How to resolve AdBlock issue? Supervisors unanimously approve $188 million budget for 2013-14 fiscal year
LAKEPORT, Calif. – In a budget hearing held Tuesday morning, the Board of Supervisors wrapped up work on the 2013-13 fiscal year budget, accepting the document unanimously.
The budget totals just over $188 million, with that final number slightly higher than the one given in the budget book posted just over a week ago due to some last-minute fine-tuning by County Administrative Officer Matt Perry and his staff. Last year's budget was $179 million.
In the new fiscal year, the county has budgeted 947 positions, Perry said.
Along with voting to accept the budget and the recommended position allocations, the board also accepted Perry's recommendations to discontinue the practice of requiring promotional only recruitment before open recruitment, and approved a continuation of the general hiring freeze, delegating authority to Perry to waive the hiring freeze as appropriate.
Perry began the three-and-a-half-hour-long hearing by thanking the board for having realistic expectations considering the county's still-limited resources, and also thanked department heads for their hard work during the budget process and throughout the year.
He said the new fiscal year budget is balanced and addresses four key budget priorities, which he said area always a struggle to meet: developing a responsible and sustainable budget to meet both short-term and long-term needs; preserving the county's general reserves; minimizing or avoiding any reduction in service levels; and avoiding harm to the county's employees and the local economy by not imposing a large number of layoffs, work furloughs or other forms of compensation reductions in order to balance the budget.
Last year, federal government sources totaled 13 percent of the county's revenue, rising to 16 percent this year. State revenue sources, on the other hand, totaled 34 percent in 2012-13 and fell to 31 percent this fiscal year, Perry said. Tax revenue is 14 percent for this year, down slightly from last year's 15 percent.
Perry said 33 percent of the county's total budget – or $68 million – goes to salaries and benefits, 30 percent to supplies and services and 13 percent to construction in progress.
Property tax, a key revenue source and economic indicator, had a slight rollback compared with last fiscal year, Perry said.
With the property tax roll having just been closed out by the assessor's office, Perry said it showed a 0.7 percent decrease over last year.
Despite that, Perry and his staff are optimistic that the county's financial outlook is improving.
That optimism is helped thanks to other positive signs, including the fact that sales tax revenues have recovered to pre-recession levels, he said. That helps law enforcement, which receives a large amount of funding from sales tax.
Budget highlights include adding an additional building inspector/code enforcement officer who will help with code and marijuana cultivation-related issues; the county's participation in a bridge replacement program which will give it nearly $9 million to replace 18 bridges; and the impending completion of renovations at the Lucerne Hotel, the new Marymount California University campus, Perry said.
“Clearlake Oaks is receiving a lot of work this coming year,” said Perry.
That includes work on the new sheriff's substation in the Big Oak Shopping Center – which county staff said began on Tuesday – as well as a sidewalk and streetlamp project, and the new Clearlake Oaks Senior Center, Perry said.
Funds have been budgeted to make significant improvements to the Gard Street School in Kelseyville in order to provide space for the county's Child Support Services Department. Perry said there also are plans to replace wells in the south Lakeport water system area.
Improvements will take place at parks including the Middletown Square Plaza, a new park in the Clear Lake Riviera and Hammond Park in Nice, with capital improvements also planned at the Lake County Jail and Lampson Field, Perry said.
As the hearings proceeded, many department heads explained their efforts to continue offering services despite being short-staffed, either due to needing to keep positions dark or, in some cases, being challenged in keeping positions filled due to pension reform or difficulty finding candidates.
During the hearings, department heads also updated the board on their big projects for the year, which in Social Services includes gearing up for health care reform. That agency also is funding a new welfare fraud investigator.
The board also approved District Attorney Don Anderson's request for an additional deputy district attorney to help the office deal with its workload.
In the Public Services Department, Deputy Director Jeff Rein told the board that they have budgeted repairs to the courthouse boiler. He said it's hoped that project will solve a decades-old problem relating to operation of the building's heating and cooling system.
More improvements also are planned for the park facilities on Mt. Konocti – to the tune of $32,000. Rein said that Buckingham Peak – where the county has a number of telecommunications towers with rented space – continues to expand its occupants and its revenue. “It's become a cash cow, frankly,” he said.
There is $10,000 budgeted to go to Westshore Pool – which is owned and operated by the city of Lakeport, but which county officials agree is a regional facility – as well a plan to explore installing solar panels at the pool to address the estimated $30,000 in annual utilities, according to Supervisor Anthony Farrington, who along with Supervisor Denise Rushing is a plan proponent. Such an installation also may be explored for the Middletown Pool.
The board praised Perry for his work on the budget, which the supervisors acknowledged incorporated their vision and concerns.
“Overall, I think it's a good, solid budget,” said Farrington.
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Lake County Final Recommended Budget 2013-14
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Supervisors to consider adopting $187 million budget during Tuesday hearings
LAKEPORT, Calif. – This week the Board of Supervisors will meet to discuss and consider adopting the budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year.
The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport. It will be broadcast live on TV8.
The board will first hold the budget hearings, to be followed by the regular meeting at 11:30 a.m.
In the budget hearings, which commence at 8:30 a.m., the board will consider the recommended budget, the proposed resolution adopting the budget and a resolution establishing position allocations for the new fiscal year.
According to County Administrative Officer Matt Perry's report to the board, the final recommended budget totals $187,770,437, compared to last year's total of $179,870,780.
Perry said the recommended general fund appropriation is $56,998,843, compared to $56,061,754 last year.
That increase in the general fund, he said, is due to increasing contingencies and special construction and building maintenance projects. Like the general fund, the road, behavioral health and social services funds all are “significantly more” this year than last, Perry reported.
During the regular meeting, in an untimed item, the board will consider a request to award the bid for the construction of the new Clearlake Oaks Senior Center.
The full agenda follows.
BUDGET HEARINGS
TIMED ITEMS
8:30 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of recommended budget for Fiscal Year 2013-14.
NONTIMED ITEMS
A-2: Consideration of proposed resolution adopting the Fiscal Year 2013-14 budget for the county of Lake and Special Districts governed by the Board of Supervisors.
A-3: Consideration of proposed resolution establishing position allocations for Fiscal Year 2013-14 to conform to the adopted budget.
REGULAR MEETING
TIMED ITEMS
11:30 a.m., A-1 to A-4: Approval of consent agenda, which includes items that are expected to be routine and noncontroversial, and will be acted upon by the board at one time without discussion; presentation of animals available for adoption at Lake County Animal Care and Control; consideration of items not appearing on the posted agenda, and contract change orders for current construction projects.
11:35 a.m.: Citizen's input. Any person may speak for three minutes about any subject of concern, provided that it is within the jurisdiction of the Board of Supervisors and is not already on the agenda. Prior to this time, speakers must fill out a slip giving name, address and subject (available in the clerk of the board’s office, first floor, courthouse).
11:40 a.m.: Assessment appeal hearing: Richard Dunham - Application Nos. 101-2011 and 102-2011 – 25113 Highway 29, Middletown, CA and 25135 Highway 29, Middletown, CA (APNs 013-029-100-000 and 013-029-200-000).
NONTIMED ITEMS
A-6: Supervisors’ weekly calendar, travel and reports.
A-7: Consideration of request for board direction regarding the repayment of loans from the Redevelopment Low and Moderate Income Housing Fund and from the general fund to the former redevelopment agency.
A-8: Consideration of request to award bid for the construction of the new Clearlake Oaks Senior Center.
A-9: Consideration of request to increase total amount of compensation for FY 2012-13 to Crestwood Behavioral Health for adult residential and mental health services (an increase of $35,200).
CLOSED SESSION
A-10: 1.Conference with labor negotiator: (a) county negotiators: A. Grant, L. Guintivano, S. Harry, M. Perry, A. Flora and C. Shaver; and (b) employee organizations: Deputy District Attorney's Association, Lake County Deputy Sheriff's Association, Lake County Correctional Officers Association, Lake County Employees Association and Lake County Safety Employees Association.
A-10: 2. Conference with real property negotiator, (a) property located at: 3980 Gard St., Kelseyville (APN 024-081-01); (b) negotiating parties for county: Supervisor Rob Brown, Child Support Services Director Gail Woodworth, County Administrative Officer Matt Perry and Deputy County Administrative Officer Alan Flora; for seller, Kelseyville Unified School District representatives; (c) under negotiation, lease terms.
A-10: 3. Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code Sec. 54956.9(d)(1): Spano v. Lake County, et al.
CONSENT AGENDA
C-1: Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting held on Sept. 3, 2013.
C-2: Approve letter to the California Air Resources Board expressing concern regarding current regulation to reduce emissions of diesel particulate matter, oxides of nitrogen and other criteria pollutants from in-use on-road diesel fueled vehicles, and authorize the chair to sign.
C-3: Adopt resolution approving the application and certification statement for the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Grant with the state of California, Department of Public Health for Fiscal Year 2013 through 2014, and authorizing the board chair to sign said certification.
C-4: Adopt resolution approving the application and certification statement for the State Department of Health Services, CMS Branch’s Child Health and Disability Prevention Program (CHDP) and Health Care Program for Children in Foster Care (HCPCFP) Renewal Grant for FY 2013/2014, and authorize the board chair to sign said certification statement.
C-5: (a) Waive consultant selection procedure; and (b) approve agreement between the county of Lake and Merritt Hawkins for staff psychiatrist recruitment services, total amount not to exceed $36,000, and authorize the chair to sign.
C-6: Approve deed restriction regarding portions of Mt. Konocti Park, as required by the Habitat Conservation Fund (HCF) Grant for trail improvements, and authorize the chair to sign.
C-7: (a) Approve grant deed and direct clerk to certify for recordation (APN 005-013-23 - Susan Moon), and approve purchase agreement between the county of Lake and Susan Moon for the Hendricks Road Bridge Replacement Project, and authorize the chair to sign agreement.
C-8: (a) Approve grant deed and direct clerk to certify for recordation (APN 005-013-24 - Beverly Rabidoux), and approve purchase agreement between the county of Lake and Beverly Rabidoux for the Hendricks Road Bridge Replacement Project, and authorize the chair to sign agreement.
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2013-2014 Lake County Final Budget book.pdf
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EXCLUSIVE: Potential buyer of Konocti Harbor discusses plans, permit application
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Thursday a San Francisco-based firm conducting due diligence for the proposed purchase of Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa submitted plans to the county for a massive renovation and revitalization project at the lakeside property.
Grant Sedgwick, president of Resort Equities, told Lake County News that he personally submitted a major use permit application and the associated plans to the Lake County Community Development Department late Thursday morning.
Sedgwick said Resort Equities' goal is to buy the resort and “carry out a fairly major redevelopment of the property.”
Community Development Department Rick Coel said Resort Equities is filing for a new use permit for the property, as the former resort uses are legal nonconforming, or grandfathered, because of the amount of time they've been in place. The only use permit on the property now is for the amphitheater, which he said had another two years remaining on it before it would have to be extended.
“The proposed revamping of the facility is going to be very significant and include removal of some buildings and construction of new ones, in addition to the fractional or time share ownership component that will be new to this site,” said Coel.
He said the 68-acre property is zoned “Commercial Resort,” which allows time share or fractional ownership resort development, subject to use permit approval by the Lake County Planning Commission. The Rivieras Area Plan does not prohibit it, he said.
“We're optimistic that we're going to be able to put this together,” said Sedgwick. “It's a big deal, though. Not all of the pieces are in place.”
The prospect of possibly having a new owner for the county's largest resort in the near future is a hopeful one for county officials, who have met with a number of prospective buyers over the last several years.
“We're all excited,” said County Administrative Officer Matt Perry.
However, Perry – as well as Sedgwick himself – cautioned that it's early in the process, which county officials are trying to expedite.
In an exclusive interview with Lake County News on Thursday, Sedgwick said Resort Equities signed a purchase agreement on Aug. 1 to purchase the resort.
He said the agreement includes a confidentiality clause that prevents him from discussing the potential purchase price.
The escrow process is now under way and includes a due diligence period. Sedgwick declined to say how long due diligence is to last under the agreement.
“If everything stays on schedule – and you never know about these things – it would close around the year-end,” he said, estimating closing could take place sometime after Dec. 15.
“That's ambitious but that is the plan,” he said. “We're working hard on it.”
The ambitious plan also has a large price tag. Sedgwick estimated that if all aspects of the plan are implemented, it could cost somewhere between $50 million and $70 million to carry out the goal of modernizing and improving the resort facilities.
“We're very enthusiastic about the opportunity,” Sedgwick said.
County officials already are getting to work on processing the plan, with Coel and Principal Planner Kevin Ingram working on the documents on Thursday. Coel said they would receive priority processing.
“They were rolling up their sleeves right away,” said Sedgwick.
Leading up to the permit application, Sedgwick said he had several meetings with county officials. “We've had nothing but support,” as well as encouragement, he said.
Sedgwick called the Konocti Harbor property – located on the lakeshore at the base of Mt. Konocti – “spectacular.”
He added, “It's not easily replicated in California, that's for sure.”
Big plans for a big resort
Resort Equities “offers a boutique collection of unique, luxury, shared ownership opportunities at some of the most sought-after resort destinations,” according to its Web site, and also is a sister company to Ragatz Resort Realty, for which Sedgwick also is president.
Sedgwick, of Los Gatos, has 30 years of experience in major real estate projects and development, with projects across the United States.
His extensive resume includes acting as real estate advisor to Classic Residence Management LP, an affiliate of Hyatt Hotels Corp.; co-founder and president of Rosedale Communities, a developer of seniors' housing and care facilities in Silicon Valley; and former president of Kimball Small Properties, during which time he managed the development of the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose and the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Santa Clara.
In addition to resort and hotel properties, he's also been involved in land development, office and retail space, and major rehabilitation projects such as the Monadnock Building and The Landmark, both in San Francisco.
The major use permit application Resort Equities submitted for Konocti Harbor lists a number of major projects at the resort property, which closed in 2009.
Some of the older buildings would be demolished and replaced and 75 new hotel rooms would be constructed. The current number of units – 261 – would increase to 321.
The plans call for the building of 164 new time share units that would be phased to match demand over a five- to seven-year period.
There also would be an increase in boat slips from 100 to 275, as well as additional parking.
Other plan aspects include reestablishing the outdoor and indoor concerts, rebuilding the marina and dock facilities destroyed in a recent storm, creation of an uninterrupted pedestrian promenade stretching for more than half a mile along the water's edge, from one end of the property to the other.
The firm also proposes to create a small vineyard and wine tasting pavilion on the site of an existing parking lot, and would encourage “best in class” operators to assume the management of amenities including lodging, timeshare, food and beverage, spa, marina and concert operations.
Other improvements would make the facilities fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as landscape upgrades, according to the application.
Along with the permit application are conceptual plans and drawings by planning firm Hart Howerton, which can be seen in the documents below.
Sedgwick said the resort came to the attention of Resort Equities in a roundabout way. A local real estate broker contacted a broker in Southern California, who then contacted Sedgwick's colleague Richard Ragatz in Oregon. Ragatz, in turn, called Sedgwick.
He said that in the late spring they got a copy of sales materials for the resort produced by WhiteStar Advisors, the Boca Raton, Fla.-based asset management company that was put in charge of overseeing the resort following the 2007 settlement of a federal lawsuit.
At that point, Sedgwick hadn't been to Lake County, but he found Konocti Harbor to be a “particularly interesting” resort opportunity. “We liked what we saw,” he said, and from there the pieces “just fell into place.”
He's since visited the county several times, and said of the resort, “It's a beautiful piece of property.”
Sedgwick added, “I'm just very enamored of the location, the county, the scenery.”
Federal lawsuit and closure
Lakeside Haven, the convalescent trust fund for Local 38 of the United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters and Journeymen, has owned Konocti Harbor since 1959, purchasing the resort for $200,000.
In the decades since, it had become a well-known destination for concert goers and Lake County visitors.
In 2004, the US Department of Labor filed a lawsuit against Local 38 alleging that the union's trustees violated federal law by diverting more than $36 million from retirement, health, scholarship, apprenticeship, and vacation and holiday funds to renovate and operate Konocti Harbor.
Before the suit was settled, San Francisco-based Kenwood Investments had indicated its plans to purchase the resort, where it wanted to locate a casino. Several local tribes told Lake County News at the time that Kenwood had contacted them to discuss having them partner in the casino. However, that purchase proposal later was withdrawn.
The federal suit was settled in May 2007, at which time federal officials told Lake County News that the amount of money diverted to the resort was believed to be substantially higher than stated in the suit – that closer to $54 million had been transferred to the resort between 1994 and 2004.
As part of the 2007 suit settlement, Local 38 was ordered to sell the resort and use the proceeds to repay the trust funds, according to court documents.
The Department of Labor told Lake County News that as a result of the federal lawsuit $3.5 million was restored to the Local 38 pension plan in September 2007. The resort’s sale also had the potential to see more money restored to the plans.
At the time of the 2007 settlement, a Bay Area firm, Page Mill Properties, had been named as the resort's buyer, with the price tag at that point being $25 million. That deal, however, didn't proceed.
In November 2009, the resort was closed “temporarily but indefinitely,” according to the notice sent to local, state and federal officials by WhiteStar Advisors. The closure displaced several hundred employees – estimated to be as many as 700 during the peak tourism season.
Not only did employees lose jobs and concert goers a favorite venue, but other county resorts struggled, said Deputy County Administrative Officer Alan Flora, who explained that nearby resorts benefited because Konocti Harbor didn't have enough beds for everyone who attended its events.
The county also lost a significant amount of transient occupancy tax, or bed tax. Officials are prohibited from disclosing how much TOT comes from particular businesses, but Flora said the county's current TOT revenue is barely over 50 percent of what is was in the 2008-09 fiscal year, when Konocti Harbor was still operating.
If Konocti Harbor added timeshares – like WorldMark Resort across the lake in Nice – it would not pay TOT on those units, Flora said.
Since the resort's closure, several potential sales appeared to be in the works, but none were finalized. Last year, county officials had confirmed working with a potential buyer, a deal that apparently evaporated this past spring.
Retired County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox said he and staff had met with a number of groups and individuals interested in purchasing the resort, but he didn't believe any of those potential buyers had opened an escrow account or signed a purchase agreement, despite having indicated otherwise to county officials.
Flora said it was hard to know what was true and what wasn't with some of the individuals expressing interest in the property.
“There were clearly some previous interested parties that misled us and others,” he said.
Sedgwick, on the other hand, is credible, and knows the pieces that are needed to make the resort successful, said Flora. As a result, county officials are optimistic he can put the project together.
What's ahead
Flora said that over the last six months the county has fielded more questions about the resort from interested parties. County officials have been speaking with Sedgwick for the last few months.
“We're working with him under the development incentives program that the board adopted of few years ago,” he said, explaining that the Board of Supervisors directed that, among other things, permit costs for job creating projects would be waived.
Flora added, “We do what we can to fast track economic development projects that create jobs.”
He said the county had previously extended the resort's use permit for concerts in case a potential buyer was interested in continuing performances.
A major use permit application such as Resort Equities has submitted usually takes about three to four months to get to a planning commission hearing, Flora said, noting there are a lot of legally required notices that must be issued in the process.
Because of the resort's importance to the county economy, Flora said Coel is aiming to get the permit processed far quicker – in 60 days.
“That's the goal at this point,” he said.
The project proposal shouldn't have to go to the Board of Supervisors unless a rezone is associated with it, said Flora.
Sedgwick said county officials told him that the major use permit could go to the Lake County Planning Commission at the start of December.
“We really will need the blessing of the county to do some of the things,” he said, noting that the property needs a lot of work.
Sedgwick said the resort industry is getting back on its feet after the recession. Reports from the Lake Tahoe area – near Resort Equities' office in Truckee – indicate that the sales of vacation homes have increased by two to four times the pace of recent years, with consumer confidence indexes also climbing.
With so many signs that the resort business is coming back strong, Sedgwick said his firm is optimistic that it can give new life to Konocti Harbor if and when a sale is finalized.
“We'll do our best with it,” he said.
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Resort Equities Konocti Harbor project description
Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa proposed site plan
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Board begins discussion on winterizing landslide-damaged subdivision
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday began considering options for keeping the ground stable during the upcoming winter months at a north Lakeport subdivision plagued by a landslide.
Since March, the landslide in the Lakeside Heights Subdivision off of Hill Road has destroyed several homes, damaged others and caused about half of the 29-home subdivision to empty out.
The cause of this landslide so far hasn't been determined – 45 property owners have filed tort claims against the county, alleging that the county's water and sewer utilities are to blame – but the order of business on Tuesday was how to go about keeping the ground stable as the winter rains approach.
County Public Works Director Scott De Leon told the board the slide is on private property and common property Owned by the Lakeside Heights Homeowners Association.
It is the opinion of De Leon and his staff that when it starts raining later this year, if the slide is not protected and kept dry, that the slide will begin to move again and could end up down on Hill Road, which is the main access road for Sutter Lakeside Hospital.
“If the whole mass came down on Hill Road, that's going to be a fairly significant event,” said De Leon
The question, he said, is how the potential for a slide can be mitigated.
De Leon suggested getting ahead of the situation, but he wanted the board's input on how preemptive and proactive its members wanted to be.
Ideally, De Leon said, the homeowners association would do something to weatherproof the slide. “Then we would not need to do and embankment action.”
Community Development Director Rick Coel said the county has sent out notices regarding the several red-tagged homes in the subdivision. They hadn't yet sent out a notice on the commonly owned homeowners association property.
If there was no compliance with the county's notices, Coel said the county would hire a contractor it prevailing wage to do the abatements. He said the county's authority in the matter would come from the grading and stormwater ordinance. In order to cover costs it could do a lien against the homeowners association.
Supervisor Anthony Farrington asked how much it would cost to cover the landslide area with tarps. Coel replied that he had no idea.
With homeowners facing the loss of their residences, Farrington said that the abatement process puts the county “somewhat in an adversarial posture with the residents.” He said the board needs to figure out how much to invest in the area, and cost estimates are needed to make an informed decision. He suggested there could be partnership opportunities.
Coel said the abatement of homes hasn't started. “I've been reluctant to do that,” he said.
Part of the concern relates to ground stability. Coel said a local contractor who looked at the red-tagged properties was reluctant to touch the project because of stability issues.
Randall Fitzgerald, president of the homeowners association, said he'd spoken briefly with De Leon regarding the association's proactive effort to mitigate the landslide. He said they've had a contractor look at the storm water water system.
“We are aware of the concerns. We have our own concerns,” said Fitzgerald.
He said he would speak with De Leon over the next few weeks regarding tarping the slide area to prevent issues with Hill Road.
Fitzgerald said the association is in the awkward situation of having limited resources, noting that it has lost about half of the residents, who are no longer paying dues.
De Leon said the design of the winterization “is going to be relatively straightforward,” explaining that it will need to protect the slide from a large intrusion of water.
He said he doesn't know if they need to cover the entire slide but certainly they need to attend to areas that are prone to runoff in the largest slide area. He said he was willing to help provide recommendations to the homeowners.
De Leon said he doesn't want water to get into the cracks caused by the landslide, which he said would will further lubricate the slide.
Farrington asked what would happen if the county took no action and the slide threatened Hill Road. De Leon said county workers would remove any materials that reached the road and try to maintain the roadway.
Farrington said he wanted to see a cost analysis for providing minimum tarping of the landslide area.
De Leon said he'd gone to Tuesday's meeting merely to get direction from the board, and with that now clear he said he would come back with a cost for tarping the area on Sept. 17, the day the board is to receive its next staff update on Lakeside Heights.
Fitzgerald said the homeowners association is willing to do what winterizing it can within its budget.
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Lake County Chamber presents check to city of Lakeport for fireworks
LAKEPORT, Calif. – During a brief Lakeport City Council meeting Tuesday evening, Lake County Chamber of Commerce officials presented a check to the city to help cover the cost of the Independence Day fireworks display.
The main item of business during the 20-minute meeting was the presentation by chamber Chief Executive Officer Melissa Fulton and chamber President Jim Magliulo of the check for $3,463.82.
“We look forward to working with the city in the future on this and other projects,” said Fulton.
Fulton and Magliulo said this year's fireworks were very good.
“I got nothing but compliments about the fireworks this year. They were spectacular,” said Magliulo.
City manager Margaret Silveira said the fireworks company is talking about setting the fireworks to music next year.
The chamber's donation – as well as recent donations by the Lakeport Main Street Association and other organizations – will help cover the costs of the fireworks, which this year ran about $16,500, city Finance Director Dan Buffalo told Lake County News.
In other council business, at the start of the meeting, when the council emerged from a closed session, Mayor Tom Engstrom said that after discussing two cases of potential litigation, this council gave staff direction and unanimously accepted a settlement agreement with the county regarding property tax administrative fees.
Silveira said Lakeport is going to be able to recover about $46,000 in the agreement, which resulted from a November 2012 court ruling by the California Supreme Court.
In that case, Alhambra v. County of Los Angeles, the California Supreme Court ruled in favor of 47 plaintiff cities in Los Angeles County that had disputed the calculation method used by County auditors to assess property tax administration fees to cities on an annual basis, according to a report from the league of California cities.
Silveira's of the city of Clearlake also will be able to recover costs.
Also on Tuesday, Lakeport Police chief Brad Rasmussen reported to the council that there was a home invasion robbery on Friday night with the neighbor discharging a weapon at the suspects, which were known to the victims. He said one person is in custody and another remains at large.
Rasmussen said a full report is expected to be issued on that robbery on Wednesday.
He also reported that his agency is preparing to bring on a new police officer, who will be introduced at an upcoming meeting.
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