SIDE:Local control brings quality of life

The difficulty arises with how they are redistributed and how uneven that redistribution is. For instance, Glendale receives approximately 12 cents back on every dollar collected on Glendale property taxes. Our adjacent cities receive differing amounts on the dollar. Burbank gets back about 18 cents on the dollar, and Pasadena receives about 24 cents on the dollar. This unequal allotment was predicated on the need as ascertained in 1978.

In other words, Glendale had been well managed, had reserves, had an envied quality of life, and our need was considered to be far less than that of our neighbors. We lost local control, and reallotment due to changing times and circumstances has never been a subject for our legislators to resolve. It has been 28 years since Proposition 13 was passed.

Our school district has the same problem. The ratio of redistribution is the same as the city's and the rationale of need has never been readjusted. The Glendale Unified School District had a philosophy of prudence, as the city had, and as a consequence, has been penalized for good fiscal management since 1978 — again a loss of local control.

How did we adjust? First, we recognized that we had to have another source of revenue to make up for the loss in property taxes. And how did we do that? We formed a partnership with local businesses. We formed a development council later named the Partners, composed of local business executives and managers who worked with the Glendale Redevelopment Agency. We also recognized that chances of having Sacramento reexamine the formulas for redistribution was not going to be easy.

We had to look at other funding to maintain our quality of life. South Brand Boulevard's auto dealers and the Glendale Galleria have been mainstays in contributing to the quality of life of Glendale. It takes a sustained effort to keep the partnership viable, and the council's recent actions regarding the Americana at Brand is testament to the recognition of Glendale's future needs.

It doesn't stop there and, of course, there will be problems. Traffic is one and that problem can be solved; available housing at all levels of income must be looked at; and recreation must always be near the top of the priority list. Again, quality of life.

So how do we regain back some of our local control? We elect council people who have the foresight, the vision, the dedication, the willingness and the fortitude to serve all of Glendale's citizens to make this a city of the future.

A council that will represent all of our interests as a community and are willing to work together as a team.

In the future, at coffees, candidates' meetings and speak-offs, ask questions. It is not too early to begin thinking about our upcoming election and begin to evaluate who will best be the person to represent us. If we vote, and that is the majority of us, we will again have local control and an assurance of a continuance of quality of life in Glendale.