Division 9. Expenditure Limitations of California Government Code >> Division 9. >> Title 1.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares that the purpose of
this division is to provide for the effective and efficient
implementation of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that citizens be provided
with timely information so that effective oversight can be
accomplished at the local level.
For the purposes of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution and this division:
(a) "Change in California per capita personal income" means the
number resulting when the quotient of the California personal income,
as published by the United States Department of Commerce in the
Survey of Current Business for the fourth quarter of a calendar year
divided by the civilian population of the state on January 1 of the
next calendar year, as estimated by the Department of Finance, is
divided by the similarly determined quotient for the next prior year.
For example, the change in California per capita personal income for
1979 (to be used for computing the appropriations limit for the
1980-81 fiscal year) would equal the fourth quarter 1979 personal
income divided by the January 1, 1980, population, the quotient
divided by the fourth quarter 1978 personal income divided by the
January 1, 1979, population.
(b) "Change in population" for a local agency for a calendar year
means the number resulting when the percentage change in population
between January 1 of the next calendar year and January 1 of the
calendar year in question, as estimated by the Department of Finance
pursuant to Section 2227 of the Revenue and Taxation Code for each
city and county and Section 2228 of the Revenue and Taxation Code for
each special district, plus 100, is divided by 100. For example, the
change in population for 1979 would equal the percentage change in
population between January 1, 1980, and January 1, 1979, plus 100,
the sum divided by 100. For purposes of the state's appropriations
limit, "change in population" means the number resulting when the
civilian population of the state on January 1 of the next calendar
year, as estimated by the Department of Finance, is divided by the
similarly estimated population for January 1 of the calendar year in
question. For example, the change in population for 1979 (to be used
for computing the appropriations limit for the 1980-81 fiscal year)
would equal the January 1, 1980, population divided by the January 1,
1979, population.
A city or special district may choose to use the change in
population within its jurisdiction or within the county in which it
is located. For a special district located in two or more counties,
the special district may choose to use the change in population in
the county in which the portion of the district is located which has
the highest assessed valuation. Each city and special district shall
select its change in population pursuant to this paragraph annually
by a recorded vote of the governing body of the city or special
district. A charter city and county may choose to use the change in
population provided in this paragraph or may choose to use the change
in population provided in Section 2 of Chapter 1221 of the Statutes
of 1980.
A county may choose to use any one of the following:
(1) The change in population within its jurisdiction.
(2) The change in population within its jurisdiction, combined
with the change in population within all counties having borders that
are contiguous to that county.
(3) The change in population within the incorporated portion of
the county.
(c) "Change in population" for a school district means the change
in average daily attendance between the year prior to that for which
the appropriations limit is being computed and the year for which the
appropriations limit is being computed, using the average daily
attendance as defined in Section 7906.
(d) "Change in population" for a community college district means
the number resulting when the average daily attendance reported by
the community college district for state apportionment funding
purposes computed pursuant to former Article 2 (commencing with
Section 84520) of Chapter 4 of Part 50 of the Education Code is
divided by the similarly computed average daily attendance for the
previous year.
(e) "Local agency" means a city, county, city and county, special
district, authority or other political subdivision of the state,
except a school district, community college district, or county
superintendent of schools. The term "special district" shall not
include any district which (1) existed on January 1, 1978, and did
not possess the power to levy a property tax at that time or did not
levy or have levied on its behalf, an ad valorem property tax rate on
all taxable property in the district on the secured roll in excess
of 12 1/2 cents per one hundred dollars ($100) of assessed value for
the 1977-78 fiscal year, or (2) existed on January 1, 1978, or was
thereafter created by a vote of the people, and is totally funded by
revenues other than the proceeds of taxes as defined in subdivision
(c) of Section 8 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.
If a special district levied, or had levied on its behalf,
different property tax rates for the 1977-78 fiscal year depending on
which area or zone within the district boundaries property was
located, it shall be deemed not to have levied a secured property tax
rate in excess of 12 1/2 cents per one hundred dollars ($100) of
assessed value if the total revenue derived from the ad valorem
property tax levied by or for the district for 1977-78, divided by
the total amount of taxable assessed valuation within the district's
boundaries for 1977-78, does not exceed .00125.
(f) "School district" means an elementary, high school, or unified
school district.
(g) "Local jurisdiction" means a local agency, school district,
community college district, or county superintendent of schools.
(h) As used in Section 2 and subdivision (b) of Section 3 of
Article XIII B, "revenues" means all tax revenues and the proceeds to
a local jurisdiction or the state received from (1) regulatory
licenses, user charges, and user fees to the extent that those
proceeds exceed the costs reasonably borne by that entity in
providing the regulation, product, or service, and (2) the investment
of tax revenues as described in subdivision (i) of Section 8 of
Article XIII B. For a local jurisdiction, revenues and appropriations
shall also include subventions, as defined in Section 7903, and with
respect to the state, revenues and appropriations shall exclude
those subventions.
(i) (1) "Proceeds of taxes" shall not include proceeds to a local
jurisdiction or the state from regulatory licenses, user charges, or
user fees except to the extent that those proceeds exceed the costs
reasonably borne by that entity in providing the regulation, product,
or service.
(2) "Proceeds of taxes" also does not include the proceeds
received by a local jurisdiction from a license tax imposed pursuant
to Section 25149.5 of the Health and Safety Code or a tax or fee
imposed pursuant to Section 25173.5 of the Health and Safety Code on
the operation of a hazardous waste facility, or the proceeds received
by a local jurisdiction from a surcharge that is collected by a
regional disposal facility, as authorized pursuant to Section 115255
of the Health and Safety Code to the extent that these proceeds of
the license tax, tax, fee, or surcharge are expended for costs or
increased burdens on local jurisdictions that are associated with the
hazardous waste facility or regional disposal facility. These costs
or burdens include, but are not limited to, general fund expenses,
the improvement and maintenance of roads and bridges, fire
protection, emergency medical response, law enforcement, air and
groundwater monitoring, epidemiological studies, emergency response
training, and equipment related to the hosting of the hazardous waste
facility or regional disposal facility.
(a) For the 1980-81 fiscal year, the appropriations limit of
the state and of each local jurisdiction shall be determined as
follows:
(1) Multiply the total amount of appropriations subject to
limitation of each such entity for the 1978-79 fiscal year by the
lesser of the change in cost of living for the 1979 calendar year or
the change in California per capita personal income for the 1978
calendar year, and multiply this product by the change in population
of each such entity for the 1978 calendar year.
(2) Multiply the product determined pursuant to paragraph (1) by
the lesser of the change in cost of living for the 1980 calendar year
or the change in California per capita personal income for the 1979
calendar year, and multiply this product by the change in population
of each entity for the 1979 calendar year. The resulting product, as
adjusted for other changes required or permitted by Article XIII B of
the California Constitution, shall be the appropriations limit of
each entity for fiscal year 1980-81.
(b) For the 1981-82 fiscal year and each year thereafter, the
appropriations limit of the state and of each local jurisdiction
shall equal the appropriations limit for the prior fiscal year
multiplied by the product of the change in cost of living, as defined
in paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 8 of Article XIII B
of the California Constitution, and the change in population of the
local jurisdiction for the calendar year preceding the beginning of
the fiscal year for which the appropriations limit is to be
determined, and adjusted for other changes required or permitted by
Article XIII B of the California Constitution.
(c) For the purposes of this division, if a local agency's fiscal
year begins on January 1, the agency shall base its appropriations
limit on its appropriations subject to limitation for the 1979
calendar year. For that agency, the 1981 calendar year shall be the
first year for which the appropriations limit shall apply. For
purposes of the computations required by this section, that agency
shall use the change in population, cost-of-living, and per capita
personal income factors that it would have used had its fiscal year
begun on the previous July 1.
(a) If, beginning with the 1980-81 fiscal year or any
fiscal year thereafter, the proceeds of taxes of a school district,
community college district, or county superintendent of schools,
exceed its appropriations limit determined pursuant to Section 7902
for that fiscal year, the governing body of the school district or
community college district, or the county superintendent of schools,
may increase its appropriations limit to an amount equal to its
proceeds of taxes.
(b) In the event that the governing body of a district or the
county superintendent of schools increases its appropriations limit
pursuant to this section, it shall notify the Director of Finance of
the change within 45 days.
(c) Any increase in a local jurisdiction's appropriations limit
pursuant to this section shall, in the fiscal year in which the
change is made, reduce the appropriations limit of the state by an
equal amount.
The governing body of any city incorporated after July 1,
1978, but prior to January 1, 1980, may, by resolution, adopt an
appropriations limit for the purposes of Article XIII B of the
California Constitution determined in the following manner:
(a) If the city's first full fiscal year of operation was the
1979-80 fiscal year, the appropriations limit of the city for fiscal
year 1980-81 shall be equal to the total amount of proceeds of taxes
received for fiscal year 1979-80 adjusted for changes in the cost of
living and population and such other changes as may be required or
permitted by Article XIII B.
(b) If the city's first full fiscal year of operation is the
1980-81 fiscal year, the governing body of the city shall, prior to
July 1, 1980, estimate the amount of revenue anticipated to be
received by the city from the proceeds of taxes for the 1980-81
fiscal year. This amount shall be the appropriations limit of the
city for the 1980-81 fiscal year. For the 1981-82 fiscal year and
each fiscal year thereafter, the appropriations limit of the city
shall be equal to the total amount of proceeds of taxes received for
fiscal year 1980-81 adjusted for changes in the cost of living and
population and such other changes as may be required or permitted by
Article XIII B.
The governing body of any city incorporated at the General
Election held on November 4, 1980, for which no appropriations limit
has been established by the electors of that entity, may, by
resolution, adopt an appropriations limit for the purposes of Article
XIII B of the California Constitution in the following manner:
(a) For the 1980-81 fiscal year, the appropriations limit of the
city shall not exceed the amount determined pursuant to subdivision
(a) of Section 3 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution as
adjusted in any manner which may be required or permitted by Article
XIII B.
(b) For the 1981-82 fiscal year, the appropriations limit of the
city shall not exceed the total amount of proceeds of taxes received
by the city during the 1981-82 fiscal year.
(c) For the 1982-83 fiscal year and each year thereafter, the
appropriations limit of the city shall be equal to the total amount
of proceeds of taxes received by the city for the 1981-82 fiscal
year, adjusted for changes in the cost-of-living and population and
such other changes as may be required or permitted by Article XIII B.
(a) The appropriations limit of a city incorporated on or
after January 1, 1990, shall be determined pursuant to Section 56812.
(b) The appropriations limit of a special district formed on or
after January 1, 1988, shall be determined pursuant to Section 56811
and approved by the voters at the formation election.
(c) The appropriations limit of a county formed on or after
January 1, 1988, shall be determined pursuant to Section 23332 and
approved by the voters at the formation election.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, with respect to
any special district formed during the 1978-79 fiscal year which
initially was totally funded by other than the proceeds of taxes, and
which subsequently, during the 1980-81 fiscal year, imposed a
special tax with voter approval, the appropriations limit of such an
entity, unless otherwise established pursuant to law, shall be deemed
established by the electors at the election approving the special
tax as that amount equal to the proceeds of taxes received during the
first full fiscal year in which proceeds of taxes were received, and
shall thereafter be adjusted in any manner which may be required or
permitted by Article XIII B of the California Constitution.
"State subventions" shall include only money received by a
local agency from the state, the use of which is unrestricted by the
statute providing the subvention.
In no event shall the appropriation of the same proceeds of
taxes be subject to the appropriations limit of more than one local
jurisdiction or the state.
Revenues to a local jurisdiction from regulatory licenses,
user charges, or user fees may be aggregated if they are reasonably
related.
For school districts:
(a) "ADA" means a school district's second principal apportionment
units of average daily attendance as determined pursuant to Section
42238.5 of the Education Code, including average daily attendance in
summer school, regional occupational centers and programs, and
apprenticeship programs, and excluding average daily attendance in
adult education programs. All other units of average daily attendance
including, but not limited to, special day classes for special
education pupils, shall be included.
(1) For purposes of this subdivision, the average daily attendance
of apprenticeship programs shall be determined pursuant to Section
79149.1 of the Education Code.
(2) For the 2008-09 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter,
the average daily attendance of public school districts, including
county superintendents of schools, serving kindergarten and grades 1
to 12, inclusive, or any part thereof, shall include the same amount
of average daily attendance for classes for supplemental instruction
and regional occupational centers and programs that was used for
purposes of this section for the 2007-08 fiscal year.
(b) "Foundation program level" means:
(1) For the 1978-79 fiscal year, one thousand two hundred
forty-one dollars ($1,241) for elementary school districts, one
thousand three hundred twenty-two dollars ($1,322) for unified school
districts, and one thousand four hundred twenty-seven dollars
($1,427) for high school districts.
(2) For the 1979-80 fiscal year to the 1986-87 fiscal year,
inclusive, the levels specified in paragraph (1) increased by the
lesser of the change in cost of living or California per capita
personal income for the preceding calendar year.
(3) For the 1986-87 fiscal year, the levels specified in paragraph
(2) increased by one hundred eighty dollars ($180) for elementary
school districts, one hundred ninety-one dollars ($191) for unified
school districts, and two hundred seven dollars ($207) for high
school districts.
(4) For the 1987-88 fiscal year, the levels specified in paragraph
(3) increased by the lesser of the change in cost of living or
California per capita personal income for the preceding calendar
year.
(5) For the 1988-89 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter,
the foundation program level shall be the appropriations limit of the
school district for the current fiscal year, plus amounts paid for
any nonreimbursed court or federal mandates imposed on or after
November 6, 1979, less the sum of the following:
(A) Interest earned on the proceeds of taxes during the current
fiscal year.
(B) The 50 percent of miscellaneous funds received during the
current fiscal year that are from the proceeds of taxes.
(C) Locally voted taxes received during the current fiscal year,
such as parcel taxes or square foot taxes, unless for voter-approved
bonded debt.
(D) Any other local proceeds of taxes received during the current
fiscal year, other than local taxes which count towards the revenue
limit, such as excess bond revenues transferred to a district's
general fund pursuant to Section 15234 of the Education Code.
(c) "Proceeds of taxes" shall be deemed to include subventions
received from the state only if those subventions are for one of the
following two purposes:
(1) Basic aid subventions of one hundred twenty dollars ($120) per
ADA.
(2) Additional apportionments that, when added to the district's
local revenues as defined in Section 42238 of the Education Code, do
not exceed the foundation program level for that district. In no case
shall subventions received from the state for reimbursement of state
mandates in accordance with the provisions of Section 6 of Article
XIII B of the California Constitution or of Section 17561 or for
reimbursement of court or federal mandates imposed on or after
November 6, 1979, be considered "proceeds of taxes" for purposes of
this section.
(d) Proceeds of taxes for a fiscal year shall not include any
proceeds of taxes within the district's beginning balance or reserve,
unless those funds were not appropriated in a prior fiscal year.
Funds that were appropriated to a reserve or other fund referenced in
Section 5 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution shall be
deemed to be appropriated for the purpose of this paragraph.
(e) The remainder of the state apportionments, including special
purpose apportionments and categorical aid subventions shall not be
considered proceeds of taxes for a school district.
(f) Each school district shall report to the Superintendent of
Public Instruction and to the Director of Finance at least annually
its appropriations limit, its appropriations subject to limitation,
the amount of its state aid apportionments and subventions included
within the proceeds of taxes of the school district, and amounts
excluded from its appropriations limit, at a time and in a manner
prescribed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and approved
by the Director of Finance.
(g) For the 1988-89 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter,
nothing in paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) shall be so construed as
to require that the amount determined pursuant to subdivision (b) be
multiplied by the amount determined pursuant to subdivision (a) for
purposes of determining the amount of state aid included in school
district "proceeds of taxes" for purposes of this section.
For county superintendents of schools:
(a) "Proceeds of taxes" shall be deemed to include subventions
received from the state only if those subventions are received for
one or more of the following programs:
(1) Educational services provided directly to pupils, including,
but not limited to, the services described in subdivision (c) of
Section 1981 of, Sections 1904, 2550.2, 2551.3, 8152, 48633, 52570,
and 58804 of, and Article 1 (commencing with Section 52300) of
Chapter 9 of Part 28 of, the Education Code.
(2) Support services provided to school districts, including, but
not limited to, the services described in subdivision (b) of Section
2550 of, and Sections 1510, 2509, 2551, 2554, and 2555 of, the
Education Code.
(3) Direct services provided to school districts, as described in
subdivision (a) of Section 2550 of the Education Code.
(b) For programs identified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a),
an amount shall be calculated equal to the appropriations made for
those programs from the proceeds of taxes for the 1978-79 fiscal
year, adjusted for the 1979-80 and 1980-81 fiscal years by the lesser
of the change in cost of living or change in California per capita
personal income applicable to each year and by the percentage change
in average daily attendance in those programs for the 1979-80 and
1980-81 fiscal years.
(c) For all other programs operated by the county superintendent
of schools, including, but not limited to, the programs identified in
paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (a), an amount shall be
calculated equal to the appropriations made for those programs from
the proceeds of taxes for the 1978-79 fiscal year, adjusted for the
1979-80 and 1980-81 fiscal years by the lesser of the change in cost
of living or change in California per capita personal income for each
year and by the percentage change in population, as defined by
subdivision (d) of Section 7901, for all the districts in the county
for the 1979-80 and 1980-81 fiscal years. The "percentage change in
population" for the program identified in paragraph (3) of
subdivision (a) shall be, for purposes of this subdivision, the
percentage change in direct services average daily attendance as
calculated pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 2550 of the
Education Code.
(d) The sum of the amounts calculated in subdivisions (b) and (c)
shall be the appropriations limit for the county superintendent for
the 1980-81 fiscal year.
(e) For the 1981-82 fiscal year and each year thereafter, the
appropriations limit for the prior year shall be adjusted by the
appropriate average daily attendance and the lesser of the change in
cost of living or California per capita personal income.
(f) For the 1981-82 fiscal year through the 1987-88 fiscal year,
state apportionments to county superintendents in excess of the
amounts in subdivision (d) or (e) shall not be considered proceeds of
taxes for a county superintendent of schools.
(g) For the 1988-89 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter,
the state apportionments to county superintendents that shall be
considered "proceeds of taxes" for a county superintendent of schools
shall be equal to the lesser of the following:
(1) The total amount of state apportionments received for that
fiscal year, excluding amounts paid for reimbursement of state
mandates in accordance with the provisions of Section 6 of Article
XIII B of the California Constitution or of Section 17561 or for
reimbursement of court or federal mandates imposed on or after
November 6, 1979.
(2) The appropriations limit for the county superintendent for
that fiscal year, less the sum of all of the following:
(A) Interest earned on the proceeds of taxes during the current
fiscal year.
(B) The 50 percent of miscellaneous funds received during the
current fiscal year that are from the proceeds of taxes.
(C) Locally voted taxes received during the current year, such as
parcel taxes or square foot taxes, other than for voter-approved
bonded debt.
(D) Any other local proceeds of taxes received during the current
year, such as excess bond revenues transferred to a district's
general fund pursuant to Section 15234 of the Education Code.
(E) Local proceeds of taxes received during the current fiscal
year which offset state aid.
(3) Amounts paid for court or federal mandates shall be excluded
from the appropriations limit.
For community college districts:
(a) As used in this section, "ADA" means the annual average daily
attendance reported for students attending the community college
district during the fiscal year.
(b) "Proceeds of taxes" shall be deemed to include subventions
from the state, including special purpose apportionments, but
excluding subventions received from the state for reimbursement of
state mandates in accordance with the provisions of Section 6 of
Article XIII B of the California Constitution or of Section 17561 or
for reimbursement of court or federal mandates imposed on or after
November 6, 1979, only if those subventions, when added to the
district's local resources, as defined in items (2) and (3) of
subdivision (a) of Section 84904 of the Education Code, do not
exceed:
(1) For the 1978-79 fiscal year, the lesser of the statewide
average revenues or the actual revenues received per ADA, as defined
in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 84700 of the Education
Code, multiplied by the ADA in the district for the 1978-79 fiscal
year.
(2) For the 1979-80 through the 1987-88 fiscal years, the amount
specified in paragraph (1) adjusted by the lesser of the change in
cost of living or California per capita personal income for the
preceding calendar year and the percentage change in the district's
ADA for that fiscal year.
(3) For the 1988-89 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter,
the appropriations limit of that district, plus amounts paid for any
nonreimbursed court or federal mandates imposed on or after November
6, 1979, less the sum of the following:
(A) Interest earned on the proceeds of taxes during the current
fiscal year.
(B) The 50 percent of miscellaneous funds received during the
current fiscal year which are from the proceeds of taxes.
(C) Locally voted taxes received during the current fiscal year,
such as parcel taxes or square foot taxes, unless for voter-approved
bonded debt.
(D) Any other local proceeds of taxes received during the current
fiscal year, other than local taxes which count towards the revenue
limit, such as excess bond revenues transferred to a district's
general fund pursuant to Section 15234.
(c) Each community college district shall report to the Chancellor
of the California Community Colleges and to the Director of Finance
at least annually its appropriations limit, its appropriations
subject to limitation, the amount of its state aid apportionments and
subventions included within the proceeds of taxes of the district,
and amounts excluded from the appropriations limit, at a time and in
a manner prescribed by the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges and approved by the Director of Finance.
No later than May 1 of each year, the Department of Finance
shall notify each local agency of the change in the cost of living or
change in California per capita personal income, whichever is less,
and population for each local agency for the prior calendar year.
No later than May 1 of each year, the Department of Finance shall
notify the Department of Education and the Chancellor's Office of the
California Community Colleges of the change in the cost of living or
change in California per capita personal income, whichever is less.
These agencies shall inform the school districts, county
superintendents of schools, and community college districts for which
they are respectively responsible.
(a) Each year the governing body of each local jurisdiction
shall, by resolution, establish its appropriations limit and make
other necessary determinations for the following fiscal year pursuant
to Article XIII B of the California Constitution at a regularly
scheduled meeting or noticed special meeting. Fifteen days prior to
the meeting documentation used in the determination of the
appropriations limit and other necessary determinations shall be
available to the public. The determinations made pursuant to this
section are legislative acts.
(b) A judicial action or proceeding to attack, review, set aside,
void, or annul the action of the governing body taken pursuant to
this section shall be commenced within 45 days of the effective date
of the resolution.
(c) A court in which an action described in subdivision (b) is
pending, including any court reviewing the action on appeal from the
decision of a lower court, shall give the action preference over all
other civil actions, in the manner of setting the action for hearing
or trial and in hearing the action, to the end that the action shall
be quickly heard and determined.
For the purposes of Section 2 of Article XIII B, a local
jurisdiction may return excess revenues by granting a tax credit or
refund, by providing a temporary suspension of tax rates or fee
schedules, or by any other means consistent with the intent of that
section. The determination by the governing body of such entity of
the means by which such excess revenues are to be returned is a
legislative act.
Judicial review of such determination may be obtained only by a
proceeding for a writ of mandate which shall be brought within 30
days after the governing body's determination.
All courts wherein such actions are or may be hereafter pending,
including any court reviewing such action on appeal from the decision
of a lower court, shall give such actions preference over all other
civil actions therein, in the manner of setting the same for hearing
or trial and in hearing the same, to the end that all such actions
shall be quickly heard and determined.
Each year, the Governor shall include in the budget as
submitted to the Legislature an estimate of the state's
appropriations limit for the budget year. This estimate shall be
subject to the budget process, and shall be established in the Budget
Bill.
For purposes of subdivision (b) of Section 3 of Article XIII
B of the California Constitution, the financial responsibility of
providing services is transferred in whole or in part from other
revenues of an entity of government to proceeds from regulatory
licenses, user charges, or user fees only when the dollar amount
allocated from other revenues of a local jurisdiction or the state to
the provision of such services is decreased.
An appropriation for a "qualified capital outlay project," as
used in subdivision (d) of Section 9 of Article XIII B of the
California Constitution, means an appropriation for a fixed asset
(including land and construction) with a useful life of 10 or more
years and a value which equals or exceeds one hundred thousand
dollars ($100,000).