On Central Coast county government agendas this week, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will hold a hearing on the Phillips 66 Rail Spur project set to go before the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors on March 13, next Monday. Santa Barbara officials are urging their San Luis Obispo counterparts to reject a Phillips 66 appeal of the 2016 San Luis Obispo Planning Commission decision to deny the project.
Santa Barbara County board members will also hear a presentation on the anticipated $35.4 million dollar budget deficit forecast to hit the county starting in June. Budget Director Tom Alvarez said in a letter to the board the budget gap between income and spending is expected to keep growing due to stagnant revenue and increasing pensions and other salary and benefits costs. County residents can expect coming budget and service cuts due to the deficit.
The San Luis Obispo County supervisors will be looking at the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and how the law is impacting the county. The law went into effect in January of 2015 and mandates that by June 30 of this year, the county must create new agencies to manage the county’s groundwater basins in the Edna, Santa Maria, Cuyama and Los Osos valleys, as well as the Paso Robles and Atascadero groundwater basins. The board will be reviewing the county’s strategy for complying with the state law.
San Luis Obispo county officials will also consider allowing short term vacation rentals on Williamson Act agricultural properties.
The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act will also be a topic of discussion in Monterey County. The board of supervisors will review its funding agreement with the Salinas Basin Agricultural Water Association. Monterey county supervisors will also discuss the creation of the Monterey Bay Community Power Authority.
All three county meetings start at 9 a.m Tuesday.
