CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING AGENDA PACKET

Page 1 of 3 Item #11 CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT August 20, 2024 Community Development TITLE: ADOPT A RESOLUTION DETERMINING THE EXPENDITURE OF ALTAMONT OPEN SPACE FUNDS FOR A CONSULTANT CONTRACT FOR A RANCHER/RURAL LANDOWNERS OUTREACH PROGRAM RELATED TO CONSERVATION IS CONSISTENT WITH THE ALTAMONT LANDFILL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT SUMMARY On May 17, 2024, the Altamont Landfill and Resource Recovery Facility Open Space Advisory Committee (Open Space Committee) recommended the use of Altamont Open Space funds for a grant request of $56,000 from the Alameda County Resource Conservation District (ACRCD) and the California Rangeland Trust (CRT) for an outreach program to educate Alameda County ranchers/rural landowners about permanent conservation easements. Approval of the funds by the Cities of Livermore and Pleasanton and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors is required, consistent with the requirements of the Altamont Landfill settlement agreement. RECOMMENDATION Adopt a resolution determining the expenditure of Altamont Open Space funds for a consultant contract for a rancher/rural landowners outreach program related to conservation is consistent with the Altamont Landfill Settlement Agreement. BACKGROUND As part of the settlement of litigation over the expansion of the Altamont Landfill, the parties to the litigation agreement (Alameda County, Waste Management of Alameda County, the Cities of Livermore and Pleasanton, and various environmental groups) agreed the County would impose a fee totaling $ 0.75 per ton at the Altamont Landfill and Resource Recovery Facility for open space and conservation easement acquisitions. Eighty percent of the Open Space Fee is designated for open space expenditures in the eastern portion of the East County and twenty percent is for expenditures in the western portion of East County (see Attachment 2). As of July 18, 2024, the total amount available in the Open Space Fund for the eastern area was $22,157,289, and the total amount available for the western area was $2,933,049, for a total of $25,090,338 in Committee funds. The Open Space Committee consists of one member appointed by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, one member appointed by the Livermore City Council, one member appointed by the Pleasanton City Council, and one member appointed by the Sierra Club. Subsection 7.4.7 of the Settlement Agreement states that by approval of a majority of the members of the Open Space Advisory Committee, and concurrence by the County and Cities, up to five percent of the funds received in any given year may be expended for the services of independent consultants to aid the Committee in carrying out its duties to identify open space areas in need of protection and to make plans for their acquisition or establish conservation Page 250 of 454