There is a lot of talk about changes to redevelopment agencies in the state and the impact those changes will have on development projects in Sacramento. To get a better idea of how redevelopment agencies work from a fiscal point of view, Sacramento Press has put together a “redevelopment primer” to make it easier to understand where the money comes from, where it goes and how the city benefits from redevelopment funding – and how it doesn’t. “It all starts with property taxes, guaranteed school funding from Proposition 98, and state redevelopment law,” said Peter Detwiler, a consultant with the state Senate Governance & Finance Committee. FIRST, WHAT IS A REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY? Cities a

Sacramento County elected officials approved a budget Thursday that could result in more than 200 employee layoffs, according to county budget officer Tom Burkart. These layoffs for the 2011/2012 fiscal year are in addition to the 1,299 layoffs the county has made since the 2008/2009 fiscal year, said county spokeswoman Chris Andis. She added that 1,299 people were actually laid off as opposed to job positions being cut. The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors balanced its budget for the 2011/2012 fiscal year on Thursday afternoon, closing out a $90 million shortfall. The county has a general fund of $1.9 billion and a total budget of roughly $3.5 billion. The approved budget is a f

 Mayor Kevin Johnson criticized City Councilman Kevin McCarty Tuesday morning for holding a Friday press conference on the tax situation of the developers of the downtown railyards. McCarty held a press conference Friday morning outside the Amtrak station on I Street. He announced that if Thomas Enterprises did not pay its taxes, the city should try to block as much as $47 million in state funding to the railyards. The company paid the property taxes that day, according to Suheil Totah, vice president of Thomas Enterprises. Cynthia Gibbs, acting assistant tax collector, confirmed that the county received the payment from the company Tuesday. "I don't feel that (holding the press confere

Have you received a letter? My household has been mailed two so far claiming that XYZ Company will help me lower my property taxes if I send them $95.00 or $179.00. Fellow residents, may I offer some advice? Don’t waste your money. We all want to pay lower taxes, especially in a declining market, but as a tax payer you can do this for free (or at least pay someone to help you when the time is right – only if you need to). Here is what you need to do: 1. First off, wait to see what the Sacramento County Assessor’s Office says your home is worth. They should have this data available around May 2009. Figures for 2009 property taxes aren’t even out yet, so how can these companies accurately