REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 09/06/2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning & Development Department
SUBJECT:
Title
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE EXTENSION OF THE SERVICE FEE COLLECTED ON BEHALF OF THE RIVERSIDE COUNTY ABANDONED VEHICLE ABATEMENT SERVICE AUTHORITY
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to approve the continuation of the City’s Abandoned Vehicle Abatement Program by approving the service fee collected by the Riverside County Abandoned Vehicle Abatement Service Authority. The Riverside County AVA Service Authority receives the fee from the California Department of Motor Vehicles and allocates the fee to government agencies within Riverside County that participate in the County’s AVA program. The fee pays for staff time and costs incurred by the City in the abatement of abandoned and inoperative vehicles. The adoption of the resolution will extend the use of the service fee for a period of 10 years.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council adopt Resolution No. 2023-091 extending the service fee collected on behalf of the Riverside County Abandoned Vehicle Abatement Service Authority until May 31, 2034.
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BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
In 1990, the California State Legislature enacted legislation allowing for the creation of county-based vehicle service authorities, pursuant to the provisions of Vehicle Code Section 22710. In June 1994, the Riverside County Abandoned Vehicle Abatement (AVA) Service Authority Program was formed, which authorized the imposition of a one-dollar vehicle registration fee on all vehicles registered to all owners with the County of Riverside. The vehicle registration fee is collected by the Department of Motor Vehicles and allocated to the Riverside County AVA Service Authority by the State Controller pursuant to Vehicle Code Section 9250.7. The fee is then allocated to government agencies in Riverside County that participate in the AVA program. The amount allocated to each agency is based on the size and population of each agency in relation to the total size and population of Riverside County, and on the percentage of the vehicles abated by each agency in relation to the total number of vehicles abated by the Riverside County AVA program. Twenty-five government agencies participate in the County’s AVA program, which includes the County of Riverside, and the cities of Banning, Beaumont, Blythe, Calimesa, Canyon Lake, Cathedral City, Coachella, Corona, Desert Hot Springs, Hemet, Indio, La Quinta, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Norco, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Perris, Riverside, San Jacinto, and Temecula.
Since the inception of the program, the Riverside County AVA Service Authority has distributed $35,128,331 in funds to the participating agencies. The funds are used to pay for staff’s time in the abatement of approximately 189,776 abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles. The current service authority program is scheduled to sunset in May 2024. Senate Bill 106 (SB 106), chaptered on August 13, 2001, allows local agencies to extend the AVA program every 10 years. The program is required to be approved by the participating agencies in Riverside County, prior to adoption by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.
ANALYSIS:
Resolution No. 2013-004 currently allows the City to receive funds from the Riverside County AVA Service Authority, but is set to expire on May 31, 2024. California Vehicle Code Section 9250.7 allows for an extension of the service fee in increments of 10 years. Within the past 10 years, the City of Corona has received approximately $1,265,657 in funding and abated approximately 1,660 vehicles through the AVA Program. This program has helped reduce blight throughout the City and improve the quality of life for its residents.
Adoption of the attached resolution by the City Council is the first step of extending the AVA program for another 10 years. Upon approval of the resolution by all participating agencies in Riverside County, a resolution for the continuation of the AVA program will be considered by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The Code Compliance Division is funded by the General Fund 110 and by the Abandoned Vehicle Abatement Fund 241 (AVA service fees collected from the County), and activities are covered by the Planning and Development Department’s adopted budget. Continuing the program will not have an additional cost beyond the Department’s adopted budget. Continuing the program will allow the City to continue to receive approximately $180,000 per year in AVA Program funding.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the common sense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action merely extends a fee to be collected upon the registration of vehicles to be used for the abatement of abandoned vehicles in the County of Riverside, and there is no possibility that approving this project will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: RACHEL BOTTKA, CODE COMPLIANCE SUPERVISOR
REVIEWED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Resolution No. 2023-091