A budget workshop will be held at 5 p.m., to be followed by the regular council meeting at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St. The meeting's agenda and staff reports can be found at www.cityoflakeport.com/departments/home.aspx?deptid=88 .
On May 13, the Lakeport Planning Commission approved an application from OmniPoint Communication/T-Mobile for a wireless communications facility and ground based equipment cabinets within a fenced enclosure at 280 Third Street, in a professional office zoning district.
The tower, which will allow T-Mobile to operate in the Lakeport area, will be an 85-foot-tall “monopine-style” antenna; a picture of such an antenna included in the report makes it appear to be a tall pine tree.
The commission approved the tower 3-1, with Commissioner Ross Kauper abstaining because he owns property within 300 feet of the project.
It was Kauper who filed the appeal against the tower, noting that the project's visual impact isn't consistent with the goals of the Lakeport General Plan.
Kauper also argued that the applicant didn't show adequate effort in co-locating the tower in a less obtrusive location, and hasn't evaluated the impacts of the combined electromagnetic radiation on the fourth floor of the courthouse and other facilities within a 500-foot radius. The tower's height, he added, “exceeds that of all structures within the downtown area.”
A letter from Allen Potter of Eagle Consulting Group, acting on behalf of T-Mobile, accuses Kauper of having a conflict of interest, failing to removing himself entirely from the May 13 proceedings or provide testimony in opposition to the proposal. It also argues that the tower complies with the general plan and that it did submit a study showing the project complied with Federal Communications Commission requirements.
A thorough staff analysis of the appeal appears to support the Planning Commission's decision, which is based on numerous conditions.
The council also will be asked to cast its vote on the proposed benefit assessment from the Lake County Vector Control District. The district is seeking to establish a new annual assessment charge to help it maintain and upgrade existing services and facilities, such as its laboratories.
The city owns several pieces of property, and if the assessment is passed would pay an additional $481.02 per year, according to a report from City Clerk Janel Chapman.
Chapman also will ask the council to authorize her to send a letter to the state Legislature in support of AB 715, which will allow the city to post final ordinances on its Web site, rather than publishing them in the newspaper, as has been required for decades. Her report explains that at least 64 cities, including Clearlake, have sent letters supporting the bill.
Her report to the council notes that in fiscal year 2008-09, the city spent $8,609.45 in advertising and public notices, spending $13,444.08 for legal advertisements the previous year.
“A recent example of the cost of adopting an ordinance would be the fireworks ordinance that the City
Council adopted at its last meeting,” she wrote. “The invoice for the publication of the fireworks ordinance is $480.55. That does not even take into consideration the cost of the Notice of Public Hearing in the amount of $52.77 for that ordinance.”
In other business, the council will hold a public hearing to receive community input on the fiscal year 2009/2010 Community Development Block Grant General Allocation application, which supports the city's low-income housing projects. It will then convene jointly as the City of Lakeport Municipal Sewer District (CLMSD) board of directors to consider a request to reduce the payment scheduled for a grazing lease agreement on the CLSMD spray irrigation disposal facilities.
City Engineer Scott Harter will take a notice of completion to the council on the South Main Street Drainage Improvement Project. He's seeking the council's authorization to have the mayor sign the agreement and direct staff to record the notice of completion and accept the project as complete.
The council also is expected to adopt a resolution updating the locations of prohibited parking zones within the city. Specifically, the resolution will extend the bus zone an additional 20 feet to the south on the west side of Main Street, directly south of Third Street.
Under presentations, the council will present a proclamation recognizing June 14 as the Army's 234th birthday, approve an application for the Lakeport Yacht Club to conduct a cardboard and duct tape boat race at Library Park between the First and Third Street boat ramps on July 4 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; approve the Lake County Rodeo Association application to hold an all horse parade on Saturday, July 11, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and approve the application for the Sponsoring Survivorship Annual
Walk/Run from Bank of America to Lakeshore Boulevard on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The council also will hold a closed session to discuss negotiations with the Lakeport Employees Association and evaluate the performance of Kevin Burke, the city's police chief and interim city manager.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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