Santa Maria Council Agrees to Limited Fee Hikes, Sets Goal to Recover 100% of Costs for Services
A screenshot of the Santa Maria City Council during Tuesday’s meeting shows Mayor Alice Patino, center, along with Councilwoman Gloria Soto, left, and Councilman Mike Cordero, right. Not pictured since they were sitting off the dais because of social distancing are Councilwoman Etta Waterfield and Councilman Carlos Escobedo. By Janene Scully, Noozhawk North County Editor | @JaneneScully
April 22, 2021
| 9:50 p.m.
Faced with a proposal to implement huge hikes in user fees, the Santa Maria City Council on Tuesday balked and instead favored lower and slower increases to cover the costs of providing services.
Housing and Development Newsletter
The original environmental documents were approved in 2007, but the firm has challenged several aspects of the analysis.
Specifically, the letter sent by an attorney from Oakland-based environmental law firm of Lozeau Drury LLP alleges a number of flaws in the environmental analysis, including that it failed to analyze the project’s reasonably foreseeable impacts from the proposed light industrial zoning and potential impacts on biological resources.
Attorney Paige Fennie called the supplemental environmental impact report “wholly inadequate” and urged the council to delay action to allow staff time to review the concerns.
Dana Eady, a city planner, said the delay would allow staff time to review the issues mentioned in the lengthy letter.