[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6231806,"mediaKeyId","3428721-a62c8afdb9926c4adef9ea56ec60932c","parentId",3428721,"title","Council sets public hearing on park and pool maintenance assessment after consultant Q&A","audioSeconds",746,"startMs",9306000,"endMs",10052000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3428721-a62c8afdb9926c4adef9ea56ec60932c&start=9306&end=10052","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3428721-a62c8afdb9926c4adef9ea56ec60932c/thumbnail_9306000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6231806/Lompoc/Santa-Barbara-County/California/Council-sets-public-hearing-on-park-and-pool-maintenance-assessment-after-consultant-QA","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6231806-4431856ce2e448651aa352c6dd2c8879/orig.mp4?Expires=1771145993&Signature=IGy6f8t-yOk8Z3akCSEykUzXO6oPWwKV~q8IY1sza0PsGvMK99U-0WihkfqQIMJmp7Snn0QwJLLqICawpfWq3mXbUpri60GBB8K6KtoKay73pS~1ek9HFkmU2ITKnV0RYJGK3gB6AAoBINvR3W1Cc1q0JOrqk94saYD7DKeJvj0HJVbn05YZK~FZPD0IgGWHQJN5urriSIWgE4B58WBG20v70L2hwEoxRUUT9AWxJNDTWV9mVnFwoV2LU3IG~dMpuLp3kY7WfjRrESkJZgZLmKQTowRNREh9hLc5rW0ENIBsh8PNNhYhceSI7tPAGiXW2qK61XrfLg~FlVEuF2xkGA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Lompoc CA","date","2025-05-21T15:16:11Z","article","The city’s assessment engineer, Kyle Tinker of SEI Consulting Group, answered council members’ technical questions on May 20 about a proposed park maintenance and pool assessment that would levy a parcel assessment for fiscal year 2025–26.

Tinker said the engineers’ report quantifies both special benefits to assessed parcels and the general benefit received by non‑assessed users. \"If you look at the budget on page 12 of the report, you'll notice that 25% of the total budget must come from other sources to pay for that general benefit that is received by individuals who do not pay into the assessment,\" he said during the teleconference portion of the meeting. Tinker explained that special benefits for property owners include proximity to improved parks and recreation facilities and improved access; non‑parcel users’ share is accounted for as general benefit.

Councilmembers pressed staff on whether items in the proposed improvement list were realistic for the coming fiscal year and how the listed capital totals related to the assessment calculations. Several members said they were concerned that the budgeted project list included large line items—some drawn from the capital improvement program—that may not be completed in the next year and that presenting large totals could confuse property owners.

After discussion, Councilmember Ridge moved and Councilmember Vega seconded to set a public hearing; the motion passed 5‑0. Staff said they will refine the budget and provide a clearer explanation of how assessment calculations relate to the project list before the public hearing date. The public hearing will be scheduled as required by the assessment‑ballot process and will include the engineer to answer questions at the hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Lompoc City Council 5 20 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The council voted 5‑0 to set a public hearing on a proposed park maintenance and pool assessment district for FY 2025–26 after staff and the assessment engineer answered council questions about benefit allocation, the project budget and how general benefit is calculated.","taxTitle","Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, California","taxId",56202,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6231811,"Council directs technical general‑plan update focused on land use, conservation and open space",1519,7054000,8573000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3428721-a62c8afdb9926c4adef9ea56ec60932c&start=7054&end=8573","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3428721-a62c8afdb9926c4adef9ea56ec60932c/thumbnail_7054000.jpg","/articles/6231811/Lompoc/Santa-Barbara-County/California/Council-directs-technical-generalplan-update-focused-on-land-use-conservation-and-open-space","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6231811-ca756172a0c2cc417159a83f0b672c63/orig.mp4?Expires=1771145993&Signature=Qc56DDXf7MYNbfqCc1xRxqZGVRp46wzpdfpfTr3bG0d6NqQAXTBGzsPZ7c6VWaI30IMaBDS963feSic2B1X4UM6u7fAJ9VfP8x23t57t0J8jaL9QmvswO~BQqz0YMqLhGkvhTO54Vy40VhugkmGItyKUxrnCGH0~JXyC-nFIRIz9EdTjgxzE1zMz4W9KIigC2CB~Uerw9BepWDP2pW7viYGq-yfHPqRTqe~gn-DNN0vWSaXdM4mcZLzNbXt4uiNztigdfMWT4kCCQMgU5IA1iu28PRrvU32wr2PMXrzZYVU3BmQrNYgkWfWOFvrDXxBcyQRacZJqjPv3BTAn8cdCWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Contract planner Laurie Tamora and planning manager Greg Stones presented options for updating the City of Lompoc’s 2010 general plan and related elements at the May 20 council meeting. They noted several required and optional elements were decades old and misaligned with current state law and community priorities.

Tamora described three options: (1) a limited set of ad hoc policy edits (estimated about $100,000 and up to 18 months), (2) a technical update focusing on land use, conservation, open space and select optional elements (estimated $600,000 and about two years) and (3) a full general‑plan rewrite to a 2050 horizon with a new Environmental Impact Report (estimated about $1 million and approximately four years).

\"Staff is recommending that the city council move forward with option 2,\" Tamora said, adding that the technical update would better align the elements, allow targeted community engagement and create a defensible environmental record. The recommendation included forming a general‑plan advisory committee and planning regular community meetings to improve turnout and input.

Councilmember Ridge moved to accept staff’s recommendation for option 2; Councilmember Ball seconded. The motion passed 5‑0. Councilmembers discussed timing, potential budget offsets and the role of the update in any future annexation and LAFCO referrals. Staff said the proposed funding plan could be staged across fiscal years and that the city would issue an RFP to secure consultants for the environmental and plan update work.

The council directed staff to proceed with option 2 and to return with consultant proposals and a refined budget schedule.","After a staff presentation, the council voted 5‑0 to pursue a technical update of the general plan that would update land‑use, conservation, open space and related optional elements and retitle the plan toward 2050; staff recommended a multi‑year, phased budget and appointed community engagement.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6231816,"City finance director defends enterprise reimbursement plan, urges new study to update methodology",1856,3171000,5027000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3428721-a62c8afdb9926c4adef9ea56ec60932c&start=3171&end=5027","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3428721-a62c8afdb9926c4adef9ea56ec60932c/thumbnail_3171000.jpg","/articles/6231816/Lompoc/Santa-Barbara-County/California/City-finance-director-defends-enterprise-reimbursement-plan-urges-new-study-to-update-methodology","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6231816-e580aeb8ab6297fe053be27a5e770b51/orig.mp4?Expires=1771145993&Signature=a55Whs7b65dpkP8xAoKOJFMzsnyeFVe9ilnSwZgUejKEgWul4DSJ0Q4fYrmTknrHd8JlJioXTKC4WwxboQZ6zHP1hiU2Ub9ktJIZwflMXhdNcgA9K9ubh9AsTe2DpDT5V8k6pvLT~XnWHoe3YiBuyqzWYh7vNAFyTIJedeSvfIreD95gkCzJ7D0CCqhko8MgA6ldgdOTiMbYdXewo7a~QtxaUcM3ROAT~oSBH~~eyA3TJ7I~rvKizKALpl-R1SIEaScE5VIpmVsV4yAVOkbDV5Kl2sh06lbuZqCgPZ5crwCyOaaa~Rly0gga0mHxXuH2VKw5itJ~sRVJL1pnOMdMCw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Christie Donnelly, Lompoc’s management services director, opened a lengthy review of the city’s enterprise reimbursement plan at the May 20 council meeting, saying the interfund charges recover measurable general‑fund costs that enterprises—water, wastewater, electric and solid waste among them—impose on shared services.

Donnelly told the council that the 2016 HF&H consultant study had recommended full‑cost allocation for three categories (public safety, government facilities and right‑of‑way maintenance) and that the city had undercollected versus the 2016 baseline. She recommended a phased correction in recent budgets and proposed commissioning a new reimbursement study in early 2026 to ensure legal defensibility and updated methodology.

\"When our utility operations use public safety services or city‑owned facilities, it's only fair that they reimburse the general fund for those costs,\" Donnelly said, adding that the enterprise reimbursement is not a revenue measure but a cost‑recovery practice intended to prevent cross‑subsidy under Proposition 218.

The presentation included dollar figures from the prior study and staff calculations: the 2016 report allocated about $5.08 million; the city was receiving roughly $3.08 million in reimbursements in 2022; staff proposed a multi‑year phase‑in target near $6.5 million adjusted for CPI. Donnelly said eliminating the reimbursement program without replacement would force $3.11 million in general‑fund cuts, primarily affecting police and fire, and estimated layoffs consistent with that shortfall.

Council members and the mayor questioned the study’s methodology and past consultant choices. Councilmember Ball recalled an earlier ad hoc review and litigation threats in other jurisdictions and urged caution; several council members supported a new, defensible consultant study. Police and fire officials in the chamber warned that abrupt reductions could impair emergency response.

No formal council action was taken at the meeting. Donnelly recommended initiating a new reimbursement study in January or February 2026 and continuing phased adjustments in the interim; council members verbally supported securing an updated, defensible analysis before making further rate or assessment changes.","Management services director Christie Donnelly reviewed the city’s enterprise reimbursement program, explained its legal and accounting rationale, and recommended a new reimbursement study in early 2026; council members debated the method’s defensibility, potential fiscal impacts and legal risks but took no formal vote.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6231821,"City staff outlines $350,744 CDBG ADA project plan; council probes scope and eligibility",907,2037000,2944000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3428721-a62c8afdb9926c4adef9ea56ec60932c&start=2037&end=2944","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3428721-a62c8afdb9926c4adef9ea56ec60932c/thumbnail_2037000.jpg","/articles/6231821/Lompoc/Santa-Barbara-County/California/City-staff-outlines-350744-CDBG-ADA-project-plan-council-probes-scope-and-eligibility","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6231821-0db575427e61a4b960be619b451ecb38/orig.mp4?Expires=1771145993&Signature=HsJlzQndOUwEesnRE~N4nW3BpQvvz3vfsJTmsj3K7a1VjJNxIo-F5k-wKobUH3UDMsj0Q05I9QfOSQ~PUTONCR5aLeQ8RuOiB09YADZOKuyRSePyiNQjN1tIKXm03ZOxKPrYct5JHOuwxf-G0h51wrTzQM7DzrFii3L5YZ~BCMILwjUfZISY4POXtGJDwf4idBhGXiG~gv~hMKqzXmbE5B-58Qu70eMAdm5D35JBmab02Re5mKljXpN8ImSYMml3cMEOlMOq1hrOQeCfJRnLy-nyMz6RvwIU5BA0Apu7e981GTufhpB1fbehV3qFPCMi00go8w~1ZlplecbbgY2ugg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Chanel Hovalle, the city’s community development program manager, told the Lompoc City Council on May 20 that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has granted the city $262,641 in entitlement CDBG funds for fiscal year 2025–26 and that program income increases the total available for ADA capital improvements to $350,744.

Hovalle explained that Community Development Block Grant funds are “intended to develop communities for low and moderately low‑income persons” and that HUD requires eligibility and spending limits for CDBG projects. She told the council that the city’s council‑approved five‑year consolidated plan envisions using capital project funding to support Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility improvements and that such projects are an eligible CDBG use because they benefit people HUD presumes to be low‑ or moderate‑income.

Council members asked whether the consolidated plan restricts CDBG spending only to ADA improvements. Councilmember Bridge and others said they had not realized recent council action effectively limited CDBG capital projects to ADA‑related work for the next five years. Hovalle said the consolidated plan submitted to HUD emphasizes ADA capital projects for the coming five‑year period and that projects must be identified in the city’s capital improvement plan before CDBG funds will be used as a supplement.

Council members also asked whether separate programs such as a down‑payment assistance program are part of this fund. Hovalle replied the down‑payment assistance program is a separate pot of funds and not drawn from the CDBG entitlement discussed at this meeting.

Several councilors raised Riverbend Park as a site of interest that may not qualify under low‑ and moderate‑income (LMI) area rules. Hovalle said some parks outside a defined LMI area can qualify for CDBG funds if the project has an ADA nexus or if the city can demonstrate that a sufficient share of users are LMI residents. She said staff could work with community groups to document user demographics and pursue eligibility if council directs.

No formal action was taken; staff said CDBG funding will be integrated into capital projects brought back for council approval and that staff will provide additional information on eligibility and timing as projects are developed.","Community Development staff told the council the city’s 2025–26 Community Development Block Grant allocation and program income total $350,744, intended for ADA capital improvements; council members pressed on whether the consolidated plan limits uses to ADA projects and whether parks such as Riverbend qualify.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6231826,"County Fire Safe Council outlines Lompoc Valley wildfire plan, requests local participation",397,290000,687000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3428721-a62c8afdb9926c4adef9ea56ec60932c&start=290&end=687","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3428721-a62c8afdb9926c4adef9ea56ec60932c/thumbnail_290000.jpg","/articles/6231826/Lompoc/Santa-Barbara-County/California/County-Fire-Safe-Council-outlines-Lompoc-Valley-wildfire-plan-requests-local-participation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6231826-ae980992f3bc96afc68a4d4677ddd010/orig.mp4?Expires=1771145993&Signature=nAyC7ljTWRnBtpFmlFjBOlIbVx2jk-WCZtgqViklgoE5fWrQQGEPJERdo0oL2lj5Pu9SwWYlQnR97X0GyBKtSTKxURuwLC09jd0tDHO2U97cnCJwWi~HUAptvPLwXrgqQZKFWOMjQMEuwZr9WKela6JagOQzQzBUlRgqSVJ41xq2jkApQbx-eScoLdMe6CkpXA-zMqSOuE7qS7kEA8GsTqLULi6aVJR4zg6JRlqMTEEVkstpNqXsis5dsJavojI1~26k6J3CO0Tn5aU4qbq6S9zg89kBMXEXVgfj-SwUv9mjKEYLeBiTgTHkaU2id4GGunSfifGI790hT2irRyqz1A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Monica Matthews, project manager for the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council, introduced a proposed Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) for the Lompoc Valley at the Lompoc City Council meeting on May 20.

Matthews said the CWPP is “a plan and a process” that lists recommended fuel‑treatment projects and measures to reduce structure ignitability and that the process is as important as the final document for building community relationships and accessing grants. \"A key piece of this is this document lists projects that you want to see for your community so that they can get funding at the federal level, at the state level, through private foundations,\" she told the council.

The Fire Safe Council, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, said the Lompoc Valley has substantial wildfire exposure: about 85% of the valley is at high or very high hazard severity. Matthews described a development timeline that includes focus groups, a vulnerability map and signatures from the county Board of Supervisors, County Fire and typically Cal Fire for final sign‑off.

Council members asked about the plan’s regulatory effect. Councilmember Bridge asked, \"Is it an enforcement document or an information document?\" Matthews answered that the CWPP is “completely nonregulatory,” adding that partners such as fire and law enforcement may have regulatory authorities but the council’s CWPP would not impose new regulations.

Matthews asked council and city staff to help recruit focus‑group participants and to advise on local partners. The presentation closed with a pledge to publicize an anticipated public meeting in mid‑2025 and to keep the council and city clerk informed about outreach.

The council took no formal vote on the CWPP; staff and the Fire Safe Council said they would return with public‑engagement dates and draft materials for review.

For residents: the Fire Safe Council maintains a project website for updates and said it will hold multiple focus groups in the valley and produce a draft CWPP by mid‑next year.","The Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council presented a draft Community Wildfire Protection Plan for the Lompoc Valley, described the plan’s nonregulatory role and requested city help recruiting focus‑group participants and partner signatures from county and state agencies.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council sets public hearing on park and pool maintenance assessment after consultant Q&A

Council directs technical general‑plan update focused on land use, conservation and open space

City finance director defends enterprise reimbursement plan, urges new study to update methodology

City staff outlines $350,744 CDBG ADA project plan; council probes scope and eligibility

County Fire Safe Council outlines Lompoc Valley wildfire plan, requests local participation