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Home My WebLink About30-Mayor's Office - , o J CITY OF // San Bernardino OFFICE OF THE MAYOR ,V R 3 (] B MAYOR ~~, ~ c '.1 B TO: MEMBERS OF ~HE COMMON COUNCIL FROM: Mayor Holcomb SUBJECT: STAFFING OF THE SAN BERHARDINO Il'ITEllHATIOHAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY DATE: October 16, 1992 COPIES: City Administrator, Administrator-EDA; Executive Director, IVDA; File I am greatly concerned about an issue the Common Council will consider on Monday relating to the staffing of the San Bernardino International Airport Authority (SBIAA). So concerned that I must take this opportunity to highlight certain major issues that have been, in my opinion, glossed over in the discussions involving a separate staff for the SBIAA. Mv recommendation to the Common Council. one which I have to make in the stron2est of terms. is to reject the recommendation to establish a separate staff for the SBlAA. The specific reasons for my recommendation are outlined below, anyone of which is reason enough to reject the separate staffing recommendation. In analyzing this particular issue, it is important to realize that having separate legislative bodies without interlocking directorships and with essentially the same mission is a most difficult proposition to begin with. A single staff would, at a minimum, ensure close coordination and communication, make recommendations to reconcile differing positions of the two agencies and ensure a much higher degree of efficiency in carrying out the mutually compatible goals and objectives of both agencies. One only has to look at the bureaucratic fiasco that occurred in Los Angeles involving the Metro Rail Project to see clearly the pitfalls that would arise by creating a separate staff where none is needed. In Los Angeles, both the County Transportation Commission and the Southern California Rapid Transit District had responsibility for certain aspects of the Metro Rail Project. As a result of the bureaucratic infighting and interagency warfare that occurred )00 NORTH 0 STREET SAN ReRNARDINO C A l I FOR N I A 9 2 4 1 6 0 0 0 1 7 1" ..3 . .. . 5 1 3 3 ~30 \'!<' o Q OFFI ex OF TIIJI: MAYOR Staffing of the SBIAA October 16, 1992 Page Number -2- in connection with this project, Mayor Bradley and Governor Wilson, with assistance from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, moved to have the project in its entirety handled by the County Transportation Commission. Unfortunately, these actions occurred after significant delay and millions of dollars lost in taxpayers I money. Only a later appropriation of new funding by the U.S. Congress saved this important project. With the decision already made 'to not have interlocking directors, this is our last opportunity to ensure the type of coordination, communication and continuity necessary to fully take advantage of the huge growth potential Norton AFB represents. I would not be so vehemently opposed to the separate staffing issue if one were needed or the directors of both entities were one and the same. This model works very successfully in San Bernardino where the Mayor and Common Council govern the activities of City departments providing essential municipal services and the Mayor and Common Council, sitting as the Community Development Commission, governs the activities of the City's development arm, the Economic Development Agency. I envision a number of major negative impacts occurring should take a position in support of a separate staff for the SBIAA. include, but are not limited to, the following: the Council These impacts 1. Bureaucracies have a tendency to grow and take on their own mission. That mission may be oriented towards a single purpose that may not serve the greater interest. a. The airport may choose a use that provides them the most revenue but not the most jobs, i.e., passenger use generates auto parking revenues but not t~e most jobs. b. Whenever a new group is created, the work activity is not reduced, but actually increases without a double gain in product. This is a Parkinson Axiom that almost never fails. Two organizations do not accomplish twice the product. 2. The environmental concerns that are facing the Base migrate across boundaries. We need to deal with these matters with a unified force; "one voice". 3. The period of time before the Airport Layout Plan is approved, and the Record of Decision is approved, creates a confusion over which agency should market the property. We cooperate, but as mentioned above, we could have different motives. There will be at least six months before these decisions are final. 4. If the Airport Layout Plan is approved, but all of the land contained therein is not granted to the Airport Authority, how will o o OFFICE OF THE MAYOR Staffing of the SBIAA October 16, 1992 Page Rumber -3- they have the resources to buy it? The IVDA will have to purchase it, or it will go out to bid. 5. Most cities try to have their city council serve as the Redevelopment Agency to eliminate conflict. The same reasons can apply in the case of the Airport. There should be more overlapping memberships on the IVDA and the Airport Authority. Under the present status the two opposing cities can be influential in choosing a use for the airport that is not the most beneficial for the larger communi tv, jobs, jObs, jobs. 6. In the early years, the implementation of the Master Plan and development projects will be more efficient if there is one staff and common goals and objectives. 7. The need to deal with two different agencies has ceased some coordination problems with the Air Force, Regulatory Agencies, and Regional Planning Agencies. Notices of some meetings may be sent to one agency and not the other. 8. The separate Agency is going to incur additional cost, for office space, phone support equipment and at least one secretary that could be saved. I have identified at least $150,000 of such additional costs in the first year alone (of the SBIAA staff's existence). In conclusion, I would just like to add that I took the lead in "regionalizing" the redevelopment of Norton AFB, against sometimes fierce, local opposition. I did so even though Norton AFB is entirely within the city limits of San Bernardino. Realizing, however, that Norton has a regional impact on the Inland Empire economy and that including other local governments that are impacted by the closure of Norton and whose citizens work at the base, I felt it only appropriate to include other cities and the County in our efforts to redevelop Norton to its fullest economic potential. It was not my intent, however, for the City to be facing a situation where its influence in the redevelopment of Norton will be severely reduced if the separate staffing issue is approved and a number of proposed annexations are approved, as anticipated. At present, over seventy percent (70%) of the tax increment for the IVDA comes from the City of San Bernardino. The SBIAA also receives seventy percent (70%) of its revenues from San Bernardino, minus a one time $200,000 grant from the U.S. and $7,500 per participating jurisdiction. In the future, the so called "donut hole" will be annexed by the City of Redlands. When this event occurs, over ninety percent (90%) of the revenues for the IVDA and the SBIAA will come from the City of San Bernardino. This potential situation must not be allowed to happen. o o OFFICE OF TIlE MAYOR Staffing of the SBIll October 16. 1992 Page Number -4- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the future, when all environmental planning and funding mechanisms have been resolved and/or established, and the airport becomes operational, there will most likely be a need for the SBIll to have a separate staff. Even then there is the prospect that an airport operator, such as Lockheed, could manage the airport operations component of the base with very little, if any, of the required staffing having to be provided by the SBIll. I urge the Common Council to reject the recommendation reestablishing a separate staffing complement for the SBIAA. Please call me at extension 5133 should you require additional information or clarification regarding this matter. ,-" .., -1 /'" '//',,/- /' W.R. HOLCO , Mayor Ci ty of San Bernardino ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WRH:mkc:262lJ