Menifee Final MSR

Final January 21, 2010 RIVERSIDE Local Agency Formation Commission Menifee Municipal Service Review Prepared by Crystal M. Craig Local Agency Formation Commission 3850 Vine Street • Suite 110 Riverside, CA 92507 Phone 951.369.0631 • Fax 951.369.8479 ccraig@lafco.org City of Menifee Municipal Service Review TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Overview ......................................................................................................1-2 II. Service Review Process .............................................................................2 III. Agency Review ............................................................................................2 A. Governing Body..................................................................................3 B. Basic Financial Information................................................................3 C. Population & Growth..........................................................................3 IV. Services.......................................................................................................3 A. Police Protection Services.................................................................3-4 B. Fire Protection Services.....................................................................4 C. Road Maintenance.............................................................................4 D. Park and Recreation Services ...........................................................4 V. Sphere of Influence .......................................................................................5 VI. MSR Determinations ....................................................................................5-8 City of Menifee Municipal Service Review I. Overview LAFCOs are mandated by the Cortese-Knox Hertzberg Reorganization Act of 2000 (CKH) to encourage orderly development within their county of jurisdiction. The Act governs the boundaries of special districts and cities, consistent with each agency’s principal act. To implement boundary changes, CKH directs LAFCOs to make reorganization decisions based on several factors, including the need for and efficiency of public services. To promote greater efficiency in services for future planning purposes, CKH mandates LAFCOs to conduct Sphere of Influence (SOI) reviews once every five years, as necessary. SOIs are used as a planning tool for agencies to conduct service and facility planning for areas it intends to serve in the future. A SOI is defined as “a plan for probable physical boundaries and service area of a local agency, as determined by the Commission.” Consistent with Commission SOI policies, a SOI can a) be coterminous to agency boundaries as the ultimate foreseen configuration of the agency in anticipation of no future growth, b) extended beyond the agency boundaries in anticipation of future growth, c) be smaller, indicating the need to detach areas from the agency boundaries, or d) be designated a “zero sphere”, which indicates a potential dissolution of the agency. In order to amend the sphere of influence boundaries, formal approval from the LAFCO Commission is required. For newly incorporated cities, a sphere of influence must be established within a year of incorporation. Prior to or in conjunction with SOI reviews, a Municipal Service Review (MSR) must be prepared pursuant to Government Code Section 56430 (c). MSRs are conducted to assist in the SOI review process by providing information regarding the ability of agencies’ to provide public services. This Municipal Service Review will review the services provided by the City of Menifee. Pursuant to 56430 (a), the MSR will make the following determinations: (1) Growth and population projections for the affected area. (2) Present and planned capacity of public facilities and adequacy of public services, including infrastructure needs or deficiencies. (3) Financial ability of agencies to provide services. (4) Status of, and opportunities for, shared facilities. (5) Accountability for community service needs, including governmental structure or operational efficiencies. (6) Any other matter related to effective or efficient service delivery, as required by the Commission. Provided below is a summary of what each determination will assess. (1) Growth and population projections for the affected area. This will evaluate the method of projection and its relationship to services and facility planning. (2) Present and planned capacity of public facilities and adequacy of public services, including infrastructure needs or deficiencies. The review will assess standard/objective levels of municipal services in relation to the current level of services as well as future plans to attain those objectives and/or maintain existing level of services. LAFCO – January 2010 – Final 1 City of Menifee Municipal Service Review (3) Financial ability of agencies to provide services. Identifies whether the City has any general bonded indebtedness, its purpose, tax rate and when the debt will be retired. In addition, general taxes, special taxes, and assessments will be identified in relation to the services funded by those monies. In extreme cases, agencies not financially capable of providing the basic services will be identified. (4) Status of, and opportunities for, shared facilities. To promote greater efficiency in public services, the MSR explores opportunities for different agencies to share facilities and/or resources. By sharing facilities or other resources, agencies can eliminate the duplication of studies, planning efforts, staff or equipment, and potentially lower the cost for providing services. (5) Accountability for community service needs, including governmental structure and operational efficiencies. Identifies efforts made by the agency to increase public participation and accountability. Also, discusses whether audits are performed and how they are made available to the public. (6) Any other matter related to effective or efficient service delivery, as required by Commission policy. This will allow this LAFCO to identify areas outside an agency’s boundaries currently receiving or requesting services from the agency. Also, identifies inhabited areas within or outside the current sphere of influence that the City anticipates annexing within the next five years or that could benefit from services provided by the agency. Issues unique to a particular agency or geographic area will be explored. II. Service Review Process In preparation of the MSR, public agency input is very important. To begin the MSR process the affected agencies were sent a questionnaire regarding services provided. Ideally, through a combination of responses from the questionnaires, follow-up conversations with the agencies and research, the MSR is prepared. Agencies are encouraged to review and comment on the Public/Agency Review Draft prior to the circulation of the Final Draft that will be presented before the LAFCO Commission, January 21, 2010. This is an opportunity to address any concerns of the affected agencies regarding the data presented. At the public hearing the Commission will review the final draft of the MSR. After the hearing, the draft determinations will be modified as necessary and adopted by the Commission. III. Agency Review The City of Menifee incorporated October 1, 2008 as the 26th city in Riverside County. It is located south of the City of Perris, north of the City of Murrieta, west of the City of Hemet, east of the City of Lake Elsinore and within the unincorporated communities of Winchester, Romoland, and Homeland. The city encompasses approximately 48.5 square miles. City Hall is located at 29714 Haun Road, Menifee, CA 92586 in a privately leased commercial building. LAFCO – January 2010 – Final 2 City of Menifee Municipal Service Review A. Governing Body The City of Menifee is a General Law City governed by a five member city council. Council members serve four year terms. At the time of the incorporation election, voters determined that future council elections would be held by district rather than at large. On August 4th, 2009, the Menifee City Council adopted a resolution implementing City Council election districts. Even-numbered districts will hold elections every four years beginning in November, 2010. Odd-numbered districts will hold elections every four years beginning in November, 2012. The City Council meetings are held the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. B. Basic Financial Information The City of Menifee adopts an annual budget. Provided are General Fund expenditures and revenues for the last fiscal year since its incorporation. FY 2008-09 Budget FY 2008-09 Estd FY 2009-10 Total Revenues $8,172,402 $9,211,571 $21,804,503 Total Expenditures $4,219,044 $3,559,333 $21,804,157 . The City of Menifee also adopted a five year “Measure A” Capital Improvement Program (CIP), which describes transportation capital improvements, the costs associated with those projects and their funding source. Included in the City’s five year Measure “A” program is a planned overpass for Holland Road over the I-215 freeway. These improvements are expected to occur between 2009 and 2014. C. Population & Growth As of January 1, 2009 the population in the City of Menifee is 67,705 as estimated by the Department of Finance. No growth projections have been established for the City since its incorporation. The City of Menifee does rely on forecasts developed by the County of Riverside Center for Demographic Research for population and demographic information. IV. Services The City of Menifee provides a full range of services through a combination of city staffing, private contracting and public agency contracting. Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) provides water and wastewater services within the city limits. Portions of the city are on septic systems. Solid waste collection and disposal services are provided by several private refuse collection companies under franchise agreements with the County until they expire. Planning, code enforcement, engineering and building services are provided by a combination of city staff and private contractors, with some support via contract with Riverside County Transportation & Land Management Agency (TLMA). A. Police Protection Services The City of Menifee contracts with the County of Riverside Sheriff for police protection services. The Perris Sheriff Station, located at 137 N. Perris Blvd. Suite A, provides police protection services to the contract Cities of Canyon Lake and Menifee, as well as the unincorporated communities of Glen Valley, Mead Valley, Romoland and Woodcrest. The current deployment of sworn personnel to population ratio equates to approximately .7 sworn personnel per 1,000 of population, a nearly 30% increase over the 2005-06 base year LAFCO – January 2010 – Final 3 City of Menifee Municipal Service Review pre-incorporation ratio of approximately .52 - .54 as identified in the Comprehensive Fiscal Analysis. B. Fire Protection Services The City of Menifee is a contract city of the Riverside County Fire Department from four fire stations located within the city. The City’s primary station is Station 68 (Menifee) located at 26020 Wickerd Road. Secondary response services are provided to the City by Station 5 (Quail Valley) located at 28971 Goetz Road, Station 76 (Menifee Lakes) located at 29950 Menifee Road and Station 7 (Sun City) is located at 27860 Bradley Road. The Fire Department’s current response times meet the acceptable levels of response times established by the County, although the City is reviewing the need for a potential expansion of services from the Sun City fire station due to call volume. As the City grows, one or two more fire stations will be necessary. Future facilities are anticipated to be funded through development impact fees currently being collected on new projects. C. Road Maintenance Within the City of Menifee, two major I-215 freeway interchange projects are planned by Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) utilizing a combination of Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee (TUMF) funding, Community Facilities District funding and other local funding. All general street maintenance and general public works services are provided by private contractors with some current major street maintenance projects being provided under contract with Riverside County TLMA. D. Park and Recreation Services Park and recreation services are provided via contract with Riverside County Economic Development Agency (EDA) for all former County Service Area (CSA) 145 and by Valley-Wide Parks and Recreation District (VWRPD) within its boundaries east of the I-215 freeway. The City had indicated that there are no major planned City facility acquisitions or upgrades anticipated in the near future. However, long term future planning will include new park facilities and a potential aquatic center. These amenities are not yet included in the City’s CIP as they are still under discussion. There are five parks that were in the former CSA 145 and there are 17 parks within VWRPD. The District currently maintains 25 miles of streetscape maintenance including open space management and detention basin maintenance on the east side of the I-215 freeway. Park Name (CSA 145) Acres Amenities Basketball courts, one full court and two half courts, playground E.L. Pete Petersen facilities, jogging path, soccer field, covered picnic tables with BBQ Park 7 grills, horseshoe pit and restrooms. Baseball field, soccer field, basketball court- full sized, tennis court, playground facilities, covered picnic tables with BBQ grills, jogging path with fitness facilities and restrooms. La Ladera Park 8 Basketball Court -two half courts, beach volleyball court, playground facilities, picnic tables with BBQ grills, recreation center and Lazy Creek Park 6 restrooms. Soccer field, with soccer goal posts, picnic tables, two gazebos--no Lyle Marsh Park 5 table or chairs. Nova Park 5 Playground facilities and Soccer field with soccer goal posts. LAFCO – January 2010 – Final 4 City of Menifee Municipal Service Review Park Name (VWRPD) Acres Amenities Aldergate Park 7 Playground facilities, baseball diamond and off leash dog park. Autumn Breeze Park 2 Playground facilities, picnic tables and BBQ grills. Desert Green Breeze Park 0.5 Playground facilities, picnic tables and BBQ grills. Eldorado Pocket Park 4 Playground facilities, picnic tables and BBQ grills. Garbani Park/South Tot Lot 2 2 play areas. Grand Vista 0.5 Green Space. Basketball Court, two half courts, playground facilities, jogging path and Heritage Park 5.5 covered picnic tables. Hidden Meadows 3 Playground facilities, jogging path and sand volleyball court. La Paloma Park 5 Playground facilities, picnic benches w/ BBQ grills and restrooms. McCall Canyon Park 4 Basketball Court, two half courts, playground facilities and jogging path. Menifee South Park 1 Playground facilities, picnic tables and BBQ grills. Basketball Court, two half courts, baseball diamond, playground facilities, Mira Park 5 gazebo, picnic tables BBQ grills and drinking fountain. Pepita Square Park 0.5 Grass & Trees. *Richmond Park 0.5 *has not yet been constructed Rolling Hills Park 1.5 Play area and picnic structure. Playground facilities, shared picnic tables,Basketball Court, two half courts, Sunrise Park 11 baseball diamond,, gazebo, BBQ grills and drinking fountain. 1 gym, 1 Picnic area, 6 baseball fields (2 lighted fields), 2 tennis courts, 1 Wheatfield Park 25 volleyball court, 1 basketball court, 2 horseshoe pits and 2 play areas. During the public review period, VWRPD made comment that there are community facilities that are under construction and completion is anticipated in 2010. In partnership with and funding from EDA, VWRPD is building Eller Park, consisting of a restroom building, ball field, playground facility, two ½ basketball courts, and gazebo with a total of 5 acres. This park will be located on the corner of Highway 74 and Antelope Rd. The second facility, also a partnership with and with funding from EDA, is Romoland Park and Community Center consisting of a gymnasium, multipurpose room, kitchen, daycare center, two lighted ball fields and a playground facility. The building is a total of 25,700 square feet, on 12 acres located on Briggs Rd. and north of Highway 74. V. Sphere of Influence As a new city, a sphere of influence has not been established for the City of Menifee, and one cannot be designated prior to the completion of a MSR. Through this MSR process we will establish a sphere of influence for the City of Menifee. In order to expand the City’s sphere of influence, the area added to the sphere must be in the City’s General Plan. The City is in the preliminary stages of developing a General Plan. VI. MSR Determinations: (1) Growth and population projections for the affected area. LAFCO – January 2010 – Final 5 City of Menifee Municipal Service Review The City of Menifee utilizes various commercial and other agency sources for residential and commercial development projections and housing market analysis. As a new city, no growth or population projections have been generated for the City of Menifee. (2) Present and planned capacity of public facilities and adequacy of public services, including infrastructure needs or deficiencies. Due to call volume from the Sun City fire station, the City of Menifee is evaluating the need for a potential expansion of fire services. It is expected that the limited revenues will probably be a challenge for the City to increase its service levels for the next couple of years. There has been a considerable enhancement in service delivery, significantly in the area of code enforcement, building & planning and law enforcement (traffic). The City reports that processing times for planning & building and safety have been reduced. Inspection and planning turnaround times also have been achieved over the course of the first year of incorporation. Some projects have been processed in about half the time it was taking at the County for similar projects. Building permit issuance has been expedited in several areas including same day plan check service on minor projects, and expedited processing on larger projects (two weeks or less). Building inspections are now on a 24 hour notice turnaround, and in some cases can be accommodated on a same day basis. (3) Financial ability of agencies to provide services. The City of Menifee adopted a 2009-2010 annual budget and has adopted a Five Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The CIP indicates how special projects, road maintenance and traffic signal construction will be financed. Since this is a new city, Menifee is still in the development of hiring staff. The City has performed very well during the transition and ended its first Fiscal Year of 08/09, with approximately $8.5 million in total surplus funds from all fund accounts, with nearly $6 million in General Fund reserves. The Comprehensive Fiscal Analysis (CFA) identified a projected surplus of approximately $5 million at the end of the transition year. During the transition period, the County continues to provide most services, allowing the City to accumulate funds during this period. The economic downturn was taken into consideration when staffing and servicing plans were developed. To date, no service reductions have occurred. (4) Status of, and opportunities for, shared facilities. Currently, there are no areas where duplication of services are occurring. However, there are several agencies that do provide some municipal services within the city limits. Parks and recreation services, east of the I-215 freeway are provided by an independent special district, Valley-Wide Recreation and Parks District (VWRPD). The City provides parks and recreation services west of the I-215 freeway, having assumed that function from CSA 145 upon incorporation. The City has had preliminary discussions with VWRPD concerning future service delivery options for the entire city, and will continue to discuss options as time moves forward. This could ultimately result in annexation of the remainder of the City to VWRPD. The City of Menifee contracts with EDA to continue recreation and park maintenance services for the former CSA 145 parks now under City jurisdiction for at least this current fiscal year. As the FY moves forward, the City will be assessing a future course of action for optimizing a citywide parks and recreation delivery system. The Riverside County Redevelopment Agency (RDA) continues to manage three redevelopment project areas in the City, Romoland, Sun City and Quail Valley, and works closely with the City on LAFCO – January 2010 – Final 6 City of Menifee Municipal Service Review project planning and development. The RDA is currently developing one new park that will be turned over to the City when completed later this year. Other services contracted to private industry include engineering, some planning functions, some administrative functions, and general public works maintenance functions. (5) Accountability for community service needs, including governmental structure and operational efficiencies. The City of Menifee maintains its own website, www.cityofmenifee.us. Public agendas and minutes, special events, contact information for city departments, monthly major articles in a local widely distributed publication, and budget information can be found on the City’s site. The City Council meets twice a month and the council has conducted two visioning workshops and several issue specific workshops over the last year to receive input from the residents on a range of topics. There have been no discussions concerning mergers or consolidations with other agencies other than some preliminary discussions with VWRPD previously mentioned. As the City has just recently completed its first fiscal year, an audit has not yet been performed. Later in the year the City’s auditors will be completing their 1st Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), which will be placed on the city website. (6) Any other matter related to effective or efficient service delivery, as required by Commission policy. The City had indicated that there are no areas outside the boundaries that are receiving or have requested City services. There are no certain plans to pursue annexation of any inhabited areas. There is a realignment boundary issue between the cities of Canyon Lake and Menifee that was addressed in the terms and conditions as part of the City of Menifee Incorporation that reads: “Upon incorporation the City shall cooperate with the City of Canyon Lake on an application to detach sections of Goetz Road and Railroad Canyon Road and associated landscaped right of way from the City of Canyon Lake and annex said territory to the new City.” The anticipated boundary adjustment is related to the current realignment project for Newport/Railroad Canyon Road and Goetz Road. Commission policy requires areas to be included in a City’s General Plan before the Commission expands a city’s SOI. However, since there is no land use issues involved because it is only road right-of-way clean up, staff will be recommending placing this realignment area in the City of Menifee’s Sphere of Influence. This is to be consistent with the terms and conditions of the incorporation. The establishment of a SOI for the City of Menifee is also being heard by the Commission this month (LAFCO 2009-13-3&5). LAFCO – January 2010 – Final 7