|
In This Issue...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Redevelopment to Focus on Economic Vitality
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Redevelopment to Focus on Economic Vitality
Staff Increases to Support New Projects
By Linda Fridy
In spite of an attempt by the state to take most of Santa Cruz County's redevelopment income this year, the agency continues its five-year planning process with fall community workshops. Two of the four sessions will focus on economic development based on local suggestions from meetings last spring.
The agency also will add staff to focus on that area. County supervisors, who serve as the agency's board, approved the new positions for this year, even as other areas of government lost employees.
"The board did approve new positions in economic development within the agency so we can bring in folks with expertise to develop new programs," said agency director Betsey Lynberg. Job descriptions are being created, after which the jobs will be posted.
Lynberg estimated she would gain two to three new staff members.
In the past, her agency has expanded parking in Soquel and enhanced streetscapes at the request of local businesses. It also sponsored a workforce investment board. In other communities, the RDA has help entice businesses to the area, and the district includes shopping centers like East Cliff Shopping Village owned by Barry Swenson Builder.
Other future projects to aid economic development could include supporting small businesses, like making façade improvements.
Such efforts would work with input from the community workshops, Lynberg said.
What Residents Want
Hundreds of community members attended spring workshops and offered suggestions online to help shape future projects in Live Oak and Soquel. Five main categories emerged from those discussions, and they provide the topics for the fall workshops.
"One item we heard very clearly was community vitality," said Lynberg.
Respondents want the appearance of local commercial areas improved and additional access to goods and services. They also favor job creation, she said.
That focus will be combined with affordable housing for the upcoming sessions.
Other common concerns that came from the spring were safety, youth activities and facilities, and improved walking and biking routes.
Those areas will be the focus of the other two workshops.
Results of the spring discussions should be posted on the RDA website within the week.
Funds Still Available?
RDAs get their money from property taxes, retaining part of the money generated within their districts to fund local projects. As properties are improved and new projects created, the agency basically gets the extra tax income less some deductions for schools and other agencies, although precise funding is based on complicated calculations.
"In these difficult times, what an RDA does is provide funding in local communities for construction projects, and there's this whole trickle-down effect. Additionally, our mission is to address economic blight and provide access to goods and services where the community is not well-served," Lynberg explained.
RDAs benefitted from increased real estate values over the years, and the funds they have accumulated caught the eye of the state. Last year California's lawmakers attempted to take a portion of RDA money from each agency across California, but the RDAs filed a lawsuit and won the first round in court.
The state is attempting a similar move this year, although this time it is taking the money from the local RDA and giving it to the schools within the agency's district. The state RDA association is again planning a legal challenge.
In the meantime, RDAs must assume that money is going to the state. The county's bill is $10.7 million this year.
"That's equivalent to over 72 percent of our expected revenue," Lynberg said. Plus, the agency anticipated lower income for the year because of dropping property values.
The RDA uses the tax income to pay off the bonds it issues, which fund the projects.
|
