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MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT
Meeting 02-12
REGULAR MEETING
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
June 12, 2002
MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING
L ROLL CALL
President Deane Little called the meeting to order at 7:31 p.m.
Members Present: Jed Cyr, Mary Davey,Nonette Hanko,Larry Hassett,Ken Nitz, Pete
Siemens, and Deane Little
Members Absent: None
Staff Present: Craig Britton, Sally Thielfoldt, Cathy Woodbury, John Maciel, Matt Freeman,
Stephanie Jensen, Sue Schectman, Anne Koletzke, Del Wood, Ana Ruiz,Doug Vu,Duncan
Simmons, Lisa Zadek, and Sandy Sommer
H. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS—None
III. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
Motion: K. Nitz moved that the Board adopt the agenda. P. Siemens seconded the motion.
The motion passed 7 to 0.
IV. ADOPTION OF CONSENT CALENDAR
Motion: J. Cyr moved that the Board adopt the Consent Calendar, including Revised
Claims 02-10. K. Nitz seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. Dir.
Hanko abstained on Claim#3956;Dir. Nitz abstained on Claim#3894.
V. BOARD BUSINESS
A. Agenda Item 1 — San Mateo County Coastal Annexation Project: Acceptance of Uof pdate
to the Draft Service Plan for the San Mateo Coastal Annexation Area* Informational
Report on the Proposed San Mateo Coastal Annexation Project. Including the Draft
Program Environmental Impact Report, and Other Documents Related to the Coastal
Annexation Project.the Public Participation Process, and the Establishment of the Public
Comment Period Commencing June 13, 2002 and Ending August 2, 2002; Accept the
Update to the Draft Service Plan for the San Mateo Coastal Annexation Area,Receive
330 Distel Circle • Los Altos, CA 94022-1404 * Phone:650-691-1200
Fax:650-691-0485 - E-mail: mrosd@openspace.org w Web site:www,openspace.org
Board of Directors:Pete Siemens,Mary C.Davey,Jett Cyr, Dean(,Little, Nonette Hanko, Larry Hassett, Kenneth C.Nitz . General Manager:L.Craig Britton
Meeting 02-12 Page 2
the Informational Report on the Re ImpactDra t Environmental L — Report.Fiscal Imp
Analysis, Draft Annexation Policy. and Draft Willing Sellers Only Ordinance:Receive
the Informational Report on the Public Participation Process and Establishment of the
Public Comment Period fo
r the Draft Environmental Impact Report commencing June p - —
13, 2002 and Ending August 2. 2002. and Associated Documents, the Public
Participation Process and the Establishment of the Public Comment Period Commencing
June 13, 2002 and Ending August 2. 2002—(Report R-02-82).
D. Little outlined the procedure to be followed for the meeting.
C. Britton introduced the item and talked about the history of the process.
Patrick Miller, Partner of 2M Associates and leader of the coastal annexation team,
introduced the team of sub-consultants as follows:
Thomas Reid Associates, Environmental Consultants
Economic Research Associates, Fiscal Consultants
Shute, Mihaly, and Weinberger, Environmental Attorneys
Terrell Watt,Planning Consultant (arrived later in the meeting)
P. Miller presented an update of the 2000 Draft Service Plan. He reviewed the
recommendations of staff to amend the plan as presented in November 2000. He said
there were two categories of recommendations: 1. Clarifications to be more factual or
for consistency purposes. 2. Modification to projections presented in the basic service
plan as well as the optional service plans contained in an appendix to the report. He
emphasized that activities by the District under the basic plan are dependent upon
existing funding sources and there is no proposal to enhance District revenues through a
voter-approved measure.
P. Miller stated that the purpose of the plan is to allow LAFCo to evaluate the
consistency of the plan with the State's goals for encouraging orderly growth and
management per the Cortese Knox Herzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of
2000.
He noted that the guiding principles have not changed in the recommendations to be
presented at this meeting. He reviewed those principles. He said the basic service plan is
to annex the territory based upon existing revenues, and the optional services plans would
incorporate that basic concept and enhance it with additional funding sources if and when
they are approved. He said the report assumes that new trails would only be on lands the
District acquires, not on easements or lands managed under contract.
He said the basic scenario assumes that there would be no new field office. Field offices
would be housed in existing structures until the District achieved a 15,000-acre threshold.
He outlined the optional service plans.
N. Hanko asked why there would not be public use of conservation easements. C. Britton
answered that typically when you buy a conservation easement,there is no public access.
Meeting 02-12 Page 3
It is an easement that precludes development, a restrictive easement, not an easement that
typically allows access.
N. Hanko asked if that would preclude them acquiring easements just for trails. C.
Britton said that this would not preclude trail easements; however, such easements would
mainly be on agricultural lands, and the District's guiding policies propose staying away
from agricultural lands with trails.
N. Hanko noted that the map in the Service Plan had not been changed since the census
and redistricting. P. Miller noted that and that they had noticed other"items"which
would be updated in the final plan.
N. Hanko mentioned that the entire Board cannot go to the meetings outside the District.
She proposed that subcommittee of she, K. Nitz, and L. Hassett attend the meetings in
Pescadero and Half Moon Bay.
Bern Smith, P. O. Box 1583,El Granada, San Mateo County Parks Commission, said he
was speaking partly as a member of the commission. He was interested in getting trails
established during the first five years. He urged the Board to accept the update. He
commented on the ideas of how the District manages funds from leases. He
recommended that they consider the idea of a set-aside of a portion of total leases
collected and place it back into the property in the form of conservation. He said he
would be happy to help out.
Maeva Neale, P. O. Box 750, Pescadero, Chair of Pescadero Municipal Advisory
Council, expressed her concerns and those of the people on the south coast. 1. Housing
—POST has acquired property. Their policy has been to evict people. It is possible that
the high school would close if people cannot find housing. She was concerned that land
that has housing and has agriculture will be purchased. 2. The possibility of the south
coast being exempted from the annexation. She said the majority of people in Pescadero
voted against annexation.
D. Little informed her that some of the issues she raised would be addressed in the
LAFCo process.
In regard to maintaining the existing stock of housing, C. Britton said that typically the
District tends to leave people on property they acquire. In addition, there is a
requirement that a public agency provide for relocation.
P. Siemens talked about how the District currently functions. He said the Board makes a
decision on each piece of property, and typically they do not get rid of housing unless it is
dilapidated. He did not know if there was a formal policy.
Motion: N. Hanko moved that the Board accept the update to the Draft Service
Plan for the San Mateo Coastal Annexation Area P. Siemens seconded
the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0.
Meeting 02-12 Page 4
Steve Spickard presented an informational report on the Draft Environmental Impact
Report, Fiscal Impact Analysis. He said the fiscal analysis was required by LAFCo. The
analysis asks if there will be an effect on public financial resources, either through
revenues or through service cost impacts as a result of the proposed action. He said the
first jurisdiction they are concerned about is the District—do they have the financial
capacity to undertake this basic service plan without impacting the level of services that
they are currently providing. The second question refers to other service providers such
as the County General Fund, school districts, water districts, fire districts, etc. He said
they have conducted an analysis of potential fiscal impact on other agencies as a result of
annexation. He said the findings are that the fiscal impact is a non-issue and explained
why. The reduction of property tax revenues to other agencies is very small. The State
has to make up any property tax loss to school districts that are revenue limit districts, or
non-basic aid districts. He talked about the optional service scenarios. He summarized
that there is no real problem from a fiscal standpoint. The reduction in property tax did
not have a substantive effect on services in any of the school districts.
C. Britton said that each agency was sent a letter with the estimated amount of tax loss
and responded in writing. None of them found it would be significant
N. Hanko asked if there were any other school Districts besides Cabrillo and
Pescadero/La Honda. S. Spickard said that he thought the effect on the Portola Valley
and Sequoia High School Districts would be minimal. He explained that thew funding is
eq g P g
on an average daily attendance basis. Those districts are in a position where the State
must make up any difference if there is a drop off in the local property tax collections.
J. Cyr noted that there are very few Districts in the State of California that are not
revenue limit districts.
N. Hanko said she thought the District should develop policies on housing and how they
will deal with the question of decreasing student enrollment.
D. Little asked if the District could legally compensate agencies for any revenue loss. S.
Schectman clarified that it would depend on the situation. The District could do joint
projects if there could be benefits to the public purposes of both agencies.
M. Davey said she was delighted with the findings.
S. Schectman reported on the Draft Annexation Policy and the Draft Willing Sellers Only
Ordinance.
C. Britton said they would be releasing the EIR and appendices for public comment the
following day. He said Thomas Reid Associates would be conducting the hearings on the
coast.
Thomas Reid stated that the EIR is an EIR on the program of the coastal annexation. He
outlined the contents of the EIR as follows:
Meeting 02-12 Page 5
1. Summary
2. introduction
3. Project Description
4. Plan Consistency
5. Alternates
6. CEQA issues
7. References
Maps
Appendices
He recapped the CEQA process, noting that the final EIR is the goal of the CEQA
process. He talked about final EIR which he said would include a summary of oral
comments given at the public hearings and the written comments as submitted. Staff
would add their comments.
Following his report,Mr. Reid talked about his professional background.
K. Nitz asked why public comments in meetings were just summarized in the CEQA
document and not verbatim as the written comments were. T. Reid replied that CEQA
does not require a transcript. In addition people are usually more articulate when they
write. P. Miller added that by law the District does not have to have hearings on the
CEQA document. It is a voluntary action on the part of the District.
C. Woodbury talked about the schedule of hearings and the availability of documents.
She said there was a long list of agencies that received the document. She said they had
not yet been able to find a public facility in the La Honda and Pescadero areas where they
could make the document available.
C. Britton said they will try to make the document available at no cost for everyone who
wants it. They will send one to PMAC and the Mid Coast Community Council.
S. Schectman reminded them that the full Board could not meet on this issue. That
responsibility had been given to the ad hoc committee. She urged them to make sure no
more than three Board Members attend the meetings.
C. Britton noted that there will be an alternate location available in case of a larger crowd
than will fit in the Board room for the meeting of July 31.
M. Neale asked if it would be possible to put a housing policy with the EIR or the
annexation document or in connection with the eminent domain document. C. Britton
said staff would come back with a recommendation.
B. Smith asked if they had contacted volunteer fire departments regarding the increase in
demand for services. He talked about the availability of grant funds, and said the District
has an opportunity to go after funding from the 2002 Farm Bill.
Meeting 02-12 Page 6
J. Escobar said he did not believe the volunteer departments were contacted,but the
agencies that oversee them were.
N. Hanko wanted it made clear that the District rangers are available to fight fires.
L. Hassett talked about his experience in the South Skyline volunteer fire department.
They found over the years that ranger staff and their vehicles were there for rescues and
fire response, and have boosted services in the area to a higher level than before the
District was there. In addition, he recalled that the District had donated equipment to a
volunteer fire department.
Mike Ednoff, San Mateo County Resource Conservation District, resident of Half Moon
Bay, invited the Board to attend their Board meeting and said he hoped to work with the
Distinct. He said he estimated that $1.7 to $2 billion would be spent on conservation in
the State in the next 7 years. He talked about the fiscal problems the school system has
now including no money for busing.
VL INFORMATIONAL REPORTS
J. Cyr participated in the Sunnyvale Art and Wine Festival. He said he was looking forward to a
hike with a Board Member at the end of the month.
L. Hassett: 1. He and staff members had a very productive meeting with the Old La Honda
Road Association. He said he wanted to make sure we maintain momentum with this and get
resolution. 2. He planned to bring the report from this meeting to the South Skyline meeting. 3.
He had a meeting with POST.
N. Hanko: 1. Bark beetles have attacked her property in Tuolumne County. She has a doctor
treating them, and he had some medicine he has been using for sudden oak death. He gave her
material to bring to staff, and she hoped they would get in touch with him.
M. Davey: 1. She thanked the experts and professionals who presented the report, as well as the
people who came over the hill to listen. She said this was the beginning of an exciting process.
N. Hanko mentioned that Mr. Sturgeon, one of the farmers, was at the meeting.
C. Britton asked that they save September 28 for the Duvoneck Humanitarian Awards event.
VH. ADJOURNMENT
At 9:22 p.m., the meeting was adjourned.
Roberta Wolfe
Recording Secretary
Regional Open Space
MIDPEI9NSU1A REGICMW OPEN SPACE DISTWCT
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ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
ADOPTION OF AGENDA
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INFORMATIONAL REPORTS(if any)
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