The Daily Journal/Michelle Durand, 9/9/14. "LAFCO to review Harbor District by year's end: Response to San Mateo Civil Grand Jury leans toward dissolution."
"The body governing San Mateo County’s special districts still favors dissolving the Harbor District and handing its duties to the county and the city of South San Francisco but wants to wait until after finishing a service review. The Local Agency Formation Commission agrees with a civil grand jury recommendation to initiate a service review by Dec. 31 and, in its proposed response, suggests doing so before moving ahead with any dissolution plans.
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| County vs. Special Harbor District duplication of services, possible redirection to County |
.... The zero designation is not a reflection of the district employees, their services or even discord within the governing board, Poyatos wrote in the proposed grand jury response. Instead, it is based primarily on overlapping services with the county like finance and administrative capabilities. In other words, the county — which shares the exact same boundaries as the district — already has the infrastructure in place to take on the district’s duties and provide the same services.
.... What might mean the difference now is the district’s heavy reliance on property tax to offset operating costs which is different than the legislative intent of Proposition 13. Special districts once used property tax for services like police and fire but some like the Harbor District are using it to recover service costs. County taxpayers pay the same amount but don’t necessarily reap the benefits equally. Read article.
References - San Mateo County Harbor District. San Mateo County Harbor District Board.
San Mateo County Grand Jury report/Superior Court, pdf pages 70, "What is the price of dysfunction? The San Mateo County Harbor District." San Mateo County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO)
Related articles - San Mateo County Times/Aaron Kinney, 7/9/14. "San Mateo County grand jury blasts 'embarrassing" harbor district, calls for dissolution." "It is abundantly clear," the grand jury wrote, "that the citizens of the county would be best served, both financially and in terms of better service, if the district were dissolved and its operations assumed by the county and other successor agencies." Half Moon Bay Review/Mark Noack, 9/4/14. "Harbor's Grenell announces pending retirement." Surprising both his friends and adversaries, Peter Grenell, the tenacious general manager of the San Mateo County Harbor District, announced at a Wednesday board meeting that he would leave his job in January."
Note photographs from San Mateo County Harbor District.
Posted by Kathy Meeh
1 comment:
Interesting. The SMC Grand Jury wants adult supervision for the Harbor District. What might they recommend for Pacifica?
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