Flood Control - Santa Cruz LAFCO

Santa Cruz LAFCO: Countywide Service Review
Flood Protection and Stormwater Services
5.8 Government Structure Options
Each of the cities is providing drainage and flood protection services within their incorporated areas. The
Santa Cruz County Flood Control & Water Conservation District is providing flood protection and
drainage services within the benefit zones. CSA 57 is providing enhanced drainage services to the
Graham Hill area.
One government structure option for Zones 5, 6 and 8 would be to create independent drainage districts.
This would need to be evaluated from a cost/benefit perspective as there are economies of scale and
efficiencies from operating as part of the County’s structure, including shared resources, staff and
equipment. This option would likely result in increased costs without a significant increase in benefit.
The governing board of Zone 7, Pajaro Valley, has discussed forming a JPA with the County of Monterey
or the City of Watsonville regarding shared maintenance. Forming a new entity to assume responsibility
might be beneficial; however there are impediments to this as there are inequities between the
assessments levied in the two counties adjacent to the Pajaro River. There are also significant legal issues
and risk since the levee expansion project is still years away from the completion.
In December 2004 the County established Zone 7A Pajaro Valley, for flood control. The boundaries of
the new district are coterminous with the boundaries of the Pajaro Storm Drain Maintenance District. In
March 2005 the Board of Supervisors approved a development impact fee of $0.85 per square foot,
increasing to $1.00 per square foot in 2008, which is expected to generate approximately $340,000
annually for drainage and flood control projects in that area. Given this recent change, there may be a
benefit from reorganizing the Maintenance District with the new Zone. Potential benefits include reduced
administrative costs and simplified service areas. Some of the area lies within three jurisdictions: the
Pajaro Storm Drain Maintenance District, Zone 7 and Zone 7A. The full costs of reorganization would
need to be evaluated to determine whether a change would be beneficial.
5.9 Local Accountability and Governance
Drainage, stormwater management, and flood protection services are addressed by each of the City
Councils and the County Board of Supervisors during their regular meetings. Each has procedures in
place to ensure that public notice and governance standards are met.
Zone 7 is governed by a seven-member board that includes the Board of Supervisors as well as
representatives from the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency and the City of Watsonville.
Meetings are held quarterly generally on the third Tuesday of the month in January, March, June and
September. The meeting time and location varies; public notice is provided through posting and mass
mailing. Zone 7 has its own website – www.pajaroriver.com – which is used to disseminate public
information.
The County and the Cities of Capitola, Santa Cruz and Watsonville provide information about stormwater
management services on their websites.
June 2005 – Public Review Draft Section 5 - 18