To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Board of Supervisors
Staff Name and Phone Number: Jen Mendoza 707-565-2241
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Fourth
Title:
Title
Mark West Citizens Advisory Council’s Updates and Recommendations
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Adopt a resolution approving the amendments to the Mark West Citizens Advisory Council’s Rules and Procedures.
B) Approve the use of $250,000 in franchise tax fees as potential match if the grant proposal is successful.
(Fourth District)
end
Executive Summary:
This item requests the Board to approve amendments to the Mark West Citizens Advisory Council’s Rules and Procedures (Blue Book) to include recommended changes in the Council’s name, boundary, and membership, as well as administrative updates.
This item also requests approval of $250,000 of Cal-American Water Company franchise fees as a potential grant match if the grant proposal is successful.
Discussion:
The Mark West Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) was created in June 2016, through a resolution by the Board of Supervisors, with the role to represent the best interests of the unincorporated community while acting as a bridge for communication between the County and residents, businesses, and the public on health, safety, welfare, and quality of life issues affecting the Mark West area.
In October 2018, the CAC returned to the Board of Supervisors to add additional advisory authority to recommend funding for neighborhood improvement projects funded through franchise fees collected from the California American (Cal Am) Water district.
The CAC is requesting that the Board of Supervisors approve the following amendments to its Rules and Procedures, known as the Blue Book, for the Mark West CAC.
Name Change
The Mark West CAC is requesting to formally change its name to the “Mark West Area Municipal Advisory Council” (MWAMAC) or “MAC.” This brings the name in alignment with other Municipal Advisory Councils (MACs) in the county.
Boundary
The Mark West CAC is requesting to enlarge its boundary to include a much broader area of the Mark West area, beyond what is currently in place, to better represent the Mark West area. Currently, the CAC’s boundary only includes those homes and businesses serviced by the Cal Am Water District. This has provided for a specific boundary for requests for Neighborhood Improvement Project Funding. However, it excludes a large percentage of the unincorporated community from representation; the CAC understands that the larger area shares similar concerns with the entire Mark West area regarding watershed, water use, fire dangers and mitigations, traffic, housing density, etc. This request will not change the smaller boundary for project funding requests made with Cal Am Franchise Fee funding.
When reviewing and making recommendations for a new boundary, the CAC reviewed several existing jurisdictional boundaries and is recommending enlarging the area to align its boundaries with the existing Mark West Unified School District (MWUSD) boundary, excluding the areas of the City of Santa Rosa, Town of Windsor, and the Airport Land Use Commission, which have existing oversight from other jurisdictions. In addition, the recommended boundary excludes the 2nd and 5th District within the MWUSD, except for Fulton which is serviced by Cal Am Water.
Membership
Currently, of the existing five Mark West CAC members, two are appointed by the Mark West Chamber of Commerce, one is appointed by the Mark West Unified School District, one is a Fulton resident, appointed by the Board of Supervisors, and one is an “at large” member appointed by the Board of Supervisors.
With the approval of the expanded boundary, the CAC is recommending two additional seats on the Council, growing the Council from five to seven members. These two additional seats would represent the expanded region and would be appointed by the Board of Supervisors as “at large” seats.
Administrative Updates
The CAC is also recommending routine administrative updates to the Blue Book, including, but not limited to, the following:
• Updates to names of County departments;
• Clarification to Council member terms and officer positions;
• Updates and clarifications to Neighborhood Improvement Project application and funding process; and
• Updates to Frequently Asked Questions
Request for $250,000 in franchise fees:
In addition to Blue Book updates, the CAC is requesting that the Board approve the use of $250,000 in franchise fees fund balance, collected by the county from Cal Am Water, to be used as a match for a grant proposal to the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District Matching Grant program, if selected for a grant award.
Franchise fees are collected from Cal Am Water, Mark West’s local water district. These fees are collected by the Sonoma County Public Infrastructure (PI) department. These franchise fees may be used for “neighborhood improvement” projects, which are identified by the CAC as a result of an application process described in the Blue Book. The balance of the Franchise Fees fund managed by PI was $268,399.32 as of February 16, 2023. Cal Am Water franchise revenue are around$33,000 annually, with funds arriving between March and May.
An opportunity arose in the Mark West area to acquire a one-acre vacant lot (once a preschool prior to the Tubbs Fire) and have been working with Sonoma Land Trust (SLT) and the Mark West Area Chamber of Commerce to purchase the property, with SLT as the administrative and fiscal agent. SLT applied for a matching grant from the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. The asking price for the lot is $2,000,000.
The CAC voted unanimously to recommend to the Board of Supervisors to allocate $250,000 from the franchise fees as part of the match to this grant to make the proposal more competitive.
If Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District approves the proposal submitted by the SLT, it is anticipated that the match dollars would be paid in the early part of FY 23/24.
Cal-American Franchise Fees
When the Board granted the Franchise to Cal-American, the Board declared its intent to pass through a portion of the revenues from the Cal-American franchise fees to fund the formation of a community services district for the Mark West Area. For various reasons, attempts to form the proposed community services district were unsuccessful. Therefore, pass-through set aside for the proposed Community Services District were never expended or programmed. As a result, on 10/16/18 the Board adopted a resolution authorizing the repurposing of the California American Water Company franchise fees to fund neighborhood improvement projects in the Mark West Area
Prior Board Actions:
10/16/18: Adoption of resolution authorizing the repurposing of the California American Water Company franchise fees to fund neighborhood improvement projects in the Mark West Area and Amendment to the Blue Books regarding advisory authority for both the Mark West Citizens Advisory Council and the Dry Creek Valley Citizens Advisory Council. Including that District Supervisor would review recommendations from the Mark West Citizens Advisory Council, and bring the recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for approval.
6/14/16: Establishment of the Mark West Area CAC and Boundary
12/8/09: granted a franchise to Cal Am Water
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 22-23 Adopted |
FY23-24 Projected |
FY 24-25 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
0 |
$250,000 |
0 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
0 |
|
|
Total Expenditures |
0 |
250,000 |
0 |
|
Funding Sources |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
|
$250,000 |
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
0 |
$250,000 |
0 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Pending approval of a grant from Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, the use of the $250,000 match would likely be expended in early FY 23/24. Funds originate from Franchise Taxes from the California American Water District. Appropriations for $250,000 will be requested as part of the 2023-24 Supplemental Budget process. This would be a one-time expenditure.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
1. Resolution adopting changes to Mark West CAC Blue Book
2. Mark West Area Municipal Advisory Council Updated Blue Book
3. Proposed Updated Boundary Map
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
Mark West Area Municipal Advisory Council Blue Book Redlined Against Prior Version