EAST PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
DATE: May 3, 2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Patrick Heisinger, Interim City Manager
BY: Patrick Heisinger, Interim City Manager
SUBJECT: Update on the Municipal Service Review for the City of East Palo Alto, the East Palo Alto Sanitary District, and the West Bay Sanitary District Recommendation
By motion,
1. Provide staff with direction regarding any proposed amendments or modifications to the attached letter.
2. Direct the Interim City Manager to send the attached letter (Attachment 1) to the San Mateo Local Agency Formation Commission (SMLAFCo) to serve as the City’s official response to the Draft Municipal Service Review (MSR) for the City of East Palo Alto (City), the East Palo Alto Sanitary District (EPASD), and the West Bay Sanitary District (West Bay).
Alignment with City Council Strategic Plan
This recommendation is primarily aligned with:
Priority No. 2: Enhance Economic Vitality
Priority No. 4: Improve Public Facilities and Infrastructure Priority No. 6: Create a Healthy and Safe Community
Background
On October 20, 2020, the City Council directed the City Manager to send a letter to SMLAFCo requesting that an MSR and sphere of influence update for the EPASD be conducted as soon as possible. On October 21, 2020, SMLAFCo agreed to conduct an MSR that encompasses the EPASD, the City, and West Bay SD.
On May 19, 2021, SMLAFCo, in partnership with a consultant, initiated the MSR. For nearly ten (10) months, the consultant reviewed extensive financial and programmatic documentation from and related to the City, EPASD, and West Bay. The consultant then used that information to develop a list of key findings for each agency.
On April 5, 2022, the Draft MSR was made available for public review. On April 6, 2022, SMLAFCo hosted a virtual public meeting at which the key findings of the MSR were presented. The MSR can be accessed at the following link:
https://lafco.smcgov.org/sites/lafco.smcgov.org/files/documents/files/EPA-EPASDWBSD_MSR-Update_2022-03-28_DRAFT.pdf.
On April 19, 2022, the City Council heard an informational presentation from Rob Bartoli, San Mateo Local Agency Formation Commission (SMLAFCo) Executive Officer, regarding the draft MSR, and directed staff to return to the City Council on May 3, 2022 with a draft letter for City Council consideration that would become the City’s official response to the draft MSR.
On April 20, 2022, the SMLAFCo Commission held a public meeting on the draft MSR. The SMLAFCo Commission voted 6-1 to accept the draft MSR and directed the Executive Director to place consideration of the Updated MSR on the Commission’s June 15, 2022 agenda.
Analysis
The draft letter is included as Attachment 1 to this staff report.
Staff will make a presentation to the City Council on May 3, 2022 regarding the contents of the draft letter.
Timeline of Next Steps
DRAFT MSR TIMELINE
DATE | MONTH TIME EVENT | MILESTONE
May 3. 2022 6:30 PM
City Council discussion and consideration of staff
recommendation to adopt a formal position on the Draft
MSR
May 5, 2022 5:00 PM Deadline for interested parties to submit comments to the draft MSR
May/June 2022 TBD SMLAFCo to public final revisions to the Draft MSR July 2022 TBD Final SMLAFCo Public Hearing
Fiscal Impact
There are no fiscal impacts associated with this City Council update regarding the information described in the staff report.
Public Notice
The public was provided notice by making the agenda and report available on the City’s website and on a bulletin board located at City Hall: 2415 University Avenue, East Palo Alto.
Environmental
The action being considered does not constitute a “Project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378 (b)(5), in that it is a government administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
Attachments
1. Draft City Response to the MSR