The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors is expected to weigh in Tuesday on the newest proposed expansion for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians reservation, but the draft response urges the tribe to continue communication.

Last month, the Bureau of Indian Affairs alerted the county that the tribe had applied to place the 365-acre San Carlos property in the Santa Ynez Valley into a federal trust. The county has 30 days, or until Friday, to comment on the “Notice of Non-Gaming Land Acquisition Application” submitted by the Chumash.

The tribe owns the land, also known as the triangle property, and placing it into a trust means it would fall under the tribal government. That would make the land exempt from local or state laws, including removal from tax rolls and local land-use laws.

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors will discuss sending a letter to the BIA with the six-page draft spelling out several concerns about impacts while urging a cooperative agreement between the county and tribe that respects its sovereignty.  

The draft response noted the county’s “government-to-government relationship” with the Chumash tribe, which led to working together in recent years on several valley-wide matters.

“That record of partnership rests on open communication,” the draft letter states. “For that reason, we were disappointed to learn of this application first through a federal notice, rather than from the Tribe directly. 

“We say this not as a complaint, but because we believe the relationship is strong enough to hold a frank conversation and because the decisions ahead are best made through informed, direct discussions.”

Officials estimate that the San Carlos land’s inclusion as tribal property would mean a loss of $141,958 for county coffers.

The draft letter noted the precedence set by the 1,400-acre Camp 4 battle that spanned several years before both sides reached an agreement. That pact runs through 2040 and spells out Camp 4 property uses — housing and a tribal hall — while following safety codes and creating water-use mitigation and a monitoring plan.

In lieu of taxes lost by the Camp 4 property being placed into a trust, the tribe agreed to make an annual payment of $178,500 to the county. 

County staff noted that the tribe’s long-term plans for the San Carlos land remain a mystery. 

Placing the San Carlos land, located near the intersection of highways 154 and 246, into a trust would push the tribal property in the valley above 1,850 acres.

Santa Ynez Valley resident Coleen Hefley opposed the addition of San Carlos property, used recently to host events, in a comment email to Supervisor Joan Hartmann before Tuesday’s meeting.

“I am very concerned that if the Chumash get their way, there will be far more loud events going on, and without having to go through the land permitting process, they could build anything they want on the property. I am concerned they will build a large, outdoor event area when they can have loud outdoor concerts, wedding venues, athletic games or whatever they choose to host, with absolutely no guardrails to the community,” Hefley wrote.

Hartmann noted the limitations into her emailed response, which is part of the meeting record.

“You are correct that the county has very little leverage other than requesting that the tribe be a good neighbor,” Hartmann said.

The Board of Supervisors meeting is set to start at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the County Administration Building Board Hearing Room, 105 E. Anapamu St. in Santa Barbara.