Remarks by Bob Nelson
492 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 11 of 20
“All right, before we get started, let's go ahead and disclose any ex parte communications. Supervisor Lavigneau, do you have any?”
“And now Supervisor Koepp. I met with both Jeremy and Megan RAF over Teams yesterday, and we discussed the history of the project, the operations, and all their their community engagement that they've been involved in so all right with that we'll go ahead and turn over to the treasurer tax collector and miss rafferty for your presentation please”
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
“Okay. All right. Thank you. We're gonna have time for the phones presentation. We'll have 10 minutes.”
“Thank you and well-timed. All right. Questions for the refs at this time? Yes. Supervisor Hartman.”
“Thank you. I have a quick question. What's a CSA?”
“All right. Just curious. Thank you. I just wanted clarification. I wasn't sure. I didn't know the acronym. Supervisor Lee and Supervisor Kemp. Thank you, Chick. Are you a nonprofit?”
“Supervisor Lavagnino, then I have a question. Okay. Thanks.”
“I just have one more question on the RAF, and then we actually got to go back to staff for additional comments, and then we'll get into deliberations here, and you guys will get a chance to rebut as well. So since March of 2025, when this audited ended, have you guys been paying monthly from, do we have a record of paying from 25, from March 25 till June of 2026?”
“Since the audit has started, you guys have gotten back on to at least somewhat of a semi-regular routine. And as far as the permitting goes, it's still not necessarily permitted under the county's.”
“Understood. OK. Thank you. Those are my questions at this time. At this time, we'll go ahead and go to public comment. You guys can sit down for a minute. We'll have you back up here in a few. Madam Clerk, do we have any public comment on this item?”
“Yeah. So staff and then rebuttal. Okay, actually going to have to come up and then if you guys would like to make any additional comment, you have an additional five minutes and rebuttal. All right.”
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you both. Okay, back to staff for any additional comments from staff.”
“And that's when they're knowingly supposed to pay and they don't?”
“Understood. Okay. Thank you for the clarification on that. Any additional questions for staff?”
“So talking about this, there's there's potentially, if I understood correctly, a 25% additional assessment if it's done fraudulently. And that's that is the discretion that they have that they did not use in this case is what that's I'm saying that correctly. That's correct. Yep. One question that kind of came up for staff that I was curious about was I know that they're not a nonprofit, but they seem to be offering like a nonprofit. If a nonprofit operates a short-term rental, are they still subject to TOT tax? I know that they sometimes get property tax exemptions and whatnot. Just trying…”
“Yeah, I think there are some others that do events that, so I was just kind of curious whether that would apply for a nonprofit or not. Okay. Now back to the board for deliberations. Supervisor Hartman.”
“All right. I'll jump in for a second. Cause I agree with that. We got to figure out a way to make this organization and this group as an asset in the Lompoc Valley. I mean, I totally agree with that. I'm also really concerned about the precedent and about future appeals and having you know, a lot of things come to us that are really great. And so I'm trying to weigh that out. You know, what instantly came to mind for me was actually my Oasis Senior Center. Does a lot of the same things that is brought up here, but yet, you know, has hundreds of thousands of dollars to ask to pay the county…”
“First of all, you're wrong on that's ever been a part of your district. So, and we can look at that later on, but I'm just saying that I use that as an example of, you know, I think we should find some sources for it. That's what I'm trying to support you here. Okay, but I was trying to bring up other ways to potentially support it. So I think we should go find some of those places, but I also want them to pay this bill because I think it opens up a window for us if other people come to us and ask for that. So I guess I was trying to support you, but also trying to make sure we keep with the…”
“Let's ask that question of staff or I guess county council. Is it ability for this board to continue this item to a later date so that we can, there's no...”
“Okay, and there are no legal constraints either on a continued, there's no legal constraints for on the board on a timely decision?”
“So Supervisor Labneh has penned that out as a motion. I'd ask Supervisor Hartman, is that an amount of time or would you need maybe some more time to work on trying to find other sources for this? Would that?”
“So if I'm chairing this meeting well enough, I think I've got two kind of quasi-conceptual motions out here. I have one from Supervisor Lavagnino to continue next week to try to find some potential grant or funding source for them to pay their bill. And then I have another potential motion from Supervisor Hartman that this board makes findings on eventually forgiving this and making some findings that support that, right? Am I understanding your motion or your conceptual kind of motion that you're looking to get to?”
“Okay, so those are two. So she wants that on table for I guess next, if it did get continued. I'll just lay my cards on the table. I can support an option where we find Work with them to try to find other funding sources to pay this bill, but I do think where I'm at with this and pretty much any text that's due. I think that needs to get paid. I think there's other ways to find income and I think that's somewhere where Supervisor Lavigneau is at and so I could support that. I think it might take more than a week to kind of. Find some different avenues, and that's why I think maybe continuing…”
“I think we should, you know, because we're going to head on break, I think we should give some time so then we can get creative. I agree. And so I would like to see it maybe come back. I'm looking at it. I got it right here. Would 825, that'd be the next meeting that's in Santa Maria. So it's after our break in our second meeting. It'd be in Santa Maria, a little closer to you guys, up there in the North County, is potentially an option. Would you?”