COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Department of Public Works

 

DATE:

June 2, 2003

BOARD MEETING DATE:

June 24, 2003

 

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Neil R. Cullen, Director of Public Works

SUBJECT:

Adoption of the 2003-2004 Water Pollution Control Service Charges Report for Flood Control Zone Two - City of Pacifica

 

Recommendation

Acting as the governing board of the San Mateo County Flood Control District, adopt a Resolution setting the time and place for a public hearing on the approval of charges in Flood Control Zone Two for Fiscal Year 2003-2004 for the purpose of carrying out storm water pollution control services (9:15 a.m., Tuesday, July 15, 2003).

 

Previous Board Action

1.

Formed Flood Control Zone Two in 1994 at the request of City of Pacifica for the purpose of financing pollution control requirements of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) within Pacifica's City limits. The boundaries of Zone Two are contiguous with those of the City of Pacifica.

   

2.

Adopted as the Zone project the San Mateo County Storm Water Management Plan, 1998-2003.

   

3.

Adopted Ordinance No. 03665 in 1995, at the request of Pacifica City Council, which established the charge rates for storm water pollution control services in Flood Control Zone Two.

 

Key Facts

1.

The San Mateo County Flood Control Act provides that service charges may be placed upon the tax roll.

 

2.

The City Council of the City of Pacifica has adopted a resolution requesting that your Board continue the Zone Two charge rates to finance the City's Community Program for NPDES.

 

Discussion

The ordinance adopted by your Board, established the following charges based on parcel use:

 
 

Vacant

$ 7.00

 
 

Single Family/Townhouse/Church/Condominium

$14.00

 
 

All Other

$28.00

 
   

The fees in the report have been imposed upon every parcel on the assessor's roll except for parcels owned by Local, State and Federal governments, and public school districts. Separately taxed improvements, such as mobile homes and underground utility improvements, have also been exempted.

 

The purpose of the public hearing on this report is to allow your Board to hear and consider any and all objections or protests to the amount of the individual charges. After the close of the hearing your Board may adopt the charges as presented or modify any charge in the report or overrule any or all objections.

 

County Counsel has advised us that the NPDES charges are an on going charge with no increase and therefore are not subject to the Proposition 218 requirement of sending a separate notice to each individual property owner. Therefore we are recommending that we notice the public hearing by publishing a notice twice in a newspaper of general circulation.

 

Vision Alignment

We believe our recommendation is consistent with the Shared Commitment to “preserve and provide people with access to our environment” and Goal Number 14, “important natural resources are preserved and enhanced through environmental stewardship”, as it enables Pacifica to implement a program that protects the water quality for the benefit of aquatic life in streams.

 

Fiscal Impact

The charges will finance the City's Community Program in the amount of $172,000. The City will reimburse us the costs associated with levying the charges including the per parcel charge levied by the Controller, estimated at $.30 per parcel based on the Controller’s rate schedule as approved by your Board. There is no impact to the General Fund.

 

A form of setting the time and date of the public hearing has been approved by County Counsel.