To: Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Natalie Arroyo
Agenda Section: Initiated by Board Member
Vote Requirement: Majority
SUBJECT:
title
Discuss and Approve the Proposed Amendments to Redwood Region Economic Development Commissions’ (RREDC) Joint Powers Agreement (JPA)
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Discuss and approve the attached amended and restated Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement of the Redwood Region Economic Development Commission (RREDC)
2. Authorize the Chair of the Board to execute the attached amended and restated Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement of RREDC pending approval from at least two-thirds of the JPA’s current members; and
3. Direct the Clerk or the Board to return one fully executed original copy of the attached amended and restated JPA to RREDC for further processing.
Body
STRATEGIC PLAN:
This action supports the following areas of your Board’s Strategic Plan.
Area of Focus: A Diverse, Equitable & Robust Economy
Strategic Plan Category: 2001 - Promote strong economic resiliency and growth
DISCUSSION:
The RREDC JPA was adopted in 1977, and the local political and economic environment is much different now. The core purpose of the JPA was to create and adopt a Countywide Economic Development Strategy and to make decisions on how to invest a large grant from the federal government intended to mitigate the immediate economic effects of the expansion of Redwood National Park. The decision in the 1970’s to create a $2.9 million revolving loan fund required that RREDC become a permanent organization.
In 2024, RREDC identified a need for updates and clean-up to the language of the JPA. RREDC formed an Ad Hoc Committee on the Joint Powers Agreement (JPA), including Supervisor Arroyo. This ad hoc committee met multiple times in 2024 and 2025 to review the agreement and identify areas that can be modified to more fully reflect the current mission of RREDC.
The JPA can essentially be broken into four main themes:
1. Recitals that generally describe the conditions requiring the formation of the agency.
2. A description of the purpose of RREDC.
3. Membership and governance of the organization.
4. Definitions and limitations on powers.
In summary, the ad hoc group met and agreed on the following:
1. Recitals: The recitals should be shortened and modified to be more positive and forward-looking and to emphasize countywide multi-agency collaboration to increase efficiency and create conditions for sustainable, resilient, and equitable economic development. They should also focus on leveraging assets, creating efficiencies through inter-agency collaboration, and creating a stronger unified voice on issues affecting the local economy. In addition, specific language regarding the development and implementation of the EDA “Economic Development Action Plan and Strategy,” now known as the Comprehensive Economic Development Plan (CEDS), should be removed as this function has been the responsibility of the County of Humboldt since 1999.
2. Section 3.01 - Purpose: Throughout the document, reference is made to the Economic Development Administration as the driving force and focus of the JPA. The committee felt that, as above, the purpose should be modified to better reflect the changes in the economic development environment by removing references to the EDA or, if it’s determined that this language should remain, add additional language to reflect other players in the field and the changed environment in which RREDC operates.
3. Section 4.03 - Meetings: The committee recommended that language be modified to streamline the process of developing an annual meeting schedule with specific reference to the fact that a meeting schedule must be determined, but that the process be outlined in RREDC’s Bylaws rather than in the JPA. Furthermore, there was discussion of the requirement that an entity that misses “three successive meetings shall be deemed to have withdrawn as a party to [the] Agreement and as a member of the Commission.” While there are entities that have missed meetings or have not appointed members for years, there has not been any formal notification to those entities that they are no longer members of the Commission. The committee directed staff to reach out to those entities to inform them of the language of the JPA and to assess whether they wish to “rejoin” the Commission.
4. Section 4.09 - Boundaries: Originally, RREDC was limited to the “geographic boundaries” of Humboldt County. In the early 1990s, this limitation was expanded to include projects in Mendocino and Del Norte Counties (Section 3.01) under certain circumstances. The committee felt that while Humboldt County should be RREDC’s primary focus, there may be instances where RREDC may participate in specific collaborative projects and programs beyond Humboldt County’s borders. The committee suggested that language be added to include adjacent or nearby counties and tribal lands, such as the region covered by the State’s California Jobs First program (Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, and Lake Counties and adjacent tribal lands).
5. Section 9.04 - Annual Budget: Current language requires that a draft budget be presented on or before March 1st of each year. The committee suggests that this language be modified to say that a budget must be adopted by June 30 (in alignment with most of the member jurisdictions and state of California calendar) each year with a process to be determined by the Board of Directors.
The committee also noted that much of the language is dated and suggested an overall revision to update, clarify, and simplify language.
Staff of RREDC worked with the ad hoc, legal counsel, and the full Board of Directors on a new agreement. It is now circulating to all of the member jurisdictions, which must individually approve the new JPA.
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
N/A
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact on this agenda item.
STAFFING IMPACT:
There is no impact on staffing associated with this agenda item.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
Redwood Region Economic Development Commission (RREDC)
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Board Discretion
ATTACHMENTS:
1. JPA Memo from RREDC
2. Amended JPA
3. Current JPA (recommended for replacement)
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A