Mono County Municipal Code Ch. 13.35 Naming and Renaming of Public Roads

Whenever the county director of transportation finds that a name should be adopted and applied to any public road in Mono County, or that the existing name of any public road in the county should be changed in order to avoid confusion and delay in emergency response to properties along the road, the director, in collaboration with the IT director, shall develop a proposed name or new name for the road, as the case may be, and request the planning commission to conduct a public hearing to consider the proposed name in order for the commission to make a recommendation thereon to the board of supervisors.

(Ord. 06-09 § 2 (part), 2006.)

(Ord. No. 15-03, § 2, 5-5-2015)

A. Upon receiving a request of the county director of transportation pursuant to Section 13.35.010, the planning commission shall conduct a public hearing on the director's road-naming proposal.

B. Notice of the public hearing shall be given by all of the following methods: by posting notice in at least three public places along the road affected by the naming proposal, such posting to be completed at least ten days before the day set for the hearing; by mailing or delivering notice of the hearing at least ten days prior to the hearing to the owners of real property, as shown on the latest equalized assessment roll, along the road affected by the naming proposal; and by publishing notice at least once in a newspaper of general circulation in Mono County at least ten days before the day set for the hearing.

(Ord. 06-09 § 2 (part), 2006.)

A. At the public hearing on the county director of transportation's road-naming proposal, the planning commission shall receive and consider the director's report on the need to name or re-name the public road, the proposed name or new name for the road, and any public testimony, correspondence, or other information presented on those matters.

B. Following the public hearing, the planning commission shall recommend that the board of supervisors adopt the director's road-naming proposal, as it may be revised by the commission, if it finds:

1. That the road under consideration is a public road;

2. That the road either lacks a name or that its existing name is confusing, duplicative, or otherwise undesirable;

3. That, as a result of the finding under subsection (B)(2) of this section, the lack of name or the confusing, duplicative or otherwise undesirable name has the potential to impede emergency response to the properties along the road; and

4. The threat to public health and safety posed by the lack of a name for the road or the confusing nature of the road's existing name outweighs any expense or inconvenience that would be incurred by property owners along the road were the road named or renamed.

C. If the commission is unable to make all four of these findings, it shall reject the director's proposal. In that event, however, the director of transportation may, pursuant to Section 13.35.040(B), request the board of supervisors to consider the road-naming proposal.

(Ord. 06-09 § 2 (part), 2006.)

A. Upon receipt of the planning commission's recommendation made pursuant to Section 13.35.030(B), the board of supervisors shall schedule and then conduct a public hearing on the county director of transportation's road-naming proposal.

B. Upon receipt of a request by the county director of transportation made pursuant to Section 13.35.030(C), the board of supervisors may schedule and then conduct a public hearing on the director's road-naming proposal.

C. Notice of a public hearing scheduled pursuant to this section shall be given in accordance with Section 13.35.020(B).

(Ord. 06-09 § 2 (part), 2006.)

At the public hearing, the board of supervisors shall first consider the matters described in Section 13.35.030(A). The board may adopt a name for, or change the name of, the public road under consideration if, following the public hearing, it makes the findings described in Section 13.35.030(B)(1) through (4), inclusive. The board may adopt the name or new name recommended by the county director of transportation, or by the planning commission, if the commission has recommended a name different than that proposed by the director, or the board may adopt a name or new name of its choosing for the road. If the board is unable to make the four findings described in Section 13.35.030(B), it shall reject the director's proposal.

(Ord. 06-09 § 2 (part), 2006.)

If, following a public hearing described in Section 13.35.050, the board adopts a name or new name for a road, the road shall thereafter be known by that name. The county director of transportation shall prepare and, following its execution by the chairman of the board of supervisors, shall record a document memorializing the board of supervisor's action with respect to the name of the road. The director shall also provide written notice of the naming or renaming of the road to: the owners of real property, as shown on the latest equalized assessment roll, along the affected road; the sheriff; the California Highway Patrol; the California Department of Transportation; the U.S. Postal Service; and all affected local public agencies, emergency response agencies, school districts, and utility providers.

(Ord. 06-09 § 2 (part), 2006.)

In addition to performing the duties described in Section 13.35.060, if the road name affected by an action of the board of supervisors under this chapter was established via a recorded subdivision map, the county director of transportation shall, in consultation with the director of community development, determine whether it would be advisable and practicable to prepare, process, and record a map modifying the original map in order to reflect the action of the board of supervisors. If the director concludes it would be advisable and practical to do so, the director shall prepare, and the community development department shall process, such a map in accordance with Chapter 17.21 of this code. Nothing herein shall prevent the director from recording such other map or document in order to reflect the board's naming or renaming of a road established and named in a recorded subdivision map.

(Ord. 06-09 § 2 (part), 2006.)

The procedure set forth in this chapter is to be used when an existing public road either has no name or has a confusing, duplicative, or otherwise undesirable name that has the potential to impede prompt emergency response to the properties along the road. The proposed names for roads to be established via a subdivision map shall be reviewed, revised, and/or approved by the county director of transportation in accordance with the Subdivision Map Act and Section 17.16.250 of this code.

(Ord. 06-09 § 2 (part), 2006.)