Here is a list of the currently active committees of the
Sacramento Taxpayers Association. Participants do not have to be a
Association member to participate in committees. Meetings are typically
held 2-4 times a year, with results presented later at a Association
Board meeting. For more specific information on a particular
committee, call 399-5600 and ask for the executive director.
Dues/Membership Committee
Committee Chair - David Peters
Develops outreach programs to increase the membership base.
Includes print components as well as the Association Website and Facebook
account. This includes looking at other small business marketing
programs in the region, and other taxpayer organizations outreach
programs from around the state. On occasion the Dues/Membership
group will also evaluate the Association’s dues structure, making
recommendations for changes/modifications to the full Board of
Directors.
Meets twice a year.
Education Committee
Committee Chair - Mel Griffin
Primary focus is on evaluating the effectiveness and legality of
school districts spending of taxpayer approved bond dollars. Each
school district is required by law (Prop 39, Nov 2000) to set up a
citizens bond oversight committee (BOC), to review expenditures and
make sure the bond funds are used only for construction,
rehabilitation, or replacement of school facilities. Prop 39 bond
funds cannot be used for teachers or administrators
salaries/benefits.
Currently the Taxpayers Association has a representative on the
following BOC’s; Los Rios Community College District, Sacramento
City Unified School District, San Juan School District, and Twin
Rivers School District.
Meets on an as needed basis
Pensions/Benefits Committee
Committee Chair - Marcia Fritz
Reviews Sacramento City and County expenditures on current and
past general fund budgets. Develops opposition positions to any
increases above the CPI index for current public employees, and
supports the concept of higher public employee contributions.
Supports concept of taking back public employee giveaways that
cannot be funded with current and
future revenue sources. Opposed to pension spiking that provides
retirement benefits higher than actual working wages.
Meets twice a year.
Political Action Committee
Committee Chair - Ken Payne
Evaluates methods to increase the Taxpayers Associations presence and
effectiveness in the community. This is accomplished by meetings
with individual leaders, speaking at community events, and
researching current political issues. Past presidents of the
Taxpayers Association serve as advisors to the group
Meets on an as needed basis
Redevelopment Committee
Committee Chair - Craig Powell
Evaluate the actual return on investments to the taxpayers of the
various local redevelopment projects. Monitor the role of SHRA
(Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency) in the redevelopment
process; meetings structure, governing board, criteria for selection
of redevelopment locations. Supports Governor Brown’s efforts to
eliminate redevelopment agencies, but to maintain the necessary
ability to repay issued bonds.
Meets 3-4 times a year
Transportation Committee
Committee Chair - Bob Blymer
Evaluate community projects and types of financing programs, and
how they impact community growth. This includes bicycles, roadways,
public transit and railroads. Analysis includes not only the
movement of people, but also movement of freight within the region.
In addition there is some overlap with land use planning. The Associationalso has a large library on transit history, both locally and
nationally.
Meets twice a year
Utilities Committee
Committee Chair - Craig Powell
Evaluate city and county utility programs; fees for services,
cost containment programs, long range plans, financial structures,
local regulations and state/fed mandated requirements, and
salary/pension/benefit impacts. Utilities have become a hot issue
over the last couple of years;
partially from scandals that plagued the City Utility Department
in 2007-08, and the effort to rollback City utility rates last year
by Association VP Craig Powell. The Taxpayers Association has followed utility
issues for several decades and maintains a large library of
local/regional utility decisions and community impacts.
Meets twice a year
Water/Sewer Committee
Committee Chair - Ken Payne
Evaluate local/regional water programs, and their relationship to
statewide water needs. This includes water storage, water
distribution and water quality, plus some legislative history on
water issues over the last four decades. The Taxpayers Association
participated in the very successful Water Forum Agreement in 2000,
and has been a long time supporter of the Auburn Dam Council. The Associationmaintains a large library on local and statewide water
history, plus has a complete history of the Auburn Dam project.
Meets on an as needed basis.
