The Agency was activated pursuant to the California Redevelopment Law in 1986, and is governed by a five-member board that consists of all members of the Atascadero City Council. The Agency Board Chairman is elected from the City Council Members by Council members, and serves a one-year term.

Project Area

The City of Atascadero established the Project Area by Ordinance No. 362, enacted by the City Council of the City of Atascadero on July 13, 1999, as amended by Ordinance No. 415, enacted by the City Council of the City of Atascadero on April 22, 2003. The Redevelopment Plan seeks to establish a pattern of land use that will best promote the health, safety, convenience and welfare of all citizens of the community. The redevelopment Plan strives to encourage private investment in industry, commerce and housing by providing needed public facilities and improvements and promoting an environment that reflects concern for architectural and urban design principles.

· Last Date to Established Debt: July 13, 2019

· Last Date to Repay Debt: July 13, 2044

· Annual Limit Amount of Tax Increment: None

· Bonded Indebtedness Limit: $25,000,000

The Agency has an arrangement with the City of Atascadero for financial assistance and services, facilities and personnel support. As moneys become available, the Agency reimburses the City for all such services performed in amounts equal to a portion of the gross salary and employee fringe benefits for certain City employees utilized by the Agency, plus other miscellaneous operating and equipment costs and capital expenditures.

Wade McKinney, Executive Director/City Manager.

Mr. McKinney has over 25 years experience in government, the last 18 years as City Manager. His implementation of a Strategic Planning approach has caused the City’s resources to grow significantly over the last seven years. He has led a program to complete over $5 million of road repairs in the last five years, and has implemented other major capital projects including the wastewater plant upgrade and the development of a new Youth Center.

Mr. McKinney has received Resolutions of Commendation from the State Assembly and Senate, the Regional Award of Merit for Distinguished Leadership, and was recognized by the Atascadero Police Officer’s and Fire Fighters for his effective leadership. Mr. McKinney is involved in and has held leadership positions in professional societies including the Central Coast City Manager’s Association, the San Luis Obispo County/City Manger’s Association, the League of California Cities, City Management Association, the California Redevelopment Agencies Association, and the International Council of Shopping Centers.

James R. Lewis, Assistant Executive Director

Mr. Lewis has 10 years of service in local government/economic development and previously served as Assistant to the City Manager for the City of Claremont. He served as president of the Municipal Management Association of Southern California (MMASC) in 2001 and serves on the Emerging Leaders Task Force for the International City and County Management Association (ICMA). He received a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy and Management from the University of Southern California and a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship at Syracuse University. Jim is active with USC and serves on the Board of Governors of the Alumni Association and on the advisory board of the Master of Public Administration degree program. Jim is past president of the Claremont Kiwanis Club and continues his Kiwanis involvement in Atascadero as the advisor of the Atascadero High School Key Club and as a member of the club’s board of directors. An Eagle Scout, Jim also serves as chairman of the Del Norte District Boy Scouts coordinating all scouting efforts in north San Luis Obispo County. The Tribune, the county’s leading newspaper named Jim one of the Top 20 professionals under 40 years of age in 2006.

Rachelle Rickard, Treasurer/Administrative Services Director.

Mrs. Rickard graduated summa cum laude from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and has been a practicing Certified Public Accountant since 1992. Mrs. Rickard has been in public finance for over 16 years, and has been instrumental in improving the overall financial condition of the City of Atascadero since joining it in 1997. During her career as an auditor, she annually prepared financial statement for 48 governmental units, and was a key factor in transforming a local accounting firm’s reputation to that of an authority in governmental Municipal Financial Officers, and is a current member in good standing of the Government Finance Officers Association, the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the California Municipal Treasure’s Association.

All powers of the Agency are vested in its members. Pursuant to California Redevelopment Law, the Agency is a separate public body and exercises governmental functions, including planning and implementing redevelopment projects.

The Agency may exercise the right to issue bonds for e authorized purposes, and to expend their proceeds. Also exercise the right to acquire, sell, rehabilitate, develop, administer or lease property. The Agency may demolish buildings, clear land and cause to be constructed certain improvements, including streets, sidewalks, and utilities, and can further prepare for use as a building site any real property which it owns or administers.

The Agency may, from any funds made available to it for such purposes, pay for all or part of the value of land and the cost of buildings, facilities or other improvements to be publicly owned and operated, provided that such improvements are of benefit to a redevelopment project and cannot be financed by any other reasonable method. The Agency may not construct or develop buildings, the exception of public buildings and housing, and must sell or lease cleared property which it acquires within a redevelopment project area for redevelopment in conformity with a particular redevelopment plan, and may further specify a period within which such redevelopment must begin and be completed.

Pursuant to section 33675 of California Redevelopment Law, on or before October 1 of each year the Agency must file with the County Auditor a statement of indebtedness certified by the chief fiscal officer of the Agency for each redevelopment project that received tax increment. The statement of indebtedness is required to contain the date on which any bonds were delivered, the principal amount, term, purpose and interest rate of bonds, and the outstanding balance and amount due on bonds. Similar information must be given for each loan, advance or indebtedness that the Agency had incurred or entered into to be payable from tax increment. The Agency has complied with the requirements of section 33675 each year since adoption of the Redevelopment Plan.

Section 33675 also provides that the County Auditor is limited in payment of tax increment to the Agency to the amounts shown on the Agency’s Statement of Indebtedness. The section further provides that the Statement of Indebtedness is prima facie evidence of the indebtedness of the Agency but that the County Auditor may dispute the amount of indebtedness shown on the statement in certain cases. Provision is made for time limits under which the dispute can be made by the County Auditor as well as provisions for determination by the Superior Court in a declaratory relief action of the proper disposition of the matter. The issue in any such action must involve only the amount of the indebtedness and not the validity of any contract or debt instrument, or any expenditure pursuant thereto. An exception is made for payments to a public agency in connection with payments by such public agency pursuant to a bond issue that shall not be disputed in any action under section 33675.

The law requires redevelopment agencies to have an independent financial audit conducted each year. The financial audit is also required to include an opinion of the Agency’s compliance with laws, regulations and administrative requirements governing activities of the Agency. The audit firm of Glenn, Burdette, Phillips, and Bryson was engaged to perform the audit of the Agency's 2006-2007 Financial Statements.