H.B. cedes on 8 items

Residents packed the room, spilling out into the streets, for the Sunset Beach Community Assn.’s first meeting with Huntington Beach officials to discuss the possible annexation of the small beach community Sept. 3.

Association members have met with Huntington before, but this was the first time Mayor Keith Bohr, City Administrator Fred Wilson and Councilman Don Hansen attended one of the community’s monthly meetings since Sunset was put under Huntington’s sphere of influence in early July.

Bohr discussed a list of requests the community has if they do become part of Surf City and answered residents’ questions. The city is still working on its fiscal analysis, but it will go through with the annexation if it makes “dollars and cents,” Bohr said.

“There is a lot more analysis for us to do before we go forward with this,” he said.

Residents have been concerned about being forced to join Huntington after the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission put the community under the city’s sphere of influence in an effort to get rid of all county islands. If Huntington does decide to file to annex Sunset the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission could not deny them, only amend their application, commission officials have said.

Bohr addressed the community’s wish list and of the 13 items, said the city would most likely not have a problem with eight of them, including Sunset maintaining its own identity and keeping its unique post office system (the community picks up the mail, instead of having it delivered).

The community also requested Huntington take over ownership of the beach and the Greenbelt from the county and create a business license plan to limit undesirable shops like medical marijuana dispensaries and tattoo parlors from opening. Those and three other requests were to be determined if feasible.

Huntington Beach’s financial analysis hit a snag when the city discovered an additional $800,000 expense for beach services to the community. Hansen stressed the need for continued analysis and the need for annexation to work for Huntington.

“We’re not ready to take on obligations that don’t make financial sense,” Hansen said.

The association’s vice president, Mike Van Voorhis, said the meeting helped take away some of the mystique surrounding Huntington Beach and what city officials’ motivations are.

“Basically their point of view has been rumors and innuendo and it’s been nice to hear what their position was from their mouth,” Van Voorhis said.

Officials also warned about the possibility of the county cutting services to the community if Huntington doesn’t annex them.

Susan Wilson, Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission chairwoman, said the county would most likely give the community a six-month courtesy before pulling services, if they showed they were serious about incorporation by putting down a $7,000 deposit.

Many residents have expressed terror at the prospect of joining the city and are still hoping to avoid that option.

The community has taken the first step to becoming incorporated by filing an intent to petition with the commission. The association’s Incorporation Committee sent out a survey to all 850 registered voters and landowners in Sunset.

The survey will determine whether or not residents and landowners want to incorporate or join Huntington Beach.

In the survey, the committee asked for donations of $500 for the more than $100,000 estimated cost of incorporation.