In closed session today, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors is expected to review the Santa Ynez band of Chumash Indians' pending request to annex 6.9 acres off Highway 246, which would take the property off the county's tax rolls and put it outside the county's land-use planning rules.

Since February, the county and the Chumash have been trying to reach an agreement over the use of the land across Highway 246 from the tribe's casino.

In exchange for the Chumash agreeing not to pursue any gaming establishments on the site, the county Board of Supervisors did not appeal the tribe's request to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to take the land into Indian Trust status.

The supervisors are scheduled to discuss today whether to continue negotiations with the tribe, join the Santa Ynez Valley Concerned Citizens in an appeal of the annexation, or both, County Executive Officer Mike Brown said Monday. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has set a deadline late this month for the county to join the appeal, forcing the supervisors to make a decision quickly.

However, Brown said, the county may soon receive an extension to file a brief and join the appeal, allowing the board more time to make a decision.

The County Executive's Office recently ran an analysis projecting how much property tax would be lost if the Chumash develop 27,000 square feet of commercial buildings on the 6.9 acres, as proposed, and found that approximately $7 million in tax revenue would be lost over 50 years. This money would normally fund schools and fire protection, according to the study, which may be used in the board's discussion of whether to join the appeal.

A tribal spokeswoman, however, said Monday the study is not a fair representation of what the Chumash are doing for the Santa Ynez Valley.

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"No matter how many times we set the record straight, they (Santa Ynez Valley Concerned Citizens) refuse to listen," said Francis Snyder, tribal spokeswoman. "They are intellectually deaf in issues involving the tribe."

The tribe has donated $20 million in the past several years in improvements to Highway 246 and other local donations, Snyder said. In addition, the tribe provides 1,500 jobs for county residents, equaling more than $51.3 million in labor costs in 2004 alone, she said.

Regardless of recent speculation of the tribe backing out of negotiations with the supervisors, Snyder said, the tribe "still wants to have negotiations" if the county chooses to continue.

The supervisors' meeting is at 9 a.m. in the Betteravia Government Center, 511 E. Lakeside Parkway in Santa Maria.

Randi Block can be reached at 347-4580 or rblock@santamaria

times.com.

July 12, 2005