Title
Planning and Building Department, Long Range Planning, recommending the Board:
1) Find that the use of Ecological Preserve Endowment Funds for any specialized cleanup and/or maintenance work needed for the approximately 30 acres of County-owned land near Palmer Drive and Loma Drive (Carriage Hills property) is consistent with the El Dorado County General Plan, pursuant to Government Code Section 65402 and Chapter 130.71 (Ecological Preserve Fee) of the County Ordinance Code; and
2) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign the budget amendment for FY 2021-22 allocating clean-up costs from each department to the Ecological Preserve Endowment Fund budget. (4/5 vote required)
FUNDING: Ecological Preserve Endowment Fund.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
El Dorado County contains an approximately 25,700-acre area of soils derived primarily from gabbrodiorite parent material. The soil provides the primary habitat for a group of rare, special-status plants known collectively as the Pine Hill Plants. The Pine Hill Plants are adapted to natural wildfire disturbances, but anthropogenic disturbances threaten the long-term viability of chaparral habitat and the Pine Hill Plants it supports. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages the 4,934-acre Preserve for the benefit of the Pine Hill Plants and their habitat. BLM, the County, and eight other agencies/organizations are party to a cooperative management agreement for the Preserve.
On January 26, 2010, the Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of approximately 20.11 acres of land commonly known as the Carriage Hills Property, identified by Assessors Parcel Numbers (APNs) 070-261-077,-079,-080, and -081 (Legistar Item #10-1206). The property is located in Mitigation Area 1 on the rare plant preserve maps and adjacent to the existing Pine Hill Preserve, Cameron Park Unit. The purchase preserves these lands for potential use as mitigation for a number of County Department of Transportation projects that could possibly affect gabbro soils rare plants. The County and BLM are in the process of updating the overall existing Pine Hill Preserve Management Plan to include a management plan for the three parcels prior to incorporation into the Preserve (Legistar Item #19-1617).
The properties are subject to past and ongoing disturbance from homeless encampments, illegal dumping, and off-road vehicles. The County conducted a clean-up event on the Detmold and Carriage Hills properties in 2018. The County Departments of Environmental Management and Transportation coordinated with El Dorado Disposal and CALFIRE to coordinate staff and equipment necessary to remove the solid waste and materials from the property. To increase the site security to deter off-road vehicle use on the property and illegal dumping, Transportation also installed road blocks and signs at the property entrance. It was noted at the time that security of the property would be an ongoing matter requiring regular monitoring (Legistar Item #21-0562).
After several years, another clean-up of the property is needed. Individuals have continued to camp at the property and illegal dumping has once again become a problem in the area. Through the collaboration of the Departments of Planning and Building, Environmental Management, Transportation, and the Sheriff’s Office, a clean up event has been scheduled. Staff intend to use County-owned equipment and the labor of staff as well as volunteers to conduct the clean-up as quickly and economically as possible. Estimated costs are as follows:
$11,000 - Environmental Management for solid waste related costs
$5,000 - Transportation for Maintenance personnel and equipment
$10,000 - Planning and Building staff costs
The County maintains two separate funds for fees collected on building permits for the rare plant ecological preserve (pursuant to Title 130, Article 7, Chapter 130.71 - Ecological Preserve Fee), of the County Code of Ordinances. The Endowment Fund is used for the operation and maintenance of the Preserve and can be used to fund the costs of the clean-up.
The clean-up effort will allow the parcels to be preserved in a better condition ahead of the official incorporation into the Pine Hill Preserve system to be managed by BLM.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could decide not to allocate the Ecological Preserve Endowment Funds for this purpose, and could instead utilize Road Fund, General Fund, and/or Solid Waste funds for this purpose.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
See above.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
Department of Transportation, County Counsel, Environmental Management, Chief Administrative Office, CAL FIRE, and the BLM
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
It is recommended that the Board approve this item.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no Net County Cost associated with this item. Ecological Preserve Endowment Funds are collected as a fee associated with development projects in the area and are intended for maintenance and management of land within the Pine Hill Preserve. The budget amendment would reimburse the General Fund, County Service Area (CSA) #10 - Solid Waste Fund, and the Road fund using the Rare Plant Endowment Fund to cover the clean up costs.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
N/A
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Public Safety - effective management of these properties it will reduce transient occupancy of the property.
Good Governance - Implements interagency coordination to create, maintain and expand rare plant habitat and Preserve.
CONTACT
Tiffany Schmid, Director
Planning and Building Department