TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Jennifer Palmer, Director of Housing and Homeless Services
REPORT BY: Alex Carrasco, Staff Services Analyst
SUBJECT: Public Hearing and Consideration of a Resolution to Impose Assessments for Fiscal Year 2024-25 for County Service Area No. 4 (CSA 4) - Farmworker Housing
RECOMMENDATION
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PUBLIC HEARING - County Service Area No. 4 Assessment
Conduct a public hearing to consider any objections or protests with respect to the proposed assessment for Fiscal Year 2024-25 and adopt a resolution authorizing and levying assessments for Fiscal Year 2024-25 on qualifying property owners in the amount of $14 per planted acre. (Fiscal Impact: $663,614 Revenue; County Service Area No. 4 Fund, Budgeted, Discretionary)
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BACKGROUND
In 2002, the Board of Supervisors created County Service No. 4 (CSA 4) to provide funding for farmworker housing programs. Funding is achieved for the programs through the imposition and collection of assessments ("Assessments") on parcels of real property in CSA 4 containing one or more planted vineyard acres that receive special benefits from the services rendered by farmworkers who are housed through this program. In 2022, affected property owners authorized and extended the CSA 4 program and the imposition of Assessments for a five-year period through Fiscal Year 2026-2027. Five years is the maximum period of time the Assessments for CSA 4 can be imposed without obtaining qualifying property owners’ consent to a reauthorization of the Assessments for an additional five-year period.
On May 7, 2024, the Board adopted Resolution No. 2024-42 (NCHA), which accepted the Engineer's Report for CSA 4 dated April 17, 2024 ("Report"). The Report includes a description of each parcel of real property benefitting from CSA 4 services and the amount of the Assessment for such parcel computed in conformity with County Service Area law and Napa County Code sections 3.12.030 and 3.12.040. The Board's resolution set the public hearing on this matter for June 4, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. and directed the Clerk of the Board to cause requisite notice of the public hearing to be published, which the Clerk has done.
The current Assessment imposed on qualifying property owners is $13.00 per planted acre per year. The proposed Fiscal Year 2024-2025 budget recommends a $14 assessment per planted vineyard acre, as anticipated in the Engineer’s Report issued when affected property owners voted on continuing the assessments in 2022. The maximum authorized assessment is $15 per planted acre.
PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS
1. Open Public Hearing for levying of assessments
2. Staff Reports
3. Public Comments
4. Close Public Hearing
5. Motion, Second, Discussion, and Vote to Adopt the resolution levying assessments.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
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Where is it budgeted? |
County Service Area No. 4 |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
On May 7, 2024, the Board approved a resolution accepting the Engineer's Report and setting the public hearing for June 4, 2024, to hear protests of the proposed Assessment. Today's public hearing and requested action complete this process. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
None |
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Consequences if not approved: |
If the Assessments are not levied, CSA 4 will not have Assessment income for Fiscal Year 2024-25 and the farmworker housing program will not have funding necessary for its continuation. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.