County of Orange: joint exercise of powers agreements: toll roads.

The Joint Exercise of Powers Act generally authorizes 2 or more public agencies, by agreement, to jointly exercise any common power. Existing law authorizes the County of Orange and the cities in that county, by ordinance, to require the payment of fees as a condition of approval of a final map or as a condition of issuing a building permit for purposes of defraying the actual or estimated cost of constructing bridges over waterways, railways, freeways, and canyons, or constructing major thoroughfares. Existing law authorizes those entities to form a joint powers agency for specified purposes, including incurring indebtedness for the construction of bridge facilities or major thoroughfares, pursuant to which various toll roads in the County of Orange were constructed. This bill would prohibit those entities, on and after January 1, 2018, from forming a new joint powers agency to construct bridge facilities or major thoroughfares under that specific authorization or the general authorization. The bill would prohibit a joint powers agency formed under that specific authorization from incurring new bonded indebtedness, except for specified purposes. Existing law authorizes a joint powers agency created for these purposes to make certain toll revenues and fees available to specified other joint powers agencies to pay for the cost of construction and toll collection of major thoroughfares other than those for which the toll or fee is charged if specified requirements are met and findings are made. This bill would delete this provision.