To: Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Michelle Bushnell
Agenda Section: Initiated by Board Member
Vote Requirement: Majority
SUBJECT:
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Consider a 1% Contribution of the Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Funds (LATCF) to the newly created National Center for Public Lands Counties (The Center) (Supervisor Michelle Bushnell)
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Consider a 1% contribution of Humboldt County Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Funds to the Center; and
2. Take appropriate action as needed.
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SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund / General Fund
DISCUSSION:
The National Association of Counties (NACo) and the Western Interstate Regions (WIR) Boards of Directors have established the National Center for Public Lands Counties (The Center). The Center was created as a 501 (c)(3) organization to give public lands counties an enhanced opportunity to demonstrate how prosperous public lands counties create a prosperous United States. The Center will utilize traditional and new media-such as podcasts and video interviews-to tell these stories and also develop detailed, individual research and written county profiles. Counties know that telling our stories is our most powerful tool in bringing resources and attention to our communities. California State Association of Counties (CSAC) is working with NACo to ensure that the Center emphasizes the importance of both recreation economies and extraction based public lands. The Center will report to the NACo and WIR Board of Directors on its financial health and issue an annual report on research and progress at the annual WIR Conference.
The timing of creation of The Center is linked to the once-in-a-generation doubling of the typical annual Payment-In-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILT) funding that is directly due to the extensive advocacy efforts of NACo during American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) negotiations.
To fund this once-in-a-generation opportunity, NACo and the WIR Boards are requesting counties make a onetime contribution to get the Center up and running. While each county may decide if and how much they would like to contribute, the requested amount is equivalent to one percent of each county’s allocation under the Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund (LATCF), which was awarded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Humboldt County’s total was $3,196,536.10 for Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023. A onetime 1% contribution would be $31,965.36. County contributions will be collected through CSAC and passed along to NACo.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
A onetime 1% contribution of $31,965.36 from the county’s LATCF Funds.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports the following areas of your Board’s Strategic Framework.
Core Roles: N/A
New Initiatives: Build interjurisdictional and regional cooperation
Strategic Plan: N/A
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
CSAC
NACO
WIR
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board could consider a different amount for contribution or could choose to make no contribution to retain funds for local expenditures.
ATTACHMENTS:
Fact Sheet on the Center
CSAC Memo dated January 26, 2023
Allocations for Eligible Revenue Sharing County Governments - CA
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A