Minutes 04-13-2021 Virtual Work Session

Browse Search

25 Travis Myren said staff can clarify that. He said there would be an abstract coming to the board on April 20, 2021 discussing the next steps for the Buckhorn Area Plan. He said this can be revisited and staff can provide additional detail. Chair Price agreed with Commissioner Hamilton, and asked if it is premature to put in the CIP that the county will spend over$1 million for construction if there is no plan to which the board has agreed. Travis Myren said he understood, and it was scheduled to move into year 1 so that is why it is here. He said given the uncertainty of the area plan, the board can defer the item. Commissioner McKee said there has been a plan to use half of the bond money for infrastructure in the EDD. He said he may need a refresher on what happened when the board voted to start using that money and dedicate it for sewer and water. He said Morinaga would not be in Orange County if not for this development, which was a promise to the company, and credited Morinaga for the economic development in this area. He asked if staff could provide the commissioners with a brief overview on the return on investment. He asked for time in a work session to look at an overlay presentation beginning with the EDD and adding in the phases when the development happened, so it would be clearer. He said he did not want the board to discuss pulling back from this investment, as failing to go under the interstate strangles area A. He said there was definitely a plan when he first came onto the board, and the county residents voted to move forward on that plan. He said this board may need to review what happened, and the minutes from those meetings. Commissioner Dorosin said Commissioner McKee stated a lot of his points, and agreed there is a plan. He said it is confusing to look at two different maps of the same area between different plans. He said it is important to remember that the plan has always been to provide infrastructure to the area, which is important for any economic development. He said while there are residents with concerns about the type of economic development, they do agree with the idea of economic development there and without the water and sewer it is not possible. He recalled some emerging agreement that area A made the most sense for development, due to its location. He said there is value in making connections when thinking about the value of investment. Commissioner Hamilton agreed it would be helpful to review the history and the plan. She said a plan is a plan, and it still needs to be evaluated if the plan turns out as expected. She said part of the plan is agreeing on the kind of development the board wants to see, and having the community's input so the board does not feel pressure to jump on something that is not aligned with its interests. She said she wants to be cautious, and avoid a situation where the board ends up wasting more time with a proposal that is not in line with the county's values. Commissioner McKee said he does not disagree with Commissioner Hamilton, but wants to remind the board that the return on investment is more than tax dollars. He said that shortly after Morinaga opened, he was at Walmart and overheard a young man talking about getting work at Morinaga, and it being the first job he ever had with benefits, insurance, and a good wage that offered future security. He said if the board is serious about economic justice, it has to talk about the communities that are struggling with low paying jobs and the businesses that are paying $15 an hour and up. Commissioner Greene agreed the old map is confusing when she has the newer Buckhorn Area Plan map in her head. She agreed with Commissioner McKee and Commissioner Dorosin that there has been a long agreement to put water and sewer in Area A and it needs to be done in order to have conversations with any company that wants to develop there. She said those conversations likely will not happen without the infrastructure, which she believes the community expects at this point. Chair Price agreed there needs to be infrastructure, and was referring to the actual build out. She said the board told residents there would be a community conversation. She said she