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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 1653 2199 RESOLUTION NO./Z.6 3 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DOWNEY MAKING APPLICATION FOR THE DISSOLUTION OF THE DOWNEY RECREATION AND PARK DISTRICT WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Downey desires to initiate proceedings for the dissolution of the Downey Recreation and Park District; NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DOWNEY DOES RESOLVE, DETERMINE'.,. AND ORDER AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Application and a proposal hereby are made to the Local Agency Formation Commission of the County of Los Angeles for change of organization as y g g g follows: (a) This proposal is made pursuant to the District Reorganization Act of 1965 commencing with Section 56000 of the Government Code. (b) The nature of the proposed change of organization and the name of all districts and cities for which any such change of organization is proposed are as follows: The dissolution of the Downey Recreation and Park District. (c) The names of all other affected counties, cities, and districts are: The City of Bellflower The City of Downey The City of Commerce The County of Los Angeles Downey Unified School District Cerritos Junior College District Central and West Basin Water Replenishment District Metropolitan Water District Southeast Mosquito Abatement District Los Angeles Consolidated County Fire Protection District Los Angeles County Flood Control District Downey City Lighting District, Zone #1 The Bellflower County Water District Count y Library Librar District Downey Cemetery District Downey County Lighting District Los Angeles County Sanitation District No. 18, No. 2 County Lighting Maintenance District No's. 1400, 1741, 1565 Montebello Unified School District Los Angeles City Junior College District (d) The reasons for this proposal are as follows: (1) The Downey Recreation and Park District is located entirely within three incorporated cities, the primary two are the City of Bellflower and the City of Downey. The City of Downey already has undertaken the development of a park program and a recreation service. The functions performed by, and the service provided by, the District can be performed and provided by the respective cities equally as well as by the District. A Dissolution of the District and the perform- ance of the services rendered thereby by each of the respective cities will remove a duplication of governmental functions and services and will provide for a more economic administration. Whenever governmental agencies of general powers, already in existence can be used for the performance of services now performed by an over - lapping district, it creates a greater efficiency of operation and a saving to the taxpayer. (2) The City of Downey is a charter city with a population in excess of 93,000 and assessed valuation of over $177,000,000 and with a strong feeling of community identity. The City has undertaken programs to remove an overlying water district and to establish its own integrated water system and it has been the desire and the purpose of the City to provide all necessary functions for its citizens in relation to public utility services, recreation, cultural services, and the like. 2 A more cohesive consistent recreation program identified with the particular needs of the citizens of Downey and a development of park and recreation areas consistent with the needs of the citizens can be developed without extra cost to the citizens if the District is dissolved. (3) The financial resources of the District are not adequate to provide modern parks and recreation programs. There is a tax limit of $0.25. This 1imt was imposed by the people when the District was formed The City of Downey has a municipal budget of six million five hundred thousand dollars with the provision of capital improvements of over a_ million dollars and with reserved funds in excess of three quarters of a million. With all of this, the City has been able to maintain a municipal tax rate of $0.29 ever since its incorporation and has been able to carry over a balance in excess of one million dollars as of June 30, 1965. The City by drawing upon the diverse sources of income available to the City, taxing procedures and methods under its charter and the economy of providing administrative services will be able to provide increased stability and accelerated programming of the recreation and park functions without additional cost to the taxpayers affected. (4 The City of Downey has a complete administrative organization including Purchasing and Accounting Departments, using modern IBM data processing equipment and a complete Personnel Department. The City, through contractural agreement, has been doing the purchasing and accounting as well as personnel work for the Recreation and Park District for the last five years. Dissolution of the Recreation and Park District would place all of these functions under one juris- diction. (5) The City of Downey's Recreation and Park Department encompasses all properties within the city limits, and therefore can provide park and recrea- tion services to all Downey citizens. The holdover District does not include all properties in the City, and consequently many properties in the City are not contributing to the support of the District. Inequities in district boundaries and services will be eliminated when the District is eliminated, and all parks and recreation functions become the sole responsibility of the City of Downey. (6) The City of Downey has established its own Park and Recreation Commission of five members, each appointed from one of the Councilmanic Districts to provide citywide representation. The City of Downey has employed a Silperintendent of Parks and Recreation who, with the Park and Recreation Commission, is in the process of planning the development of Golden Park, the new 24 -acre park at Florence Avenue and the San Gabriel Freeway, and the Bluff Road Park, as well as planning additional park imp rovemen for all of . the school areas to provide multiple uses for the citizens of Downey. The City of Downey, in cooperation with the Downey Unified School District, is in the process of planning a 500 seat fied type theater and also an olympic type swimming pool. Both of these project will be the result of joint efforts of the City and the School District for future recreational and cultural purposes. SECTION 2. The City Clerk of the City of Downey hereby is authorized and directed to certify to the adoption of this resolution and to file a certified copy t }ereof with the Executive Officer of the Local Agency Formation Commission of the County of Los Angeles and adopted this 28th day of December, 1965. APPROVED AND,ADOPTED this 28th day of December, 965. SCOTT E. TEMPLE Mayor ATTES"10 1)-?. DELLA 9oYLE City Clerk 2 Oi I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing resolution was duly adopted by the City Council of the City of Downey at a regular meeting held thereof on the 28th day of December, 1965, by the following vote: AYES: 5 Councilmen: Corbin, Dickerson, Dunnum, Morton, Temple NOES: 0 Councilmen: None ABSENT: 0 Councilmen: None . Z DELLA OYLE City Clerk