City Council to review, send letter objecting to local land acquisition by Santa Rosa Indian Community

The properties include the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) located on Lemoore Avenue near the Save Mart Center and a vacant lot north of the Lemoore 7-Eleven.

Should the Santa Rosa Indian Community prove successful, the City of Lemoore may no longer have jurisdiction over the properties which could have economic and other implications, including a loss of sales and business taxes to the city. While the loss of revenue isn’t known precisely, city officials said it could be about $12,000 annually.

The properties could be removed from the city’s tax rolls.

The Lemoore City Council is being asked to review the letter and if approved will be sent to the Department of the Interior objecting to the proposed land acquisition. In the letter, city officials cite:

• The land is located approximately six miles or more outside of the tribe’s current land reservation and is currently within the City of Lemoore's boundaries.
• If granted Lemoore would lose needed revenue to the community in the form of taxes and other fees. Property taxes alone for the requested land is $12,093.40.
• The City would be unable to enforce local laws, regulations or requirements on sections of land located within one of the city’s business areas. These segmented lands could potentially create unique safety issues for the City because the adjacent land could also be affected.
• The two parcels are located in the main shopping centers of Lemoore on a highly traveled road with peak visibility. Future changes, inconsistent with the city’s General Plan, could be detrimental to the overall character Lemoore embraces.

In the letter written by Lemoore City Manager Nathan Olson, he added that “while we respect the Santa Rosa Rancheria Tribe, we feel it is imperative to maintain consistency with City of Lemoore services, standards, and the character for all of the lands within our city.”

In other actions Tuesday night, councilmembers are expected to conduct a public hearing regarding the closeout of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)  used for the recently completed Senior Center Improvement Project.

The hearing is expected to review the accomplishments and allow citizens to comment on the grant. In October 2014, Lemoore was awarded $1,419,391 in CDBG grant funds to make improvements to the Lemoore Senior Center, including roof coating and new HVAC units. Also, parking lot and sidewalk upgrades were completed for the Stebbins and Nutrition building.