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Regular-General Government # 28.
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| Board of Supervisors |
County Administrator |
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| Subject |
| Receive and file update on on the activities of the Yolo Habitat/Natural Community Conservation Plan Joint Powers Authority and status of the Habitat Conservation Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan. (No general fund impact) (Blacklock/Petrea Marchand) |
| Recommended Action |
| Receive and file update on on the activities of the Yolo Habitat/Natural Community Conservation Plan Joint Powers Authority and status of the Habitat Conservation Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan. |
| Strategic Plan Goal(s) |
Preserve and support agriculture
Protect open space and the environment
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| Reason for Recommended Action/Background |
In November 2012, the Yolo Habitat/Natural Community Conservation Plan Joint Powers Authority ("Habitat JPA”) voted to continue the process to develop a Habitat Conservation Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan (“HCP/NCCP") for nine months. The Board directed staff to release the first public draft of the HCP/NCCP by June 30, 2013 and recommend to the Board by August 2013 whether to continue with the planning process. The Board based its decision to move forward primarily on an analysis by project manager Heidi Tschudin describing the benefits of completing at least an initial draft of the plan, including information necessary to negotiate with state and federal agencies proposing mitigation in Yolo County for impacts that occur outside of Yolo County and benefits to covered species of directing conservation investments to targeted areas of agricultural land and open space.
The June 2013 draft will represent a milestone in plan development because it will be the first draft available to the public since the Habitat JPA formed in 2002. The work to complete the first draft is funded in large part by grants from the state Wildlife Conservation Board, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as well a contributions from the member agencies. The JPA is currently on schedule to complete the first draft of the HCP/NCCP by June 2013. The following is a list of tasks that have been completed thus far:
All consultant contracts have been completed. The JPA signed a fixed price contract with the JPA’s major consultant, SAIC, for completion of the first draft of the HCP/NCCP by June 30th. As a result, the JPA will not owe any money above the fixed amount specified in the contract if SAIC does not meet the deadline. In addition, the contract contains penalties to ensure SAIC does meet the deadline, consistent with JPA Board direction.
Changes to the GIS vegetation layer are complete. The JPA addressed all of the wildlife agency concerns with the GIS vegetation layer. The completion of this layer provides a tool the cities and Yolo County can use to better understand vegetation types on property proposed for conversion to another use, regardless of whether the HCP/NCCP moves forward. The JPA saved significant grant funding by using County GIS Specialist Marcus Neuvert instead of consultant GIS staff. The savings will be added to contingency and/or the budget for the second draft in 2013-14 if the JPA decides to move forward. Wildlife agency staff have complimented Marcus extensively for his work.
Annual financial audits are in process. The JPA is working with an outside auditing firm to start the 2010-11 and 2011-12 financial audits in March 2013. The JPA was behind in its annual audits, so the JPA Board received three years of audits in June 2012. Once these final two audits are complete, the JPA’s audits will be current. The JPA is also asking that these audits include a review of internal controls.
Grant reimbursements are in process. The JPA inherited a backlog of grant reimbursements that date back to April 2011. JPA staff have submitted and received reimbursement for expenditures up to June 2012 and are currently working on submitting a grant reimbursement for July 2012 to December 2012. In the future, JPA will submit grant reimbursements monthly.
Grant applications for habitat conservation easements. Two landowners have expressed an interest in pursuing funding from the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) for habitat conservation easements. These landowners have placed deposits with the JPA to pay for staff time and have developed draft easements for JPA review. JPA staff and landowners have met with the Executive Director of the WCB regarding both of these easements and WCB and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife has expressed an interest in potentially funding them. Until the WCB knows that the JPA will continue with the NCCP planning process, however, WCB's Delta NCCP funds are not available to the JPA. (This is the largest and best funding source for Yolo easements.) In addition, the JPA is currently working with Contra Costa County to preserve these Delta NCCP funds as a result of an error that resulted in a recommended appropriation of $5.5 million for Delta NCCP funds in the Governor's 2013-14 budget instead of the $19.5 million available. |
| Other Agency Involvement |
| The cities of Woodland, Davis, West Sacramento and Winters and Yolo County are part of the Habitat JPA. |
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