To: Board of Supervisors
From: Warren Lai, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer
Report Title: Ordinance to Dissolve the Southern Contra Costa Regional Fee Area. Alamo, Danville, and San Ramon areas.
Recommendation: Recommendation of the County Administrator
RECOMMENDATIONS:
ADOPT Ordinance No. 2026-15 to dissolve the SCC Regional Fee Area and cease the collection of future SCC Regional fees.
DETERMINE that the adoption of Ordinance No. 2026-15 is exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to Article 5, Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the adoption of the ordinance may have a significant effect on the environment.
DIRECT the Director of the Department of Conservation and Development, or designee, to file a Notice of Exemption with the County Clerk-Recorder; and DIRECT the Public Works Director, or designee, to arrange for payment of a $50 fee to the County Clerk-Recorder for the filing of the Notice of Exemption.
DIRECT the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors to record certified copies of Ordinance No. 2026-15 in the Official Records of the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder. (District II)
FISCAL IMPACT:
100% Local Road Funds
BACKGROUND:
In 1996, the County, City of San Ramon (City), and Town of Danville (Town) (collectively “parties”) entered into a Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement pertaining to Southern Contra Costa Fees for Traffic Mitigation (the “SCC JEPA”). The SCC JEPA provides a mechanism to collectively mitigate the impacts of additional traffic generated by development in the southern part of Contra Costa County, generally from Alamo south to the county line. The SCC JEPA was structured to address the findings of the August 1996 Development Program Report (DPR) for the Southern Contra Costa Fee Areas.
The SCC JEPA includes two fees that all three jurisdictions participate in: the SCC Regional Fee and the SCC Sub-Regional Fee. The Regional Fee is dedicated to area freeway improvement projects, benefiting the entire SCC area. The SCC JEPA included an initial list of three projects to be funded in part by the SCC Regional Fee: improvements to the Interstate 680 (I-680) ramps at Alcosta Boulevard, the auxiliary lane along I-680 from Diablo Road to Bollinger Canyon Road, and the I-680 on- and off-ramps at Stone Valley Road.
On July 14, 2026, the Board of Supervisors approved an amendment to the SCC JEPA that amended the list of SCC Regional projects to include freeway improvements to I-680 planned by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA). The improvements identified by CCTA are collectively described as “Innovate 680.” The amendment also allowed the parties to allocate existing fund balances, if any, and included cessation of future collection of the SCC Regional Fee.
The actions identified in the JEPA amendment require an ordinance to be adopted to cease the future collection of the SCC Regional Fee. Ordinance No. 2026-15 fulfills this requirement.
The adoption of Ordinance No. 2026-15 is exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to Article 5, Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the adoption of the ordinance may have a significant effect on the environment since it will not authorize physical construction, change land use, modify infrastructure, or alter the environment.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Failure to adopt Ordinance No. 2026-15 will cause the SCC Regional Fee Area to remain and continue the collection of future SCC Regional fees.