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Commission backs policy change to speed out‑of‑agency sewer connections for urgent repairs
Summary
The commission voted to forward a resolution that aligns city policy with state law and authorizes the Water Resources Director to sign out‑of‑agency service agreements (OASAs) in limited cases—pending annexation, health-and-safety failures, or to satisfy existing service obligations—to accelerate urgent septic-to-sewer connections.
The Santa Barbara Water Commission voted to forward a resolution updating the city's out‑of‑agency service agreement (OASA) policy to City Council after a presentation from Dana Hoffenberg, water resources analyst.
Hoffenberg explained that state law (Government Code) requires Local Agency Formation Commissions (LAFCOs) to approve connections from properties outside city limits and that, historically, annexation or a formal OASA were the two paths. She said the proposed resolution aligns the city's policy more closely with state code, retains existing municipal‑code requirements (including the property owner's waiver of the right to protest annexation when required by state law), and adds an administrative improvement: delegation of OASA signature authority to the Water Resources Director so staff can respond more rapidly to urgent health‑and‑safety cases.
Hoffenberg said the city has signed nine OASAs since 2008 and has received 11 inquiries in the past two years as aging septic systems trigger more connections. Under OASAs the property owner remains responsible for connection costs and becomes a regular city utility customer; LAFCO approval is still required in most cases. Hoffenberg noted the city will continue to consult with LAFCO and the county about longer‑term regional solutions to reduce one‑off requests.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the municipal‑code language, the annexation implications for utility user tax exposure, and whether the city or property owners should carry LAFCO applications; staff said the municipal code already incorporates the state requirements and that delegating signature authority aims to reduce administrative delay for urgent public‑health fixes. The motion to forward the resolution to City Council passed on roll‑call vote with Commissioners Snider, Young, Cooney, Vice Chair Davis and Chair Keller voting yes.
The commission also discussed longer‑term coordination with neighboring sanitation districts and potential deposit or application‑fee approaches to offset staff review time for substantial outside‑service requests.
