LAKEPORT — On Tuesday, the Lake County Board of Supervisors approved a response letter to the City of Lakeport regarding the city’s proposed annexation of the South Main Street area, and city and county representatives agreed to reinitiate negotiations over the controversial proposal.
The 124-acre, 50-parcel area on both sides of South Main Street lies in the county’s jurisdiction, and Lakeport’s plans to annex the zone have been met with resistance from the county. Now, as Lakeport prepares to submit an application to the Lake County Local Agency Formation Commission, dormant negotiations between the county and the city are being revived.
The board of supervisors and Lakeport Community Development Director Kevin Ingram were in agreement Tuesday that the issue has been too long in finding a resolution.
“This has been going on for a very long time,” District 4 Supervisor and Board Chair Tina Scott said. “At least 26 years this has gone, that we’ve been going back and forth with this.”
“Our goal here is to bring a resolution to the South Main Street area, at least for me it is,” Scott continued to say. “The talks have been going on way too long.”
Ingram agreed that “this has gone on far too long,” noting that the discussions may be “older than I am at this point.” Ingram welcomed “getting back to the table, sitting down, working out any of these issues. The City of Lakeport is certainly open to meeting and discussing any of those terms.”
Still, major differences remain in the county’s and the city’s viewpoints on annexation. Which government could best provide water and sewer services, as well as property taxes collected from the business-rich area in question, have been sticking points in past discussions.
Both governments have outlined plans to extend water services in the area. In its response to the city’s annexation application request for review, the Lake County Board of Supervisors states that “the City’s proposed annexation area will leave a small and vulnerable section of properties without any services,” and continues to say that annexation “would not benefit all property owners in the South Main Street/Soda Bay Road area.”
On Tuesday, Ingram argued that the city would be able to “provide that service with water at a fraction of the cost of what the county can.” After annexation, Lakeport would plan to construct a water main under South Main Street that would, the city argues “increase reliability and resilience and reduce overall maintenance costs.”
No date was set Tuesday for the county and the city to meet for negotiations, a point which local resident Phil Murphy took issue with.
“It sounds like the can has been kicked down the road again,” said Murphy.
In response, County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson said she would schedule a meeting time with Lakeport by the end of this week.
