Study breaks down how much it will cost Santa Rosa to annex Roseland

Annexing Roseland will cost Santa Rosa at least ?$3.5 million more per year to provide services such as police protection and require a long-term investment of nearly $80 million in parks, roads and storm drains to bring the neighborhood’s infrastructure up to the same level as the rest of the city.

Those are the initial findings of a new study on the costs of bringing five unincorporated county islands totaling ?712 acres in the city’s southwest area within the city’s official boundary.

In the works for months, the study heads to the City Council on Tuesday for its first public presentation. The analysis is meant to help the council, which has made annexation of the unincorporated county islands a priority, grasp the costs involved as it begins to set the city’s budget priorities next month.

It is also likely to be a key document in upcoming negotiations between the city and the county over how to divvy up the costs of an effort the city has long skirted in part because of the steep price tag but which many say it must now embrace.

“We’ve been talking about the annexation of Roseland since I was a kid, and I’ll be 60 this year,” Mayor John Sawyer said. “It’s been a long time coming.”

About 6,400 people live in the 620-acre unincorporated area of Roseland, while another nearly 600 live in smaller county pockets around Brittain Lane, Victoria Drive, West Hearn Avenue, and West Third Street.

While the cost estimates can seem “a bit daunting,” Sawyer stressed that the infrastructure upgrades “will take decades” to complete. Over that time, as the economic vitality and property values of the area increase, so will the revenues to the city to pay for the improvements, he said.

Third District Supervisor Shirlee Zane said her board strongly supports the annexation. The supervisors are aware of the cost estimates and stand prepared to continue supporting the community with projects such as the construction of a town center and plaza on the site of the old Albertsons shopping center on Sebastopol Road, she said.

“This isn’t just about Roseland, this is about our whole community,” Zane said. “When Roseland prospers, I will argue we all prosper in this county.”

In addition to the costs of annexation, the city also analyzed the additional taxes and other revenue the city will generate from the Roseland area once it is part of the city. The report predicts the city will bring in $2.8 million per year in sales taxes, property taxes, utility-users taxes, gas taxes, vehicle license fees, alcohol sales permit fees and other city fines and fees.

When compared to the ?$3.5 million in costs, that means the net annual cost to the city is expected to be $733,000 in the first year, according to the report. The difference between the costs and the expected revenue is actually less than Assistant City Manager Chuck Regalia, who is managing the annexation effort, expected.

“It was kind of a pleasant surprise,” he said.

The single largest operating cost to the city related to annexation will be the police department’s need to hire 10 new employees. These include four officers, two dispatchers, one sergeant, one evidence technician, one technician and one detective.

The staffing need was estimated based an analysis of the volume of calls from the area to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, whose deputies currently patrol the area, and the city’s experience with three areas of the city with comparable census data and demographics. Those areas are not identified in the report.

The analysis concludes that city police dispatchers will see about 12,000 annual calls for service from Roseland, which will increase by 5 percent the 230,000 generated from the rest of Santa Rosa.

The total annual cost is estimated at $1.9 million, plus $390,000 in one-time costs for things such as patrol cars, equipment, uniforms and training.

The transportation and public works department has the next projected highest cost, at $603,000, mostly for the 4.4 new workers needed to maintain the 12.6 miles of existing roads in Roseland. A higher level of maintenance will be needed initially because the condition of the roads is worse than the rest of the city. While the average city road scores a 62 on the Pavement Condition Index, fully 25 percent of the roads in Roseland are below a 25 PCI and 15 percent are below a PCI of 5, according to the report.

One and a half new fire inspectors also would be needed to deal with code violations, hazardous material inspections, and soil contamination issues, as well as a part-time building inspector.

Additional staffing needs also are expected in the City Attorney’s office, economic development and housing, and finance departments. A total of 20 additional city positions would be needed, according to the report.

On the infrastructure side, by far the largest cost would be the development of new parks to the tune of $54 million. The report estimates the acquisition of land and development costs for eight different parks, ranging from one-acre neighborhood parks to the 20-acre Roseland Creek Community Park, 17 acres of which the city already owns.

Roads are the next biggest capital investment, needing $18.3 million, over time. This would include rebuilding all roads with a pavement index of 25 or less. Curbs, gutters and sidewalks also would be needed on other roads. Just 35 percent of Roseland streets have these features, compared to 85 percent in the city.

New storm drains are the next largest infrastructure cost, coming in at $4.6 million.

While the analysis outlines in great detail the additional services and infrastructure needed, it also highlights just how much the city is already doing in Roseland. For example, the city already provides fire service to the area through a contract with the Roseland Fire Protection District. It also has plans to begin construction this year on the Bayer Neighborhood Park and Gardens project in Roseland. And its utilities department already maintains the sewer lines of the South Park County Sanitation District.

This crossover between the city and county services and the closer-than-expected gap between costs and revenues bolsters Regalia’s impression that annexation’s time has come.

“To me, it shows how much sense the ultimate recombination of the Roseland area with Santa Rosa makes,” Regalia said. “We’re reconnecting.”

Just as important as the costs will be the community outreach the city is planning, Sawyer said.

A number of individual and community workshops are planned, as is a Web page, promotion of the effort through mailers, handouts and the media, according to the report. A steering committee made up of 20 to 30 members of the community will also be established.

“They are really being super sensitive to make sure people have an opportunity to mold that area’s future,” Sawyer said. “That’s pretty exciting.”

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.