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Home My WebLink About44-Mayor's Office CITY. OF SAN BERN.DINO - REQUEST 'WR COUNCIL ACTION From: Mayor W. R. "Bob" Holcomb Subject: Request to LAFCD to conduct a special study to identify areas of possible boundar) reorganization between the cities of Highland and San Bernardino Dept: Date: February 7, 1992 Synopsis of Previous Council action: Recommended motion: That a formal request be submitted to LAFCD requesting a special study to identify areas of possible boundary reorganization between 'the cities of Highland and San Bernardino. Contact person: Mavor Holcomb Phone: ~111 Supporting data attached: yes Ward: FUNDING REQUIREMENTS: Amount: Source: (Acct. No.) (Acct. DescriPtion) Finance: Council Notes: 75-0262 Agenda Item No. 1./1 COMMISSIONERS ELMER J. otGNEO Clty_ ROBERT L. HAMMOCK BoW of SI4*viIon WILLIAM KRAGNESS C.,_ HUMSERTO (BERT) LUGO SpecialDiIaricIs JON MIKELS. Chair -"'- OlIVER P. ROEMER -- ERNA I. SCHUIUNG. va CMIr PubliC Membef ALTERNATU WILLIAM KAlONA PubliC Member DONNA KELSEY SpedaI DiItricIs HEiDt K. LARKIN CIty- BARBARA CRAM RIOADrAN 80M! of SUI*YiIorI -- .MMES M. FIOODV _.. 0Ib< (\jI\CANCY) LAFCO_ KATHLEEN ROLUNGSMcOONALD elM 10 the CommiIIion CECILIA LOPEZ~ENDERSON .... ...- LEGAL COUNSEl ClARK H. AlSOP . . LOCAL AGENCY FORMATION COMMISSION 175 West Fifth Street, Second Floor San Bernardino, CA 92415-0490 . (714) 387-5866 . FAX (714) 387-5871 Established by the State of California to serve the Citizens. Cities, Spt'cial Districts and the County o{ San Bernardino January 30, 1992 W.R. "Bob" Holcomb Mayor, city of San Bernardino 300 North "0" Street San Bernardino, CA 92402 Dear Mayor Holcomb: Several weeks ago, we had a telephone conversation concerning a possible study of boundary issues between the Cities of San Bernardino and Highland. As part of that discussion, you inquired if the LAFCO staff would be willing to undertake such a study. I will need formal consent from the Commission to begin the review; however, I can assure you that I will enthusi~stically recommend Commission initiation of a special study to identify areas of possible boundary reorganization. Obviously, the Commission played an important role in creating the illogical boundaries which now exist, and I firmly believe that we should play an important role in resolving the service problems caused by those boundaries. I suggest that the process can begin upon receipt ot written requests from the City of San Bernardino and the city of Highland, and I envision a need for at least the fOllowing steps in the process: 1. The Commission will need to agree to undertake the study. I will present your request (if you agree to submit one) to the Commission at our March 19th hearing and I will ask that you and Mayor Johnson attend that meeting to endorse the staff recommendation to initiate the review. 2. No matter how artful a LAFCO staff study might be, and no matter how compelling its results might be for one city or another, nothing can ']:.\a...-- C -c ~t~~ --1~ ~~ . . Mayor Holcomb Page 2 be accomplished in terms of city boundary reorganizations unless both cities agree to the changes. I do not intend to bury myself or the Commission in data concerning hypothetical boundary options without some hope that actual reorganizations can be accomplished. I can safely predict that neither city will achieve 100% of its desires, and my hunch is that neither city will emerge from this study without being encouraged to consider annexations and detachments from its boundaries. It is vital, then, that we all at least begin this process with the same set of expectations and understandings. The second step, therefore, will entail preparation and joint adoption of goals and procedures for the study. These goal statements, among other things, will help to establish "groundrules" for the study, and they will be helpful in establishing a foundation of inter-city cooperation and participation in the review. J. If an inter-city concensus can be reached on a statement of goals and objectives for the study, the LAFCO staff will begin to prepare basic information concerning boundary options. Tentatively, I would suggest that the study should take the form of a sphere of influence review, and it should include at least the following components prepared on an area-by- area basis: a. Present and probable land uses. b. Adequacy of current services. c. Comparative service capabilities of the two cities. d. Socio-economic community relationships. e. Financial analysis of boundary options, including a review of revenue/service cost implications of each boundary change. . . Mayor Holcomb Page 3 f. Identification of boundary options which are--to the degree possible--neutral in terms of overall financial impacts. g. Environmental assessment of possible boundary changes. Please bear in mind that this list of study components is only a "rough draft" which can be modified based on the expressions of the cities and the Commission. 4. Upon conclusion of the LAFCO staff study, and after initial review by both cities and their staffs, a LAFCO hearing will be scheduled to evaluate the sphere of influence implications of the staff findings. 5. After the LAFCO hearing, and depending on whatever sphere changes are approved by the Commission, either or both cities may initiate proposals for actual jurisdictional change. By this point of the study, it should be clear to both cities that no purpose will be served if one city proposes a change which it knows will be opposed by the other city. Thus, the implementation of the results of the study will be up to you and the council. As to the cost implications of this proposal, my initial thought is that each city should submit the normal filing fee for a sphere of. influence review. Under our current fee schedule, the cose to the city of San Bernardino and to the city of Highland would be $2,000 apiece. I have not yet shared these thoughts in any detail with the city of Highland because I wanted to get your initial impression of the plan I have outlined. I am hopeful that you and I will be able to review this proposed strategy in a few days, after you have had a chance to review the basic steps which I have outlined. . Mayor Holcomb Page 4 . In the meantime, thank you for taking the time to consider this important issue. I will be happy to respond to any questions you might have ,concerning these suggestions. Sincerely, n~%~ JAMES M. RODDY Executive Offi JMRI