City concerned about grant funds if voters split county

Editor's Note: As voters mark their absentee ballots at home or get ready to go to the polls June 6, they will be asked to vote yes or no on Measure H-2006 - Shall the County of Mission be formed? This is the fifth day in a series of stories examining the projected impacts if voters approve the creation of Mission County from the portion of Santa Barbara County north of the Gaviota Tunnel. The series concludes Sunday.

By Malia Spencer/STAFF WRITER

Santa Maria city officials predict little impact on their operations if voters decide June 6 to split Santa Barbara County, though they expect some initial confusion in receiving federal grant funds.

Voters will decide June 6 on Measure H-2006, which would create Mission County from the portion of Santa Barbara County north of Gaviota and make Santa Maria its county seat. Members of Santa Maria's City Council have expressed mixed opinions about the wisdom of a divorce.

Since the city and Santa Barbara County work together to receive federal grant funds, a county split has the potential to disrupt that flow.

County and city officials say they are not sure how the split would affect the partnership, but they hope that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development would allow the cities and the two counties to continue to work together if a split occurs.

Santa Maria, along with other cities, and the county are part of a consortium that receives federal HOME Investment Partnership Program funds each year as an entitlement community, said Celeste Coelho-Hudson, grants administrator for Santa Maria.

The consortium is needed because the money is tied to population, and Santa Maria on its own does not qualify.

For Fiscal Year 2006-07 the consortium received roughly $1.7 million from HUD in HOME funds, Coelho-Hudson said, and Santa Maria's share was $380,453.

In April that money was allocated to two projects in Santa Maria, $300,000 for the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara and $50,000 for Good Samaritan Shelter Housing Coordinator. The remaining $30,453 is slated to carry over to next year.

The county is the lead agency for the HOME consortium, Coelho-Hudson said.

“I am not really sure if there were a county split if it would be to the city's advantage as far as HOME,” she said. “Even if we were our own entitlement then that would mean the city would have to do the administration that the county now does.”

As lead agency the county oversees compliance with the 14 regulatory overlays that the federal government requires for the grant program, said Pat Gabel with Santa Barbara County Housing and Community Development department.

Six staff members who each have an expertise in a different area of the requirements work on the grant, she said.

“If in fact the county were to split there would be an existing three year agreement among the jurisdictions,” Gabel said.

If there is a split, she added, and Mission County “wanted to join with Santa Barbara County and form a new consortium - again we need to band together to get the population numbers in order to get the job done.”

In addition to the HOME funds, the county also receives a small amount of money under the American Dream Down Payment Initiative and more than $1 million from HUD through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

For Fiscal Year 2006-07 the consortium received roughly $1.4 million in McKinney-Vento funds.

“We have been lobbying for Santa Maria projects and we have been pretty successful,” Coelho-Hudson said.

She added that she was unsure if the city on its own would qualify for the program.

The county and the cities in the consortium put together a 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness could also be in jeopardy if the city broke off into Mission County.

Ceolho-Hudson said when the 10-year plan is complete it will help local nonprofit agencies be more competitive when seeking grants and can help local governments receive federal dollars.

Santa Maria's elected officials seem to have mixed feelings about the split.

Mayor Larry Lavagnino said he thought the initiative had lost its steam and he is advising people to look at the economic feasibility study that was generated by the Mission County Formation Review Commission.

“It doesn't look too optimistic to me,” Lavagnino added.

Council members Alice Patino and Marty Mariscal noted that the process has reiterated the difference between the North County and the South Coast.

Mariscal criticized the gloomy economic forecast for Mission County because it was based on the existing style of government in a new county.

“The whole reason this was put forward is because we would have a different method of operating our government,” he said.

Patino said she saw the whole formation review as an audit of the existing county government and echoed Mariscal's criticism.

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has had a shift in politics and become less divisive, Patino said, and “it's easier to get county business done than it used to be. The fear is no one wants to go back to where it was.”

Similar to Patino, Councilman Leo Trujillo praised the work done by Firestone on the current board of supervisors.

“Since we have Supervisor Firestone things have shaped a little bit for North County,” Trujillo said. “Before it was 3-2 (votes) in favor of the South Coast. Now on a number of issues affecting the north we win a few.”

Councilman Bob Orach, who also works with the United Way, said he thought a county split could be detrimental to local nonprofits.

“From the human service area a lot of income from the south helps perpetuate agencies up north,” he speculated.

However, Trujillo said that if a split occurs local agencies would still have local support from the council and Santa Maria Valley companies.

Though he could see a down side of the split, Orach noted that from a political standpoint he would “have enjoyed a split.”

“From the push and shove that has been going on - let us rule our own roost,” Orach said. “But with the third seat (held by Brooks Firestone) on the board there seems to be a change and the population is moving up north and some of the political control has shifted a little.”

Malia Spencer can be reached at 739-2219 or mspencer@santamariatimes.com.

May 20, 2006