BOARD
OF SUPERVISORS
DECEMBER
23, 2003
The
Lassen County Board of Supervisors convene in Regular Session at 9:11 a.m. Chairman Chapman asks for public comment and
no comments are received. County Clerk
Nagel announces the Closed Session item and the Board recesses to Closed
Session at 9:12 a.m. for a conference with Legal Counsel: Initiating of litigation pursuant to Subdivision
(c) of Government Code section 54956.9: 1 case.
Present
in the Closed Session are Supervisors Robert Pyle, Jim Chapman, Lloyd Keefer,
Brian Dahle, and Jack Hanson; County Counsel John Ketelsen, Acting County
Administrative Officer Bob Sorvaag and County Clerk Theresa Nagel. Supervisor Dahle departs at 9:24 a.m. Closed Session is recessed at 9:25 a.m.
The
Lassen County Board of Supervisors reconvenes in Regular Session on Tuesday,
December 23, 2003, at 9:34 a.m. Present:
Supervisors Robert Pyle, Jim Chapman, Lloyd Keefer, Brian Dahle, and Jack
Hanson; County Counsel John Ketelsen, Acting County Administrative Officer
(CAO) Bob Sorvaag and County Clerk Theresa Nagel. Following the flag salute, the invocation is
offered by Supervisor Chapman.
ANNOUNCEMENT
OF ITEMS DISCUSSED IN CLOSED SESSION
The
County Clerk announces the Closed Session dealt with a conference with Legal
Counsel: Initiating of litigation
pursuant to Subdivision (c) of Government Code section 54956.9: 1 case - action
by the Board was to give approval to legal counsel to intervene in litigation,
the particulars of the action will be disclosed to any person upon inquiry once
the action has been formally commenced.
AGENDA
APPROVAL, ADDITIONS AND/OR DELETIONS
It is
moved by Supervisor Keefer, seconded by Supervisor Hanson and carried to
approve the agenda as posted.
PUBLIC
COMMENT
1. Poet Laureate Violet Stout reads a poem
entitled "It's Just Christmas".
2. Former Sheriff Ron Jarrell states that he
misses the interaction he had with the Board.
He has been reminded, for the past year and a half, on a daily basis,
that Lassen County is indeed a great place to live and he appreciates what the
Board of Supervisors do to keep it that way.
He wishes each and everyone, and their families, a very happy holiday.
UNAGENDIZED
BOARD REPORTS
1. Supervisor Hanson wishes everyone a Merry
Christmas and thanks the board members for their support over the past year.
2. Supervisor Pyle received a letter from the
Lassen County Fish and Game Commission indicating that David Huhtala had been
removed from the commission because he had missed more than three meetings
without excuse. He expresses his
disappointment that the commission had not spoken to him prior to taking this
action. He asks the Clerk to advertise the vacancy. Supervisor Chapman agrees
the way it was handled was not appropriate and hopes the commission members
would not take such action in the future without contacting the Supervisors.
3. Supervisor Dahle wishes everyone a good
holiday and states this is the best Board of Supervisors he has served on. Even
when we disagree it is not disagreeable.
4. Supervisor Keefer announces that he traveled
with Assemblyman Dave Cox to Alturas last week and this gave him the opportunity
to discuss several local issues with Mr. Cox.
He feels that Dave Cox will be a good representative for this area. Supervisor Chapman agrees that Cox will be an
excellent representative.
5. Supervisor Chapman wishes everyone a Merry
Christmas and thanks the board members for their support, patience and
cooperation. He appreciates the work by
the board members and Supervisor Dahle's dedication to RCRC; appreciates the
County Clerk and the Clerk's website; appreciates the valuable help provided by
County Counsel.
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
The
Board of Supervisors recess and convene as the Community Development
Commission.
Assistant
Community Development Director Bertotti provides information on the lack of
timely submitted responses to the Request for Proposal (RFP) for preparation of
documents necessary to adopt redevelopment plans. One firm submitted a response, although it
was one day late, and at a cost more than the County expected to pay. The request is for authorization to negotiate
for the services.
It is
moved by Supervisor Dahle, seconded by Supervisor Hanson and carried to
authorize the CAO to enter into contracts for consultant services not to exceed
$100,000 to prepare Redevelopment Plan(s) for Lassen County based on services defined
in the Request For Proposal Scope of Work.
The
Community Development Commission adjourns and the Board of Supervisors
reconvenes.
CONSENT
CALENDAR
Supervisor
Hanson requests that Item G-5 and G-6, Prison Trials Cost Reimbursement
Program, be removed from the consent calendar for separate consideration.
It is
moved by Supervisor Pyle, seconded by Supervisor Keefer and carried to take the
noted action on the following Consent Calendar items:
COUNTY
CLERK ITEM
Approve
Minutes of December 16, 2003.
COUNTY
CLERK - PROPOSITION 65 REPORT ITEM
Receive
and file report #03-09, filed by Chester Jackson, OES, on December 15, 2003 -
NOTIFICATION OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RELEASE:
On December 10, 2003, a traffic collision occurred on US Hwy 395 about 4
miles North of State Highway 70, involving a commercial truck that spilled
about 240 gallons of diesel fuel on the highway shoulders. Appropriate agencies were notified and
Cal-Trans is completing the clean up.
ADMINISTRATIVE
SERVICES - PERSONNEL ITEM
Receive
and file Personnel Movement report for November, 2003.
BOARD
OF SUPERVISORS ITEM
Adopt
Resolution No. 03-087, dissolving Susanville Ranch Regional Recreation Area
Advisory Committee.
MISCELLANEOUS
CORRESPONDENCE ITEMS
Receive
and file the following correspondence:
a. Lassen County Fair Advisory Board meeting
minutes of December 9, 2003.
PRISON
TRIALS COST REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM
Supervisor
Hanson notes the last payment for Prison Trials Reimbursement was received for
the period ending July 31, 2003 and he wants to know how long this goes on
without payment from the State.
Supervisor Chapman states this is an ongoing problem each year and
suggests it be discussed with Assemblyman Dave Cox. The Recap of CCC Prison Trials Cost
Reimbursement Billing for the month of November, 2003, and High Desert State
Prison Trials Cost Reimbursement Billing for the month of November, 2003, is
received and filed.
AGRICULTURE
COMMISSIONER
Agriculture
Commissioner Ken Smith presents a report on the findings of a survey to form a
Pest Abatement District in Honey Lake Valley, and requests direction for him to
proceed with formation of a District Formation Committee. Discussion is held in regard to who should
serve on the formation committee.
Chairman Chapman delegates Supervisor Pyle to work with Ken Smith and
bring back a recommendation for action, and to include the County Clerk and
County Counsel on the formation committee.
UNITED
STATES FOREST SERVICE
Forest
Supervisor Ed Cole reports a meeting was held last week with Quincy Library
Group (Congressman Herger and representatives from Doolittle's and Feinstein's
staff were present). The Sierra Nevada
Framework will be coming out in January, 2004.
He states the canopy closure requirements and diameter limitations
creates tremendous restrictions in regard to timber sales. They are treating defensible zones around
communities which allows cutting up to 30" diameter trees but these are
also small sales. They try to do as much
as they can with the restrictions. Their
work has shifted to fuels treatment which is thinning from below which produces
smaller diameter material. He is very
concerned with mill closures because in Southern California they have no place
to get rid of material produced by their vegetation management projects due to
lack of mills. It is expected The
Framework will bring the diameter up to 30", canopy closure will go away
on the east side and on the west side it will go down to 40% with a target of
50%. He notes the same people who are
now complaining about the government not moving forward fast enough in Southern
California in regard to harvesting bug trees, are the same people that have,
and continue, to stop management efforts by fighting all logging plans on
public lands. He acknowledges that 50%
of the volume moved now is biomass and that is a big affect on the mills. His proposal on the Lassen is to increase the
acreage planned for 2003 which is to triple the acreage to 30,000 with 22,000
acres in the QLG Implementation Area.
Extensive
discussion is held between board members and Mr. Cole.
Supervisor
Chapman wants Mr. Cole to convey to the Regional Forester the need to support
promotion of recreation since logging has been so drastically cut. He discusses a recent incident where the
"Forest Cops" were very unfriendly toward a group of mountain
bikers. He wants Mr. Cole to realize
there are people in the Forest Service that are not putting forth the
philosophy that he has expressed "that logging and recreation are
complimentary to each other".
Supervisor
Dahle states that we still have a few mills operating and he hopes some sense
comes about so the forests can be managed sensibly and produce enough material
to keep those mills open.
Supervisor
Hanson notes the private land owners fire restoration programs make so much
more sense than what the public agencies are doing which is to just leave the
burned trees stand and rot. (Supervisor
Dahle departs at 11:04 a.m.)
Supervisor
Keefer has received some information that community assistance grant projects
will have to be tied to prescribed Forest Service burning projects and this
will narrow the opportunities to get grants for treatment of areas near
communities if there is no Forest Service land adjacent to the project
area. This is a great concern to
him. Mr. Cole indicates he is not aware
of this restriction but will check into it.
(Supervisor Dahle returns at 11:08 a.m.)
PUBLIC
WORKS DEPARTMENT
Extensive
discussion is held among board members on how to use Local Transportation Fund
(LTF) money from prior years.
It is
moved by Supervisor Dahle and seconded by Supervisor Pyle to use the $287,437
county share of prior year LTF money to backfill the Road Department Operation
Funds which were used to finance Center Road Rehabilitation.
Supervisor
Chapman would like to use $110,998 to aid the city with the Weatherlow Street
stoplight.
The
motion carries on a roll call vote, with Supervisor Chapman voting NO.
BOARD
OF SUPERVISORS
It is
moved by Supervisor Dahle, seconded by Supervisor Hanson and carried to adopt
Resolution No. 03-088, supporting the Local Taxpayers and Public Safety
Protection Act.
It is
moved by Supervisor Keefer, seconded by Supervisor Pyle and carried to approve,
and authorize the Chairman to sign, support letters endorsing the efforts of:
the Day/Lassen Bench Fire Safe Council and Lassen County Fire Safe Council,
Inc. in their grant application for Phase 3 Fuel Reduction Project; and the
Lassen County Fire Safe Council, Pit Resource Conservation District and Lassen
County RAC supporting the fuel reduction project on Ash Valley Ranch.
COUNTY
COUNSEL
County
Counsel John Ketelsen presents a response to Regional Council of Rural Counties
(RCRC) white paper on a Payment-In-Lieu-Tax (PILT) proposed law suit. He has reviewed the cases cited in the white
paper and although intriguing, they are not on point. He reviews the cases and states that he is
not optimistic about the success of such a lawsuit and recommends against
participating.
The
consensus of the board members is to wait to see what action is taken by other
involved counties and have a follow-up report to the Board.
There
being no further business, the meeting is adjourned at 11:43 a.m.
__________________________________________
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
ATTEST:
_______________________________________
THERESA
NAGEL, CLERK OF THE BOARD