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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-10-22 - AGENDA REPORTS - LANDSCAPE ASMT DIST WITHIN SC (2)AGENDA REPORT City Manager Approval Item to be presented by: Larry Cushman CONSENT CALENDAR DATE: October 22, 1996 SUBJECT: LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT DISTRICTS WITHIN THE CITY OF SANTA CLARITA DEPARTMENT: Building & Engineering Services 11-0. i* Currently there are 15 Landscape Maintenance districts within the City of Santa Clarita which are administered by Los Angeles County's Department of Parks and Recreation located in Arcadia. The responsibility was not transferred during the incorporation process. The County is requiring the City to accept responsibility for districts within territory which is annexed into the City. Annexations which will be affected by this are the Northbridge and Mountain View annexations. In addition, the County has requested that the City consider accepting responsibility for all of the landscape maintenance districts within the City. This transfer is achieved through a transfer of jurisdiction process which requires City Council and the County Board of Supervisors to adopt transfer resolutions. Recently, several other cities have completed the landscape jurisdiction transfer process successfully. These cities are Westlake Village, West Hollywood, Agoura Hills and Calabasas. There is no net financial gain by the transfer, as all districts must pay for all costs to operate the district.. However, it will provide more local control and one agency which will have overall responsibility. Transfer of all of the districts within the City may assist in resolution of some outstanding issues on the paseo bridges and may allow the City to provide a better level of service to the homeowners associations which have input into the maintenance of the districts. Staff has met with the homeowners associations within the landscape districts. A summary of the associations' comments are attached. Staff is in the process of evaluating the feasibility of assuming responsibility for the operations and maintenance of all of the Landscape Assessment Districts within the City of Santa Clarita and is scheduled to present the results of the analysis to the Council at the November 26, 1996 meeting. That City Council accept report for information purposes only. ATTACHMENTS Proposed Task Schedule Q' Summary of Associations' Comments NED:lkl mAgenda Item: undlllmdinfo3.ned A TASK SCHEDULE TRANSFER OF JURISDICTION FOR LANDSCAPE DISTRICTS The following task schedule of required milestones for the jurisdiction transfer process. Week of Event 10/22/96 Present Jurisdictional Transfer Process to the City Council as an informational item. 11/26/96 Transfer Resolution with findings presented to City Council. 12/17/96 County to consider in-house Resolution setting 12/12/96 as the date of the Board hearing, 01/09/97 Board of Supervisor's meeting, Resolution(s) presented to the Board 01/26/97 Board of Equalization jurisdictional transfer form for ad valorem district to be submitted Transfer is proposed to be effective for FY 1997/98. 05/13197 Preliminary Engineer's Report for FY 1997/98 submitted to City Council. 06110197 Public Meeting regarding the Engineer's Report. 07/01/97 Landscape assessment district jurisdictional transfer effective date. 07108197 City Council FY 1997198 assessment/Public Hearing to levy assessment. 07109197 Submittal of FY 1997198 assessments to County Auditor -Controller. NED:lkl ..6tUmdi .2.ned SUMMARY OF COMMENTS FROM HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS REGARDING THE PROPOSED TRANSFER OF JURISDICTION City staff met with the homeowners associations which have district areas within them. City staff indicated that a transfer of jurisdiction was being proposed and solicited comments and input. The general consensus was in favor of the City taking over the districts and having local control. Specific comments are listed below: • Homeowners wanted to be sure there would be a competitive bid process for the landscape contracts to ensure the lowest costs. • They want local control. • The associations wanted to participate in the process of deciding what work was to be done. • Homeowners wanted to be sure that all issues regarding the summit park for District No. 8 were brought to the associations' review and approval before any work is done. • They wanted to be sure they got a good rate of return on the reserve funds and fund balances. • The general consensus was in favor of the City assuming responsibility. At one meeting, 24 out of the 31 people present at one of the associations for District No. 2 voted in favor of the City taking over the districts. Seven did not vote. • They liked what the County did years ago to meet with them annually and list the projects which needed to be done and to prioritize them, and would like to see this done again. • They would like to see work done in a timely manner.. • They want to ensure that funds are not lost, misappropriated or commingled. • They like the idea of not having one landscape contractor responsible for all of the districts. • They would like to see a higher level of inspection and contract enforcement. NED:lkl d•bM\h..mm .t