TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Jennifer Palmer, Director of Housing and Homeless Services
REPORT BY: Alex Carrasco, Staff Service Analyst
SUBJECT: Public Hearing to consider objections and tabulate assessment ballots, and adopt a resolution to impose assessments for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 for County Service Area No. 4 (CSA 4) - Farmworker Housing
RECOMMENDATION
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PUBLIC HEARING 9:30 AM
Director of Housing and Homeless Services requests the following relating to County Service Area No. 4 (CSA 4) - Farmworker Housing:
1. Open Public Hearing to consider any objections or protests with respect to the proposed reauthorization and extension of CSA 4 assessments and the proposed assessment for Fiscal Year 2022-2023;
2. Close Public Hearing and recess the meeting on the item in order to direct and allow the Clerk of the Board or Clerk’s designees to tabulate ballots from qualifying landowners on the proposal to reauthorize and extend the imposition of assessments for an additional five years through Fiscal Year 2026-2027; and
3. Reconvene the meeting on the item, receive the certified ballot results and, depending on the outcome of the balloting, adopt a resolution acknowledging the property owners’ approval of the extension and reauthorization of CSA 4 assessments for five years through Fiscal Year 2026-2027, and levying assessments for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 on qualifying property owners in the amount of $12.00 per planted acre.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2002, the Board of Supervisors created CSA 4 to provide funding for farmworker housing programs. Qualifying property owners subject to the Assessments of CSA 4 approved the imposition of Assessments in 2002, and every five years thereafter. Five years is the maximum period of time the Assessments can be imposed without obtaining qualifying property owners consent and reauthorization of the Assessments through the ballot process. Reauthorization of the Assessments was last approved through the ballot process in 2017. The County is seeking to reauthorize Assessments for five more years through Fiscal Year 2026-2027. Ballots were mailed to property owners subject to the Assessment.
This public hearing was scheduled to receive objections or protests expressed at the hearing, and to receive from staff the certified results of ballots cast on the five-year reauthorization of Assessments for CSA 4, through Fiscal Year 2026-2027. Ballots are due by the close of the public hearing. Ballots are weighted based on the amount of the Assessment imposed on each property (which is calculated based on the number of planted vineyard acreage). If the weighted ballots cast in favor of the Assessment are more than the weighted ballots cast in opposition, the Board may adopt the attached resolution extending the CSA 4 Assessment program for five years and imposing an Assessment for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 in the amount of $12.00 per planted acre. The current Assessment imposed on qualifying property owners is $11.00 per planted acre per year. In the event more weighted ballots are cast in opposition, the Assessments may not be imposed and the program will not be extended.
PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS
1. Open Public Hearing.
2. Staff reports.
3. Public comments.
4. Close Public Hearing.
5. Motion, second, discussion and vote to adopt the resolution.
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 3 2022, the Board approved a resolution accepting the Engineer's Report and setting the public hearing for July 12, 2022, to hear protests of the proposed reauthorization and extension of CSA 4 Assessments, and to receive the tabulation of ballots from qualifying property owners. 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 2022-2023 and the farmworker housing program will not have funding necessary for its continuation. |
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County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: |
Healthy, Safe, and Welcoming Place to Live, Work, and Visit |
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.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
In 2002, the Board of Supervisors created County Service No. 4 (CSA 4) to provide funding for farmworker housing programs. Funding is achieved by the program through the imposition and collection of assessments ("Assessments") on parcels of real property in CSA 4 that contain one or more planted vineyard acres that will receive special benefits from the services rendered by farmworkers who are housed through this program. The Assessments are currently $11.00 per planted acre per year. In 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2017, affected property owners authorized and extended the CSA 4 program and the imposition of Assessments for successive five-year periods. Five years is the maximum period of time the Assessments can be imposed without obtaining qualifying property owners consent to a reauthorization of the Assessments for an additional five-year period.
On May 3, 2022, the Board adopted Resolution No. 2022-01 (NCHA), which accepted the Engineer's Report for CSA 4 dated April 5, 2022 ("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 July 12, 2022 at 9:30 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. Ballots and notices explaining the ballots, the issues presented, and the procedures leading to this public hearing were sent out to all property owners described by the Report on or about May 24, 2022.
The County is now seeking authorization from the CSA 4 voters and from the Board, if approved by the voters, to impose the Assessments for an additional five-year period through Fiscal Year 2026-2027, up to a maximum of $15.00 per planted acre, but only imposing Assessments of $12.00 per planted acre for Fiscal Year 2022-2023. Today's public hearing is to consider objections or protests to the reauthorization for the five-year period, tabulate the ballots, and consider the imposition of the Assessments for Fiscal Year 2022-2023. Ballots are due by the close of the public hearing. Ballots are weighted based on the amount of the Assessment imposed on each property (which is calculated based on the number of planted vineyard acreage). If the weighted ballots cast in favor of the Assessment are more than the weighted ballots cast in opposition, the Board may adopt the attached resolution extending the CSA 4 Assessment program for five years and imposing an Assessment for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 in the amount of $12.00 per planted acre. The current Assessment imposed on qualifying property owners is $11.00 per planted acre per year. In the event more weighted ballots are cast in opposition, the Assessments may not be imposed and the program will not be extended.