OJAI : Cutbacks by State May Interfere With Annexation Plans

State budget cuts that threaten city funding may curtail the effort to annex populated areas of the Ojai Valley to the city of Ojai, officials said Wednesday.

“My feeling is that if the state revenue cuts are as substantial and severe as they could be, there is little likelihood that a larger city would be feasible,” Ojai City Manager Andrew Belknap said.

The city of Ojai has already contributed about $15,000 to a citizens committee studying whether Ojai should annex communities that surround it in the Ojai Valley. The city, Belknap said, “would probably not be advised to spend more money on the proposal.”

The Ojai Valley Unified Local Government Options Committee--made up of 30 residents from the city and surrounding areas--has been studying an annexation proposal since last year.

Consultants are examining the financial feasibility of such an annexation plan, said Wes Kent, a Mira Monte resident who sits on the executive council of the committee.

Robert Braitman, former director of the Local Agency Formation Commission and one of the consultants working on the study, agreed with Belknap’s assessment.

“Depending on what action the state takes, we will have to re-evaluate the financial feasibility of this proposal,” Braitman said. “That’s not to say this is not something that will work, but rather it is an idea that will have to be looked at again.”