By the end of next month, the group studying the proposed split of Santa Barbara County may understand what it takes to run a leaner local government.
If voters opt to create a county north of the Gaviota tunnel in June 2006, the new Mission County would earn an estimated $52 million from property, sales and bed taxes. If its leaders wanted to provide services at the level currently offered in the county, it would cost $81 million annually -- giving the proposed county a yearly shortfall of $29 million.
The Mission County Formation Review Commission, the five-member panel studying the split, must determine if a new county is fiscally viable, and it must figure out a "fair, just and equitable" way to distribute the county's overall debt. Those two issues kept the commission in heated debate for about five hours Monday.
To best learn how to run a county with a slimmed-down budget, commission Secretary John Torell and two county analysts, Beth Owen and Greg Levin, will travel to Merced County this week to delve into the workings of a county of comparable size to the proposed Mission County. They'll meet with Merced's county administrator, budget director, probation chief, sheriff and human resources manager.
Posted by gandlwoods at November 30, 2004 08:15 AMI heard J. Diani on kclu speaking of the split. He was asked more than once by callers into the show what it was that neccesitates a split but he could never pin it down. This is the guy that's spearheading the split and he could only say there are geographical differences, (uh, really?) and philosophical differences. But he would not or could not say what those differences are.... But since he's the owner of AJ Diani Contruction I think it's clear why he and others want it. They want to be able to build it out until it's just like all the other poorly planned communities around the state and country. If you look at Santa Maria now you will see that the development is already haphazard. They have no clear vision of what they want it to be. It is a urban/suburban disaster in the making. And it's well on its way. They are bulding using old techniques, they have no real city center, it's sprawl. The builders just want to do whatever they want with no thought of the big picture or the long view. Santa Barbara County doesn't need to split. But maybe there are some people that should. I hear Houston, TX has no zoning laws.
Posted by: at December 1, 2004 08:28 AM