The Work Management Plan is separated into two major sections: LAFCo and Shared Services. The LAFCo section addresses the workload involved in maintaining the legally mandated MSR/SOI (Municipal Services Review/Sphere of Influence) updates, applications, policy analysis and administrative duties associated with our LAFCo function. Shared Services reflects our proactive and evolving commitment to the Shared Services Initiative for agencies within Yolo County and promotes agency collaboration.
LAFCO
MSR/SOI Updates Scheduled for Completion 2014/15
Some of the MSRs scheduled for this fiscal year will carry over into the next year and the attached MSR/SOI update schedule has been updated accordingly. Following the order of the attached MSR/SOI update schedule, below is a status of each MSR/SOI update now scheduled for completion in FY 15/16:
-
Esparto Community Services District (CSD), Madison CSD and Madison-Esparto Regional County Service Area (MERCSA) - This MSR has been more involved than a typical MSR/SOI because staff is trying to negotiate with various service providers to determine if the CSA can potentially be dissolved. The General Manager for Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District has tentatively agreed to take over MERCSA's storm drainage function, and the General Manager for the Esparto CSD has tentatively agreed to take over MERCSA's park maintenance function in Esparto. This MSR was moving forward in the beginning of FY 14/15, but was placed on hold due to a state grant awarded to MERCSA for construction of a new community pool in Esparto. The grant cannot be transferred to the Esparto CSD. If the pool is approved MERCSA cannot be dissolved in the near future. Staff was initially waiting for resolution regarding whether the pool was going to be constructed or not, before resuming work on this MSR. However, now that the County is pursuing a Prop 218 election, staff recommends that we finalize the MSR with an "either/or" recommendation depending on the outcome of the pool. Staff anticipates this MSR will be ready to be considered by the Commission at a public hearing in September 2015.
-
Combined MSR for the Fire Protection Districts- This MSR will be completed by Citygate Associates and the contract was approved by the Commission at the February meeting. The project was kicked off at the March 10, 2015 Yolo County Fire Chief’s Meeting and the estimated timeline would have this MSR completed by the December 2015 meeting.
-
Combined MSR for the City of Davis and Associated CSAs- This MSR/SOI will be completed by Policy Consulting Associates and the contract was approved by the Commission at the February meeting. The estimated timeline would have this MSR completed by the October 2015 meeting.
-
Flood Protection Districts MSR (Reclamation Districts, Snowball CSA and Knights Landing Ridge Drainage District) - The Commission may recall that as part of the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan for Yolo County, the local agencies collaborated on and were awarded a grant to fund the preparation of the Lower Sacramento Delta North Regional Flood Management Plan. This flood management plan will identify projects, priorities and potential financing mechanisms to reduce flood risk in the region. One of the key issues to be addressed is governance issues associated with the multitude of agencies, including the reclamation districts, which currently provide flood protection service in Yolo County. The state is looking for a governance structure to ensure that the identified projects will be implemented and maintained over the long term and correspondingly a portion of the $1.5 million grant funded a governance study. This governance study was completed by the UC Davis Center for Collaborative Policy. Staff was awaiting completion of this study before moving forward with this MSR, because it completes much of the MSR research for us. This allowed us to avoid the duplication of work effort and resources. The Flood Governance study was completed in October 2014 and is currently being reviewed by the state Department of Water Resources (DWR). Pending DWR’s review, we will be able to begin work on this MSR to be completed by June 2016.
Staff has reorganized the schedule to create a more even 5-year distribution cycle of MSR updates. The proposed schedule delays some of the cities’ MSR updates beyond the five year requirement, but it achieves a more even workload distribution to avoid budget peaks and valleys for professional service contracts. The attached schedule needs to remain fluid; however it will get us back on track with a manageable update cycle. Because staff will spend the 15/16 fiscal year completing all the MSRs currently in process and starting the MSR for the reclamation districts (for which a study was already prepared at DWR’s cost), we will not need to budget for any significant professional services expenses for MSRs in the FY 15/16 budget, except for minor things like graphics.
Project Applications
There are no applications currently in process. However according to the Woodland City Manager, LAFCo can expect to receive an application to annex the Woodland Commerce Center in FY 15/16. The City of Davis is also currently processing applications for three separate projects that would all require annexation and would go to a citywide election (per the City of Davis’ growth control ordinance) in March 2016. It possible that LAFCo would receive one or all of these annexations in FY 15/16, though the following fiscal year is more likely. The City of Winters is also considering potential annexation of 200 acres, but this project will likely not materialize in FY 15/16. The City will first complete a specific plan and EIR and the project developer is only just getting started on these items.
The City of West Sacramento has ample "green field" development land within its existing boundaries, therefore no Sphere of Influence or annexations will be needed for many years. Yolo County is also processing the Dunnigan Specific Plan which is still technically an active project but there is apparently not much progress being made. If the Specific Plan is approved, the project will likely require a community services district to be formed to provide municipal services in the specific plan area. But County staff has indicated that an application to LAFCo in FY 15/16 is unlikely.
Therefore, while there is development activity on the horizon, the only application that seems reasonable to expect in FY 15/16 is an annexation application for the Woodland Commerce Center.
Administrative Projects
Per our local administrative policy 5.18, it is time for LAFCo to contract for an audit for fiscal years 2012/13, 2013/14, and 2014/15. Staff will be releasing the RFP to select a consultant this spring/early summer. The County doesn’t typically close the books on the previous fiscal year until October, so the goal would be to have an auditor under contract by then. Staff anticipates this contract will cost roughly $20,000 and our budget has been setting aside a small portion of funding each year to cover this expense.
In addition, staff will be working on the following administrative projects during FY 2015/16: preparing a comprehensive Project Policies and Procedures Manual, updating our project application forms, and other general administration items as required including: policy analysis as requested by the Commission, responding to CALAFCO legislative issues, training and attending conferences, etc.
SHARED SERVICES
Shared Services Workshop
The Shared Services Workshop on February 26, 2015 was a valuable session to determine agency priorities for LAFCo shared services and provided the opportunity to work in groups to advance the thinking on each of the top items. The workshop identified four priority projects, including: Non-Profit Coordination and Evaluation, JPA Coordination and Consolidation, Broadband, and Environment Compliance. Detailed workshop notes are included in the attachments and this staff report will focus on these four agency priorities.
Non-Profit Coordination and Evaluation
There is a need for increased oversight of non-profit organizations that receive contracts and/or funding from public agencies, in particular those organizations for which public funding is their primary funding source. As discussed in the break out group, oversight could range from relatively limited actions, such as agencies adopting consistent policies or best practices for all new non-profit funding and/or contracts going forward (i.e. that non-profit organizations must provide copies of regular audits or other performance standards), to more involved action such as creating an entity that would handle building capacity in non-profits, monitoring and auditing.
Staff suggests that LAFCo could work with the agencies to develop a template for best practices and/or policies for agencies contracting with, or providing funding to, non-profit organizations to be implemented in their next funding or contract cycle. LAFCo could pull together a working group and develop best practices policies within approximately 4-6 meetings and then provide them to each agency for consideration. To address building capacity, there is already a "Non-Profit Leaders" group organized by Patty Wong, County Librarian, which could continue or potentially enhance their work with non-profit organizations. Staff recommends taking an incremental approach first and evaluating its effectiveness before considering creating a separate entity to oversee non-profits in the County.
JPA Coordination and Consolidation
This entails the concept of creating a "master" JPA (aka "super, uber or umbrella" JPA) with the responsibility to oversee some of the existing JPAs, which would provide shared governance and oversight. Each of the JPAs that were consolidated into the master JPA could remain intact as their own division. LAFCo might be asked to staff the master JPA initially until it made sense to hire a separate Executive Director.
LAFCo Next steps would include:
-
Document existing JPAs and board make-up
-
Creating a fact sheet or concept white paper
-
Testing the master JPA concept with agency leadership
-
Presenting the master JPA concept to all elected bodies
This has the potential to be a significant yet worthwhile undertaking for LAFCo in FY 2015/16. This work effort would come from existing staff resources and is not anticipated to require any outside consultant costs.
Broadband
The Yolo Broadband Strategic Plan has been completed and the findings presented to each city and the County. LAFCo has been asked to continue in its shared services role to assist with agency implementation. Potential work plan items that came out of the Workshop include:
-
Continue the Broadband Working Group with agency representatives and provide regular reports on progress.
-
Identify infrastructure gaps and develop a plan to fill them.
-
Create template policies, ordinances and standards for the cities and County to adopt.
In addition to those items raised in the Shared Services Workshop, staff is also aware of additional needs such as: (4) the need to market the cities and unincorporated communities to existing and potential broadband providers, (5) some agencies may need to conduct more detailed feasibility studies for financing and constructing a network, and (6) the County may apply for state and federal grants. All of these additional items would benefit from some support from LAFCo.
Staff anticipates that continued broadband support could come from existing resources, perhaps enhanced with additional training. Any additional studies would be undertaken and paid for by the particular agency itself.
Environmental Compliance
This shared service would involve education and collaboration regarding fulfilling requirements, conducting any additional studies, legislative advocacy with a regional perspective and developing alternative solutions or mechanisms to meet requirement needs. This service effort requires coordination and extensive technical expertise, creating a centralized clearinghouse and lobbying group. Staff recommends that while this may be an extremely valuable effort, LAFCo staff does not currently have the technical capacity to lead such an effort. However, staff suggests that LAFCo could use its convening capacity to gather the appropriate technical experts from each agency to start their own working group. LAFCo could help form a group to get it going and then let the agencies continue with the collaboration on an ongoing basis.
Work Plan and Implementation
Corresponding with the results from the Shared Services Workshop, staff recommends the following key actions for FY 2015/16:
-
Develop the Master JPA concept by: documenting existing JPAs and board make-up, creating a fact sheet or concept white paper, testing the master JPA concept with agency leadership, and presenting the master JPA concept to all elected bodies.
-
Facilitate implementation of the Yolo Broadband Strategic Plan by each city and the County to include: creating template policies, ordinances and standards, continuing the Broadband Working Group as a steering committee, assisting with any additional studies or grants to provide continuity, and helping to market the cities and County to existing and potential new broadband providers. Staff has scheduled the next meeting with the Broadband Working Group on March 20, 2015 to discuss how LAFCo can assist the agencies with implementation.
-
Develop a template for best practices and/or policies for agencies contracting with, or providing funding to, non-profit organizations by working with the cities and County in 4-6 working group meetings and provide them to each agency for consideration.
-
Form a technical working group with representatives from the cities and County to collaborate on environmental compliance issues in common to be continued on an ongoing basis by the agencies themselves.
-
Continue to coordinate the Yolo Leaders Forum 2-3 times per year with the Planning Committee including developing topics, agendas and lining up speakers.
-
Continue to attend meetings of the SACOG Shared Services & New Initiatives Task Force, ensuring our respective shared service efforts remain complementary and coordinated where appropriate.
-
Conduct another Shared Services Workshop early next year to inform LAFCo's Annual Work Plan for FY 16/17.
Based on these shared services priorities that came out of the Workshop, staff recommends an item be scheduled to return at the April meeting with an update to the Shared Services Strategic Plan to reflect these new priorities and to commit to holding a Shared Services Workshop annually in order to continually inform the Annual Work Plan and ensure agency buy-in. |