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Fire board gets food for thought on new station, county consolidation
Luck of the draw
BY PETER DUGRÉ
“Should we be gambling? Should we be in the business of investing in real estate? I don’t think so.”
If outgoing Carpinteria-Summerland Fire District Chief Mike Mingee is a lame duck in his final month in command, he took the May 29 special fireboard meeting to spread his wings. Mingee offered his two cents and then some on how the district should approach two major issues: how to get a new fire station built in Summerland fol––Board Vice lowing the failed bond President Bill Taff measure and whether consolidation with Santa Barbara County would be a prudent move. In short, he recommended using projected budget surpluses to secure the Summerland property that had already been slated for station construction, and similarly, he advised against consolidation, stating that abandoning local control of firefighting resources makes little sense with a healthy budget. In a report to the finance committee, Mingee said that all signs pointed to a growing revenue stream tied to property values and taxes increasing. The 2015-2016 fiscal year budget projects a $370,000 surplus, money Mingee suggested could partially be used to purchase the 2450 Lillie Ave. property in Summerland to build a new station. Santa Barbara County Mosquito and Vector Control District has already agreed to sell, and CSFPD already pulled permits to build there. Mingee said the legwork and resources put into acquiring a Coastal Development Permit should not go to waste. “We spent a lot of money on that project, which is approved for the next three years,” he said. The permitting and study process ran up a $238,000 bill. In a presentation issued at the behest of President Chris Johnson, Mingee detailed what he called “Plan B,” the path to building a new Summerland station in the absence of bond funding. He recommended using portions of CSFPD reserves and capital improvement dollars totaling over $1 million to put a down-payment on the new property. Then the district could shift over firefighters and trucks, which could be placed under a canopy, to the newly acquired property. Proceeds of
FIRE BOARD continued on page 3
DUGRÉ
Carpinteria High School seniors, from left, Miguel Palau, Marisela Salinas and Jennifer Varela were the last three standing and feeling the excitement in an elimination drawing for two $1,000 scholarships at the Senior Awards Assembly on May 28. Palau and Salinas were the final two names remaining in the hat of 10 originally pulled in front of the entire student body. They earned entry into the drawing, provided by the CHS Parents Group, by attending the safe after prom event sponsored by the parents. See more Senior Awards Assembly coverage on pages 14 through 16.
Schools welcome one-time state infusion
Assistant Superintendent Cindy Abbott told the school board on May 26 that while most public schools in California are going to be “experiencing a bonanza of funding,” CUSD expects to have “a good year this year, but it’s not going to be a bonanza.” The state budget is so flush with funds, Abbott reported, that all school districts can expect to see at least a temporary boost, including CUSD. The financial influx of between $1.1 million and $1.3 million will be used for expenses like common core implementation and textbook purchases locally. In her budget update to the board, Abbott emphasized that the monies coming in next year are one-time only and “not available to cover ongoing expenses like salaries and benefits and utility costs.” Districts funded with the state’s new Local Control Funding Formula, which is based on average daily attendance of students, are poised for even larger revenue boosts from the state. CUSD is a Basic Aid district, meaning that its property tax income meets or exceeds funding
The financial influx of between $1.1 million and $1.3 million will be used for expenses like common core implementation and textbook purchases locally.
that would otherwise come from the state. As a Basic Aid district, CUSD is less vulnerable to state cuts but also benefits less from state surpluses. CUSD’s proposed 2015/2016 budget anticipates property tax growth of 5 percent, the same assumption as the last two years. Abbott said she hopes for higher numbers come October, when the county has a clearer grasp of actual tax income. ––Lea Boyd