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Executive officer briefs Kern LAFCO on fees, municipal service reviews, county accounting change and Lamont stormwater grand-jury inquiry
Summary
Executive Officer Blair Knox updated Kern LAFCO on a new fee-deposit requirement, municipal service-review groupings, pending state bills affecting LAFCO, county accounting-system changes and a grand-jury inquiry into the Lamont Stormwater District.
Executive Officer Blair Knox provided multiple staff updates during the May 21 meeting, including a status update on the newly adopted fee schedule, municipal service-review planning, state legislation affecting LAFCO and a grand-jury report on the Lamont Stormwater District.
Knox said staff is preparing to implement a fee schedule that uses the Board of Equalization template for acreage-based fee calculations and that a deposit requirement for proceedings will be added before the fee schedule goes live on July 1 (the start of LAFCO’s fiscal year). He described the approach as familiar to constituents and designed to reduce surprises for applicants.
On legislation, Knox summarized three bills under consideration: (1) increased website disclosure requirements about application processes and documents; (2) a bill initially drafted to require LAFCOs to name a successor agency when a private cemetery is abandoned (Knox said amendments are expected to narrow successor choice to other cemetery districts); and (3) a bill requiring municipal wastewater agencies to provide LAFCO copies of new or revised agreements. Knox said staff will continue to follow legislative amendments.
Knox described a regional approach to municipal service reviews and showed draft groupings (for example, Greater Tehachapi as one group and Bakersfield-area groupings as another). He said the commission will be asked to approve a sequence and that staff will return with a recommended schedule.
Knox reported that the county is migrating its antiquated accounting system and that the migration has operational impacts for outside agencies. He recommended holding off on a planned transfer of LAFCO reserve funds from Wells Fargo to the county until the county’s new system proves reliable. Knox said the county’s current procedures may temporarily require in-person or hand-delivered requests for transfers or reports.
On the Lamont Stormwater District, Knox summarized the grand jury’s April 8 findings of serious deficiencies and said Kern LAFCO and the county are working together to develop a response to the grand jury. "As of now, a definitive route forward has not been established," Knox said. He told the commission staff hopes to present a draft response letter to the commission before the July 8 grand-jury response deadline.
Knox also updated the commission on CALAFCO governance discussions and said several Southern California LAFCOs are exploring forming a separate organization; he advised monitoring the issue before taking membership action.
