El Dorado County Urges Congress to Immediately Reauthorize and Fund Secure Rural Schools
El Dorado County Joins California’s Rural Counties in Advocating for Funding
Creighton Avila
(530) 621-5153
2015-01-29
CAO
Placerville, CA – January 29, 2015 – This week, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors adopted a Resolution urging Congress to reauthorize and fund the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (SRS). SRS funding mitigates the impact to county governments from the reduction of allowable timber harvesting production on federal forest lands. California’s rural counties have come to rely on SRS funding – more than $33 million statewide – to support public schools and critical county road programs.
“SRS funding is critical to El Dorado County’s ability to provide for our residents,and its immediate reauthorization should be of the utmost priority for Congress,” said Michael Ranalli, El Dorado County District Four Supervisor and Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC)Delegate. “In addition, it is time to look at a longterm,stable funding source for forested counties and schools to maintain vital programs and avoid an interruption in services and operations.”
SRS expired on September 30, 2013, resulting in a loss of funding in 2014 and future years to support critical programs in schools and counties across the United States. California’s forested counties and the schools located within these counties are dependent upon federal revenue-sharing programs such as SRS for maintaining local roads, and for providing vital local services and programs.
El Dorado County joins RCRC in a statewide effort to raise awareness on the importance of SRS funding for California’s rural counties, and highlight how the lack of authorization impacts their ability to adequately and appropriately fund classroom instruction and improve local roads.
ABOUT EL DORADO COUNTY
El Dorado County, located in east-central California, encompasses 1,805 square miles of rolling hills and mountainous terrain. The County’s western boundary contains part of Folsom Lake, and the eastern boundary is also the California-Nevada State line. The County is topographically divided into two zones. The northeast corner of the County is in the Lake Tahoe basin, while the remainder of the County is in the “western slope,” the area west of Echo Summit. This landscape invites residents and tourists alike to enjoy outdoor recreation activities year-round.
There are two municipalities within El Dorado County. The largest city in the County is the City of South Lake Tahoe. The City of Placerville, the County seat, is located 45 miles northeast of Sacramento, the State capital. The remainder of the County’s residents lives outside of the two incorporated areas.
ABOUT RURAL COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES OF CALIFORNIA (RCRC)
The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) is a thirty-four member county strong service organization that champions policies on behalf of California’s rural counties. The RCRC is dedicated to representing the collective unique interests of its membership, providing legislative and regulatory representation at the State and Federal levels, and providing responsible services for its members to enhance and protect the quality of life in rural California counties. To learn more about RCRC, visit rcrcnet.org and follow @RuralCounties on Twitter.
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