Bill Monning presents a bill that would dissolve Fort Ord Reuse Authority in two years.

The Fort Ord Reuse Authority deliberated, voted, voted again and finally produced a proposal to execute its own dissolution. Then, State Sen. Bill Monning, D-Carmel, made some major tweaks to that proposal, including a hard end date.

Senate Bill 189, as amended by Monning on April 1, would extend FORA’s legal mandate for two years beyond the current sunset date of June 30, 2020, but would make sharp cuts to its present powers.

The agency would be empowered to continue collecting fees from developers of existing and previously approved projects on the former Fort Ord military base. Much of the debate leading up to Monning’s bill has revolved around future collection of these fees whose value is estimated in the tens of millions of dollars.

An analysis of FORA’s future revenues and obligations, completed in December, and known as the FORA Transition Plan, highlighted the importance of future developer fees for the funding of Fort Ord public works.

“FORA needs two additional years to allow jurisdictions to implement adequate funding mechanisms to support projects identified in the FORA Transition Plan,” Monning said in a statement. “This will ensure that there will be no gap in funding for vital regional projects and obligations subject to the FORA Transition Plan once FORA is dissolved.”

In other words, any fees owed after June 30, 2022 would have to be collected by individual jurisdictions through new financial mechanisms.

The bill reduces the number of members serving on the board of FORA from its current 13 to five. The new board would be made up of representatives from Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Monterey, Seaside and Monterey County, eliminating the seats for Pacific Grove, Carmel, Sand City and Salinas. CSU Monterey Bay would not get a seat on the board as had been proposed by FORA.

The legislative language drafted by FORA and presented to Monning had been approved on a 7-6 vote, signaling dissent among board members. While everyone agreed on the need to dissolve FORA, many board members—and outside critics—felt the language was too vague and did not establish a definite new sunset date.

Ultimately, only the state government possesses the authority to determine FORA’s fate, which is why Monning’s role is important. Now the senator’s bill will wind its way through the Legislature and, if successful in both the Assembly and State Senate, land on the governor’s desk for a final signature.