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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 10241989 - 2.2 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra CostaFROM: •� ;• Phil Batchelor, County Administrator ot, County DATE: October 23, 1989 o Srq couK� t� SUBJECT: FINANCIAL ALTERNATIVES FOR A CODE COMPLIANCE PROGRAM SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECONMENDATIONS 1. Request the County Administrator to prepare a detailed budget and staffing pattern for an enhanced code compliance program, utilizing the funding alternatives noted below, and present such a program to the Board of Supervisors on November 7, 1989. 2. Request the Director of Personnel to recommend to the Board of Supervisors on November 7 , 1989 the appropriate classification actions necessary to implement the enhanced code compliance program. 3 . Request County Counsel to provide the County Administrator with an opinion on ,whether Board-governed fire districts can legally provide code compliance enforcement services on behalf of other County departments, utilizing additional funds' provided to the fire district for this purpose by the Board of Supervisors from otherwise uncommitted Special District Augmentation Fund revenue., 4. Authorize the County Administrator to initiate contract discussions with the Riverview and West County Fire Protection Districts on contracts which can be recommended to the Board of Supervisors to fund these Fire Districts for specified additional code compliance activities, utilizing SDAF funds which are not required to be dedicated to the Fire Districts. 5. Authorize the Director of Personnel to undertake whatever "meet and confer" discussions may be required with the CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: Yes YES SIGNATURE: iRECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): L4ZA& ACTION OF BOARD ON October 24, 1989 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. p/� CC: ATTESTED L �7� 190 7 3 PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF See Page;' SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR M382 (10/88) BY ee& DEPUTY United Professional Fire Fighters, Local 1230, and other employee organizations in order to implement the contract terms with the fire districts. 6. Authorize the County Administrator to prepare an applications for CDBG funds to provide for an enhanced code compliance enforcement program in the West Pittsburg and North Richmond areas and take the steps which are necessary to submit the application to the Community Development Department for consideration for such funds. BACKGROUND: On October 17 , 1989 the Board of Supervisors approved a report from the Internal Operations Committee which requested the County Administrator to present a report to the Board of Supervisors on October 24, 1989 on financing alternatives which are available to finance a code compliance program. This report is intended to comply with that request. Staff from the County Administrator' s Office have considered a number of alternatives, given the County' s overall financial problems. The following alternatives are probably realistic possibilities. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT: It is possible to apply for funds from the CDBG for the 1990-91 fiscal year. As the Board is aware, there is a rather substantial process by which final recommendations come to the Board of Supervisors for expenditure of these funds. In addition, only communities which meet certain low-income criteria are eligible areas in which projects can be funded. Community Development Department staff agree that the West Pittsburg and North Richmond communities meet these criteria. The major problem with the use of CDBG funds is that all funds for the current fiscal year are already fully committed. New funds will be available effective April 1, 1990 . A budget to cover the West Pittsburg and North Richmond areas could be developed and an application made for CDBG funds. SPECIAL DISTRICT AUGMENTATION FUND: There are funds available from the SDAF which are not committed to the fire districts and which can be used for other purposes. The biggest drawback with the use of the SDAF is that the funds have to be allocated to a special district. In the case of a code compliance program, the most reasonable possibility is to contract with the fire districts for code compliance enforcement. In order to combine the use of the SDAF funds with those of the CDBG funds, it would probably be necessary to contract with the Riverview and West County Fire Protection Districts to cover the code compliance enforcement in the West Pittsburg and North Richmond areas. There are, of course, other demands on these funds which may be of higher priority to the Board. The probable limitation in using the SDAF funds is that they must be used for programs for which the contracting district has jurisdiction. It might, for instance, be difficult to ask the fire districts to use SDAF funds to enforce an Environmental Health code compliance problem. We are, therefore, asking that the Board request the County Counsel to advise the County Administrator on how far we can go in using the SDAF to contract with fire districts for a code compliance program. However, there are certainly legitimate code compliance problems for which the fire districts have jurisdiction. ABANDONED VEHICLE ABATEMENT FUND: We had hoped that AB 1441 (Clute) would pass the Legislature and be signed into law by the Governor, thereby providing a mechanism for funding an abandoned vehicle abatement program. Unfortunately the Governor vetoed AB 1441, thereby removing this as a potential source of funding. CONCLUSION: Financing some level of increased code compliance enforcement program in selected areas of the County is probably feasible without using additional County General Funds. However, while steps can be taken to put in place a more intensified program, it does not appear possible to actually implement such a program before the spring of 1990. We have, for instance been advised by the Community Development Department staff that it is not possible to borrow funds from the General Fund and then repay them when the CDBG funds become available. If the above recommendations are acceptable to the Board of Supervisors we will return a more detailed report to the Board on November 7, 1989. cc: County Administrator John Gregory, CAD' s Office Director of Personnel Harvey Bragdon, Community Development Director Allen Little, Chief, Riverview Fire Protection District Charles Schwab, Chief, West County Fire Protection District Victor J. Westman, County Counsel Mark Finucane, Health Services Director William Walker, M.D. , Director of Environmental Health Bob Giese, Director of Building Inspection Kerry Harms-Taylor, Assistant Administrator-Finance Terry McGraw, CAO' s Office