RANCHO SANTA FE — Power lines blocking views in the Covenant could become just memories. But the better views will come at a cost.

The Rancho Santa Fe Community Services District plans to form assessment districts to finance undergrounding utilities, which means the burying of utility poles and overhead lines. The plan took another step forward at the Feb. 7 meeting of the Rancho Santa Fe Association board of directors.

Board members voted to authorize the Association manager to execute a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, between the Association and the district that would outline cooperation between the two entities to accomplish establishing the assessment districts.

Since the Association is not a governmental agency, it cannot administer the districts. The MOU would allow the community services district to interface with the Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO, to activate the district’s powers to form assessment districts.

“This is going to be somewhat controversial,” said Director Bill Beckman. “Some people aren’t going to want the utilities in their area.”

Vice President Robert Spears commented that, “this is going to be a very critical thing to care and nurture.” 

The board discussed the possibility of forming a committee to address the matter.

In other business, Association staff provided the board with an overview of overtime worked by California Highway Patrol officers within the Covenant. The voluntary overtime program began in 2004 and continues to “achieve effective and measurable results,” according to the report. It noted that the program is directly addressing speed and safety issues.

Association Manager Pete Smith said he has noticed that drivers on Del Dios Highway are driving better, and more slowly, as a result of the officers’ presence.

Board members also heard the annual report of the Rancho Santa Fe Patrol, which patrols local roads, responds to burglaries, and provides vacation watches on homes. The patrol’s 10 officers serviced 3,637 calls in 2007, which was a decrease of 13 percent from 2006, according to Patrol Chief Matt Wellhouser.

Covenant residents made about 8,000 phone calls to the service. Many of those were made last October during the wildfires. “Ninety-nine percent of calls were answered within 10 seconds,” Wellhouser said.

The Association board approved a request by the Association Tennis Club to initiate a reactivation fee for members who have left the club and want to return.

The board also gave the green light to the granting of an easement on land owned by the Association Golf Course to adjacent property owner Curt Farber on Calle Corte so that he can perform landscape maintenance. The area is not currently maintained.