The Isla Vista Community Services District Board of Directors authorized enforcement of county parking regulations at its March 10 meeting. The Board also discussed plans to move forward with a study into the feasibility of Isla Vista cityhood.

The county bail schedule does not allow for escalating fines for repeat offenders. Nexus file photo

The Board discussed Resolution 26-15, which authorizes enforcement of county parking regulations and ticketing in line with Santa Barbara County’s (SBC) approved bail schedule. Under this schedule, parking in a red zone will result in a $37.50 ticket and parking in a handicapped spot without a permit will result in a $257.50 ticket. 

Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) General Manager Jonathan Abboud noted that the county bail schedule does not allow for escalating fines for repeat offenders. IVCSD Director Spencer Brandt expressed concern that the fee schedule is “pretty forgiving” and may not be enough to discourage people from violating parking laws.

“Escalating fines are something that is really necessary to get this problem under control,” Brandt said. “It should be if there are people that are causing disproportionate harm, that they should pay a commensurate amount.”

The Board unanimously adopted the resolution and directed staff to work with county, state and court partners to implement an escalating parking fine structure.

The Board also unanimously approved $40,500 towards a preliminary comprehensive fiscal analysis of I.V. cityhood. The firm Berkson Associates will conduct the study over the next four months and assess the feasibility of I.V. becoming a city.

The firm will analyze an array of data including county revenue from property tax, county service costs, historic growth patterns and budgets of reference cities, among other factors. According to Abboud, the firm will calculate its own proprietary “auditors ratio” to determine a city budget for I.V. using the data.

Abboud explained that I.V.’s path to cityhood will be more difficult if it is not “revenue neutral,” which would occur if SBC goes into a deficit from I.V. becoming a city. If SBC loses more revenue than it would save on services from I.V. cityhood, then I.V. must reach an agreement with the county to pay back the deficit. Abboud gave the example of Goleta, which pays the county 50% of its property tax revenue and 30% of sales tax revenue to make up for the deficit created by its cityhood.

“If the county has a surplus from this then we could do this tomorrow,” Abboud said. “If there’s a deficit to the county, there’s a longer road ahead potentially.”

IVCSD recently received $10,000 from the UC Santa Barbara Associated Students (A.S.) Senate to partially cover the $50,500 research study cost. According to Abboud, student groups such as Gaucho Think Tank have offered to help out with the study, saving IVCSD resources. A.S. Senator and third-year economics and philosophy double major Noah Luken offered his and A.S.’s continued support for cityhood during public comment on the resolution.

While I.V. cityhood efforts have failed in the past, Abboud said he is confident that I.V. cityhood is feasible today due to “significant changes” in property tax valuation and reductions in law enforcement spending.

“There’s been significant changes since the last time a study was done. Our property tax valuation is at $1.3 billion now and it used to be $700 million,” Abboud said. “That’s one big one, for example. Also, the spending on law enforcement in Isla Vista has gone down since then.”

Brandt highlighted that SBC provides many services — including those in mental health, behavioral health and social services — that often go unseen but make up the “bedrock of the social safety net” in I.V. However, a more responsive and empowered local government is “what the community is desiring.”

“What I think that the community is desiring is a government structure that allows those that live here to be able to put in place programs and services that are responsive to the local needs, the things that aren’t these higher order issues that the county is so good at, and focusing on more of a community scale sort of things,” Brandt said.

Abboud gave a mid-year financial update which reported that  IVCSD has collected 40% of its budget and spent 56% within the current fiscal year.

The Board then adopted Resolution 26-16 to adjust its budget. Abboud explained that the UC Police Department would be unable to staff safety stations at the upcoming Soltopia event, saving IVCSD $40,000. The resolution allocated the $40,000 to Soltopia’s budget.

Lastly, the Board heard reports from directors and staff. IVCSD Director and third-year political science and environmental studies double major Kylan Hobart mentioned that she is developing a course on civic engagement in I.V. 

Abboud reported that IVCSD has hired a three-person team to run the parking program and that the SBC Board of Supervisors approved the permit for Soltopia. He added that wristbands for the festival have become available to I.V. residents and about 1,000 of the 8,000 have been claimed.