Two Sacramento Parks and Recreation Commission members urged the City Council on Tuesday to consider asking property owners to pay for the maintenance costs of city parks. The City Council decided it would weigh the issue next week because Councilman Darrell Fong wanted more information on the idea. Council members still heard the appeals of the Parks and Recreation Commission members at the meeting. Commissioner Cynthia Cooke said that if the public pays an assessment, general fund money for public safety and fire protection could be freed up. “We want to help you get parks operations and maintenance off the general fund,” Cooke said. Setting an assessment would involve several steps.

Some Sacramento City Council members say the city could be harmed if voters halt California’s global warming law in November. A handful of council members have publicly opposed Proposition 23, a ballot measure that would block state regulations relating to global warming.  Backers of Prop. 23 want to freeze AB 32, the state’s global warming law, arguing that it hurts businesses in California. When the state’s unemployment rate drops to 5.5 percent or lower over four continuous quarters, AB 32 would go into effect again, the ballot measure states. The title of the measure is the “California Jobs Initiative.” The state’s unemployment rate was 12.3 percent in June, according to the federal

The heat is still on: Public controversy continues to surround claims that the city’s uses of utilities funds broke state law. In the latest development, the city plans to send written responses to claims made by the Sacramento County Grand Jury. In a Jan. 6 report, the Grand Jury argued that the city’s use of utilities dollars may overstep Proposition 218, a state law that guides the usage of city funds. The grand jury report claims that money collected from residents’ utility bills may have been used to fund other municipal programs. Prop. 218 states that cities can use funds from utilities bills in one way: to cover the costs of delivering utilities services, according to the report.

A local group that watches public funds hopes to take its complaints over utilities rates to the polls.  The Sacramento County Taxpayers League's new ballot proposal seeks to stop a 9.2 percent city utilities rate increase scheduled to start in July.  The proposal follows a Jan. 6 grand jury report saying that the city’s use of utilities funds may conflict with Proposition 218, a state law that dictates how city funds should be used.  The grand jury report claims that money collected from residents' utility bills may have been used to fund other municipal programs. Prop. 218 states that cities can use funds from utilities bills in one way: to cover the costs of delivering utilities servi