Title
a. Consider options for the Fort Ord Reuse Authority Draft Transition Plan relative to:
1. Extending the Fort Ord Reuse Authority Community Facilities District;
2. Identifying a successor to the Environmental Services Cooperative Agreement;
3. Creating a Joint Powers Authority for habitat management in Fort Ord; and
4. Completing the base-wide Habitat Management Plan and obtain base-wide State and Federal Incidental Take Permits.
b. Consider scheduling Special Meetings of the Fort Ord Committee in August and September to discuss Transition Plan options; and
c. Provide direction to staff and/or make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Fort Ord Committee:
a. Consider options for the Fort Ord Reuse Authority Draft Transition Plan relative to:
1. Extending the Fort Ord Reuse Authority Community Facilities District;
2. Identifying a successor to the Environmental Services Cooperative Agreement;
3. Creating a Joint Powers Authority for habitat management in Fort Ord; and
4. Completing the base-wide Habitat Management Plan and obtain base-wide State and Federal Incidental Take Permits
b. Consider scheduling Special Meetings of the Fort Ord Committee in August and September to discuss Transition Plan options and
c. Provide direction to staff and/or make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.
SUMMARY:
State law requires that the Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA) submit a transition plan to the Monterey County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) on or before December 30, 2018. To achieve this timeline for LAFCO submittal, FORA staff has indicated that the FORA Board will need to consider and approve a plan not later than October 2018. Toward this goal, FORA released a public Draft Transition Plan on June 5, 2018.
On June 21, 2018, the Fort Ord Committee considered the Draft Transition Plan. During this meeting, staff indicated that it was in the process of analyzing the Draft Transition Plan and evaluating potential impacts and benefits of various options for the County. The Committee recommended that staff conduct this analysis and lay out options for the Committee and Board to consider. In addition, the Committee posed questions for staff to consider in its analysis of the various chapters outlined in the Draft Transition Plan. The Committee also discussed possible procedural pathways for County involvement in the FORA transition planning process.
The County, through RMA, hired a Management Specialist with expertise in finances, understanding of the County of Monterey, and experience with the Fort Ord redevelopment area to provide financial and policy analysis and expertise to help inform County decision-makers and staff regarding the FORA transition planning.
Staff proposes to continue to analyze the Draft Transition Plan and relevant agreements and documents for impact to the County, and lay out options for the Fort Ord Committee and Board of Supervisors to consider. In addition to the regularly scheduled Fort Ord Committee meeting on August 23, 2018, staff recommends that the Fort Ord Committee schedule Special Meetings of the Committee in August and September, of approximately 4 additional hours, to facilitate transition planning discussion, consider options, and develop Committee recommendation(s) to the Board of Supervisors. Staff’s proposal is that each of the meetings would focus on particular subject areas involved in the transition planning.
Staff is requesting direction as to how the Committee would like to proceed in making recommendations on the Draft Transition Plan. The Committee could choose to wait to make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors until the Committee has considered all the transition topics, whereupon staff would present an omnibus recommendation from the Committee to the full Board of Supervisors in late September or early October. Alternatively, the Committee could make recommendations to the Board after each Committee meeting related to the topics covered at that meeting and could direct staff to begin presenting those recommendations to the full Board over a series of sessions. If the Committee wishes to provide direction to staff and/or make recommendations on the topics considered at today’s meeting, then staff recommends that the Committee consider making a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors regarding:
• Extension of the Fort Ord Reuse Authority Community Facilities District;
• Successor to the Environmental Services Cooperative Agreement;
• Creation of a Joint Powers Authority for habitat management in Fort Ord;
• Fort Ord Reuse Authority completion of the base-wide Habitat Management Plan and pursuit of base-wide State and Federal Incidental Take Permits.
DISCUSSION:
See Attachment 1: County Involvement in FORA Transition Planning Discussion
See Attachment 2: Financial Assets-Community Facilities District
See Attachment 3: County Counsel Memorandum Regarding FORA Transition: Habitat Conservation
See Attachment 4: Habitat Management Discussion
See Attachment 5: Environmental Services Cooperative Agreement Discussion
The FORA Draft Transition Plan dated June 5, 2018 is available to view at <http://www.fora.org/Board/2018/Packet/060818BrdTransitionPlanningPacket.pdf.>
Additional information and materials regarding FORA’s Transition Planning is available at <http://www.fora.org/Transitiontaskforce.html>.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
RMA represents the County on the FORA Administrative Committee and has monitored FORA’s Transition Planning. The CAO and County Counsel, in addition to RMA, is also meeting regularly with FORA staff regarding transition planning, and are available to assist and advise the County in the coming months regarding the FORA transition.
FINANCING:
The potential impacts and possible benefits to the County as a result of the FORA’s Transition Plan could be significant, and is a critical piece of what staff is analyzing. County staff time to prepare this report and participate in the Transition Planning process is included in the FY19 baseline budget. See Attachments 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 for discussion information about the possible financial implications of options being considered in the transition planning process.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
FORA was established to facilitate the transfer and reuse of the former Fort Ord, to minimize the disruption caused by the base closure on the local economy, and to provide for the reuse and development of the base to maintain and enhance the local economy, and to maintain and protect the unique environmental resources of the base. Managing and preparing for a smooth transition of FORA is important for protecting County interests and reducing fiscal impacts. Part of the physical infrastructure remaining is in unincorporated Monterey County.
X Economic Development
X Administration
__ Health & Human Services
X Infrastructure
__ Public Safety
Prepared by: Melanie Beretti, Property Administration/Special Programs Manager (x5285)
Prepared by: Carlos Urrutia, Management Specialist
Approved by: Carl P. Holm, AICP, RMA Director
Attachments:
Attachment 1: County Involvement in FORA Transition Planning Discussion
Attachment 2: Financial Assets-Community Facilities District
Attachment 3: County Counsel Memorandum Re FORA Transition: Habitat Conservation
Attachment 4: Habitat Management Discussion
Attachment 5: Environmental Services Cooperative Agreement Discussion