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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 04091991 - 1.46 "O _ '� • \ '�j .tan 60 4 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ?E:5E L._,o Contra FROM: Phil Batchelor, County Administrator r �_s Costa s County DATE: April 9, 1991 oas�q couN� cP SUBJECT: AGREEMENT IN CONCEPT WITH EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT TO FUND PARKS IN EAST COUNTY SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1 . Support the creation of a special assessment district for landscaping and lighting by the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) for new parks in East County. 2 . Support the attached concept agreement to work toward a plan to match an EBRPD revenue contribution with County revenues when the County budget condition improves . BACKGROUND: For the past several years, the East Bay Regional Park District has been studying ways to increase funding to the easternmost part of the district--East Contra Costa County. This part of the district was annexed to EBRPD in 1981. No property taxes were transferred when the annexation took place. As a result, the district has not pursued the purchase of land in East County because of the knowledge that East County taxes were not going to the district to provide for operations and maintenance activities . In doing research for a master plan update in 1988, park district staff came to the conclusion that significant growth was taking place in East County and that, if the district were to acquire parklands in that part of the district, it should move fairly quickly to do so. Not only were open space lands becoming more scarce in East County, the prices were increasing as development took place. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: _ YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD ON APR 9 1991 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED x OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE L 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. APR 91991 CC: Tom Mikkelsen, EBRPD ATTESTED County Counsel PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF Community Development SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR County Administrator's Office /G�/` BY ,DEPUTY M382 (10/88) -2- This raised the question of funding. Measure AA was passed by the voters in November, 1988 . That measure called for parklands acquisition in various parts of the district, including five major park sites in East Contra Costa County. Operations and maintenance of parklands still remain an issue. It is anticipated that operations and maintenance costs for these new parks will be approximately $1 .5 million per year. A number of financing options were pursued by the district. For various reasons, all but two were eliminated. These two are: _ Form a Landscaping and Lighting District in East Contra Costa in order to raise necessary operational revenue. Seek a tax sharing arrangement with the County and other affected agencies, with a goal of obtaining $ . 03 per $100 of assessed valuation in the area, to be matched by revenues from EBRPD. _ Seek a combination of both of the above options . The district staff was directed to pursue each of these alternatives with affected agencies, and to develop precise numbers related to each proposal . Preliminary information indicates that if the property tax sharing agreement were to take place, Contra Costa County would lose base revenues of approximately $300,000 plus future increment (growth) on that base. The option the district has been discussing would build up to that amount over a number of years . However, the ultimate result of this option would be the loss of general fund property tax dollars . The EBRPD has adopted the attached concept agreement which supports a Landscaping and Lighting District fee and a tax sharing arrangement with the County. Indeed, in March 1991, the EBRPD took formal action to create a Landscaping and Lighting District. The concept agreement which is being recommended indicates that the County will agree to a revenue sharing agreement when one of two circumstances arise: 1 . When the County contingency fund reaches 10% of the total County budget; 2 . When an additional one-half cent of the Countywide sales tax is transferred to the County, to be used for unrestricted purposes, without the State mandating other expenditure increases or reducing other revenues . AGREEMENT IN CONCEPT BETWEEN CONTRA COSTA BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT ON FINANCING NEW PARKS IN EAST COUNTY Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors recognizes the importance of regional parks as an element in the array of public facilities and services which are vital to the citizens of the Contra Costa County:. For this reason, the Board of Supervisors supports the concept of creating a special assessment Landscaping and Lighting District to provide funds for the East Bay Regional Park District to maintain facilities it will be acquiring and developing in Far East Contra Costa County (Liberty Union High School District) . The suggested funding approach is a proper start toward insuring that the regional park system in ECCC is equivalent in concept and service to that of the remainder of the County. The funding approach also recognizes the current unfulfilled need for Regional Park and Open Space facilities which has existed since the EBRPD annexed Far East County in 1981 . The Contra Costa Board of Supervisors will work with the East Bay Regional Park District to gain citizen support for the formation of this special assessment district. The County also recognizes the value of having funding of ECCC regional parks occur on an equal basis with the remainder of the County. In the remainder of the County, EBRPD regional parks and services are financed by the equivalent of a distribution of approximately $0 . 03 per $100 AV from the property tax assessment. The current financial crisis confronting the County makes it impossible to begin to implement a tax revenue redistribution plan of the $0 . 03 level in support of regional parks. However, the current financial position may change for the better, and for this reason the Board of Supervisors will support a plan which, although necessarily minimal at the outset, will be designed to achieve, ultimately, the equivalent of $0 . 03 per $100 AV to support the ECCC regional parks program. In support of these goals, the Contra County Board of Supervisors would agree to the following approach. 1 . The EBRPD Board of Directors would take steps to gain citizen support for formation of a special assessment Lighting and Landscaping District. Revenues to be secured from this source would be keyed to the annual costs of maintaining regional park facilities in East Contra Costa County, and every effort would be made to restrain the revenue requirement to a proper minimum. 2 . The Contra County Board of Supervisors would work towards a plan to provide funds in a manner which would achieve a goal of revenue support for East Contra Costa County area (Liberty Union High School District) to a maximum of $0 . 01 per $100 AV by the end of five years, $0 . 02 per $100 AV by the end of 10 years, and $0 . 03 per $100 AV by the end of 15 years . 3 . The EBRPD would agree to match County revenue contribution for East Contra Costa County regional parks, consistent with the per capita distribution provided by Measure AA, with District managed funds from a variety of sources, including State or local bond acts, grants, and subventions. 4 . The District's Landscaping and Lighting District support will be reduced in corresponding amounts as County revenues were made available, but the District would retain the special assessment district in anticipation of emergency or special ECCC regional park needs. 5 . The County revenue would begin to be transferred to the District at the rate of $0 . 002 per year during the year following that fiscal year when the County contingency fund reaches 10% of the total County budget or when an additional one-half cent of the Countywide sales tax is transferred to the County to be used for unrestricted purposes, whichever comes first. J -2- If 2- If funding from sources other than the general fund is available to the County for stated park purposes in East County, the County agrees to pass these funds through to the District according to the above schedule. The County's general fund transfer would be reduced in direction proportion to the funds passed through. 6 . At the end of each five-year period, the County and the EBRPD would review the funding program to determine an agreed-upon program for the subsequent five years .