Agenda - 05-04-2021; 8-a - Minutes

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25 1 Chair Price agreed with Commissioner Hamilton, and asked if it is premature to put in 2 the CIP that the county will spend over $1 million for construction if there is no plan to which the 3 board has agreed. 4 Travis Myren said he understood, and it was scheduled to move into year 1 so that is 5 why it is here. He said given the uncertainty of the area plan, the board can defer the item. 6 Commissioner McKee said there has been a plan to use half of the bond money for 7 infrastructure in the EDD. He said he may need a refresher on what happened when the board 8 voted to start using that money and dedicate it for sewer and water. He said Morinaga would 9 not be in Orange County if not for this development, which was a promise to the company, and 10 credited Morinaga for the economic development in this area. He asked if staff could provide 11 the commissioners with a brief overview on the return on investment. He asked for time in a 12 work session to look at an overlay presentation beginning with the EDD and adding in the 13 phases when the development happened, so it would be clearer. He said he did not want the 14 board to discuss pulling back from this investment, as failing to go under the interstate strangles 15 area A. He said there was definitely a plan when he first came onto the board, and the county 16 residents voted to move forward on that plan. He said this board may need to review what 17 happened, and the minutes from those meetings. 18 Commissioner Dorosin said Commissioner McKee stated a lot of his points, and agreed 19 there is a plan. He said it is confusing to look at two different maps of the same area between 20 different plans. He said it is important to remember that the plan has always been to provide 21 infrastructure to the area, which is important for any economic development. He said while 22 there are residents with concerns about the type of economic development, they do agree with 23 the idea of economic development there and without the water and sewer it is not possible. He 24 recalled some emerging agreement that area A made the most sense for development, due to 25 its location. He said there is value in making connections when thinking about the value of 26 investment. 27 Commissioner Hamilton agreed it would be helpful to review the history and the plan. 28 She said a plan is a plan, and it still needs to be evaluated if the plan turns out as expected. 29 She said part of the plan is agreeing on the kind of development the board wants to see, and 30 having the community's input so the board does not feel pressure to jump on something that is 31 not aligned with its interests. She said she wants to be cautious, and avoid a situation where 32 the board ends up wasting more time with a proposal that is not in line with the county's values. 33 Commissioner McKee said he does not disagree with Commissioner Hamilton, but 34 wants to remind the board that the return on investment is more than tax dollars. He said that 35 shortly after Morinaga opened, he was at Walmart and overheard a young man talking about 36 getting work at Morinaga, and it being the first job he ever had with benefits, insurance, and a 37 good wage that offered future security. He said if the board is serious about economic justice, it 38 has to talk about the communities that are struggling with low paying jobs and the businesses 39 that are paying $15 an hour and up. 40 Commissioner Greene agreed the old map is confusing when she has the newer 41 Buckhorn Area Plan map in her head. She agreed with Commissioner McKee and 42 Commissioner Dorosin that there has been a long agreement to put water and sewer in Area A 43 and it needs to be done in order to have conversations with any company that wants to develop 44 there. She said those conversations likely will not happen without the infrastructure, which she 45 believes the community expects at this point. 46 Chair Price agreed there needs to be infrastructure, and was referring to the actual build 47 out. She said the board told residents there would be a community conversation. She said she 48 is not trying to get this eliminated, but just wants to make sure the plan is developing in a way 49 that will give the return on investment the board wants. 50 Bonnie Hammersley said the board can be talked about this on April 20, 2021 and staff 51 will bring a better map when the board discusses the Buckhorn Area Plan.