Title
HEARING - Consider recommendations regarding the Santa Maria River Channel Re-alignment, as follows: (4/5 Vote Required) (EST. TIME: 1 HR.)
Acting as the Board of Supervisors:
a) Receive and file a report on the Re-alignment of the Santa Maria River near the City of Guadalupe as a result of the winter storm events of February/March 2023;
b) Approve $2,500,000.00 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund to the Santa Maria River Re-alignment project, funded from offsetting reductions to the COVID-19 Direct Response Costs ($2,198,858.00), Criminal Justice Data Dashboard ($250,000.00), IV Community Center Sewer Replacement ($38,142.00) and Health and Human Services (HHS) Plan Digital Literacy ($13,000.00) projects;
c) Approve a Budget Revision Request No. 0009313 to establish appropriations of $8,000,000.00 in the Public Works Guadalupe Flood Zone Fund for Services and Supplies funded by an Operating Transfer from General County Programs General Fund of $4,500,000.00, ARPA of $2,500,000.00, and a Release of Restricted Fund Balance in Public Works Guadalupe Flood Zone of $1,000,000.00;
Acting as the Board of Directors, Flood Control and Water Conservation District:
a) Receive and file a report on the Re-alignment of the Santa Maria River near the City of Guadalupe as a result of the winter storm events of February/March 2023;
b) Approve and authorize District staff to cooperate and act in conjunction with the County of Santa Barbara, including accepting allocated County funds, pursuant to California Water Code Section 75-5.6, to reestablish the Santa Maria River Channel near the City of Guadalupe;
c) Approve and authorize the Director of Public Works to exercise his emergency contracting authority pursuant to Public Contract Code Section 22050 and District Resolution No. 19-327 to enter into emergency contracts to reestablish the Santa Maria River Channel near the City of Guadalupe; and
d) Determine that the emergency work to reestablish the Santa Maria River Channel between the City of Guadalupe and the coast is exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Executive Order N-10-23, and is also statutorily exempt from the provisions of CEQA pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15269, as it consists of actions to repair and restore facilities damaged as a result of a disaster which require emergency action to protect service facilities essential to public health, safety, and welfare, and to prevent or mitigate an emergency situation during the upcoming rain season, and direct staff to file a Notice of Exemption on that basis.
COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICER’S RECOMMENDATION: POLICY