn’t fair for fastidious folks who were feverishly frugal financially by fixing their own foundations from their own funds.

     

This grant from the City would equate to about a $62,000 gift to each homeowner.

     

Now the issue comes before our City Council again on Tuesday night to approve the five year funding schedule for this project.

     

An active political group known as “Santa Clara Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility,” have been monitoring this issue and have been in discussions with several Council members regarding revisiting the original decision.

     

David Tobkin, a local CPA and member of that committee, has proposed these homeowners should share the responsibility of improving their own properties. He has suggested that homeowners pay fifty percent through a lien on each property for their share. The lien would not be repaid until the property was sold. This would allow the work to be done immediately and allow the City (us) to eventually recover some of the free funds being paid out.

     

What is most disturbing, should this historic precedent not be overturned, is that City Staff has reported there are no less than seven other areas in Santa Clara that could use the same arguments for getting free funds to improve their streets.

     

Folks, this is frightening. See you Tuesday night.