Marc Spillman, who served on the Lakeport Planning Commission from May 2004 to this past May, resigned from the commission after he was named an alternate on the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO).

The council voted at the meeting to choose Ken Wicks Jr. to fill the vacancy left by Spillman's resignation.

Before the council heard from the applicants for the seat, Community Development/Redevelopment Director Richard Knoll and Planning Services Manager Andrew Britton honored Spillman for his seven years of service to the city.

“Being a planning commissioner is an awesome responsibility,” said Knoll. “There's a lot involved.”

He said California planning law is complex, and there also are local planning laws at work.

Knoll lauded Spillman, who he said took the job seriously.

“I think the true mark of a good commissioner is someone who does their homework,” including doing site visits, reading documents and being prepared for meetings, Knoll said.

Spillman understands what the public interest means, and always took it into account, according to Knoll, who added that he told Spillman – in jest – that he couldn't leave the commission when the issue was raised.

Britton told the council that during Spillman's seven years on the commission, he served one term as chair and two terms as vice chair.

During his tenure, he made decisions on many important city projects, including Westside Community Park, the downtown improvement plan, the Parkside Subdivision, the Parallel Drive annexation, new building projects at the Bruno's Shopping Center on Lakeport Boulevard and the Tribal Health facility on Bevins, as well as the remodels of the Taco Bell, the Gateway Business Park and the Safeway expansion, Britton said.

While Spillman was on the commission more than $51 million in new construction was added to the city's economy, said Britton, adding that Spillman was conscientious and well-prepared, and made “tremendously valuable” contributions.

Mayor Suzanne Lyons then presented Spillman with a plaque in honor of his service.

Spillman thanked Knoll, Britton and the city. “It kinda feels like maybe this should be the other way around,” he said, explaining that he learned a lot from being on the commission and working with city staff and the public.

He recalled making a decision during his first year that he said he later realized was wrong, and how that decision informed his approach going forward.

Initially, when he approached LAFCO, Spillman thought he could hold down both positions, but later realized he couldn't. He said his heart will always be with the city.

Applicants for Spillman's seat included three men who the council acknowledged were all extremely qualified.

First to introduce himself was Michael Damiata, who grew up in the county. He attended college in Sacramento where he also worked for a time before returning three years ago to raise his children here. With a background in community banking, Damiata and his wife are working with his mother, Janice Maschek, to run her company, Shore Line Realty.

Phil Myers grew up in the Midwest and has experience in engineering, management and planning. He worked at General Dynamics for many years before moving to Lakeport more than five years ago. Since then he has served three terms on the county's civil grand jury and said he was looking forward to more ways of contributing.

Wicks, a construction project manager, grew up in Lake County with family members who had been involved in construction. In recent years he's worked in the Lake Tahoe area but said he came back to be with his family. He said he would bring to the commission a technical understanding of projects.

Mayor Pro Tem Stacey Mattina nominated Damiata but the motion received no second. Councilman Roy Parmentier nominated Wicks, with Councilman Bob Rumfelt seconding. The council voted 4-1, with Mattina voting no.

Councilman Tom Engstrom said any one of the men would have been a great choice.

“I hope we can find something for all of you to do because you're all very well qualified,” Engstrom said.

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The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 5, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

Documents for the meeting can be downloaded at www.cityoflakeport.com/departments/home.aspx?deptid=88 or at www.scribd.com/LakeCoNews.

The council is set to consider appointing a new commissioner to succeed Marc Spillman, who resigned his seat on the Lakeport Planning Commissioner earlier this year after being appointed to the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO).

Applicants for the seat include Michael Damiata, Phillip Myers and Ken Wicks Jr., according to a staff report to the council from City Clerk Janel Chapman.

The council also will present a service award to Spillman for his time on the commission.

Under council business, Administrative Services Director Kelly Buendia will ask the council to lift the nearly three-year-old city hiring freeze in order to allow staff to fill budgeted positions as vacancies occur.

Buendia's report to the council said the move will be less disruptive to the hiring process, which currently requires administrative staff to go to the council for approval to hire positions that already are approved in the budget.

At a budgeting workshop last month Buendia had asked the council if it would be amenable to formally lifting the hiring freeze, and council members indicated they would be.

Other agenda items include the appointment of a voting delegate and alternate for the annual League of California Cities Conference.

The council also will hold a closed session to discuss a case of pending litigation, Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3 and Lakeport Police Officers Association v. City of Lakeport, Lakeport City Council; labor negotiations; and property negotiations regarding Green Ranch, the location of some of the municipal wells which the city is purchasing.

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Officials in Lake County, California have gotten aggressive in combating the summertime growth of nuisance aquatic weeds on Clear Lake with a bold new program designed to make boating and other lake activities more enjoyable. These weeds are being cleared to create distinct recreational areas on the lake while preserving fish habitat. The program combines eco-friendly herbicides with mechanical harvesting by an Aquamog, shown here, operated by Martinez-based Aquatic Environments. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Boating, sailing, swimming, fishing, kayaking, jet skiing, wakeboarding, waterskiing – the list of fun activities on Clear Lake goes on and on.

To make sure residents and visitors enjoy a great summer on Clear Lake, Lake County’s Board of Supervisors recently took a bold step by allocating substantial resources to reduce the summertime growth of aquatic weeds.

Scott De Leon, newly appointed director of the Lake County Department of Public Works, also oversees the County Water Resources Division, and along with a new director comes an aggressive new weed abatement plan for Clear Lake.

“This summer we are taking a much more proactive approach to control aquatic weed growth on Clear Lake,” De Leon said. “We are targeting treatment in specific areas such as around public boat launches, resorts, and higher-density residential areas.”

De Leon explained the treatment areas will create a network of weed-free recreational areas that include shoreline lanes, boating lanes and water-ski lanes.

The shoreline lanes are 50 feet wide and will run parallel to the shoreline. The boating lanes will be 50 feet wide and from 1,000 to 2,000 feet in length so that boaters may easily access the deeper waters of Clear Lake.

The water-ski lanes will be 300 feet from shore and run parallel with the shoreline. The creation of these lanes will make Clear Lake more enjoyable for all lake users.

With more than 68 square miles of surface area and 100 miles of shoreline, Clear Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake within the boundaries of California, and at an estimated two million years old, it also is one of the oldest lakes in North America.

With its vast expanse of relatively shallow, warm water and numerous channels and natural bays, Clear Lake is a haven for visitors who enjoy all sorts of recreational activities.

When the water is particularly clear during the summer growing season, sunlight easily reaches the shallow lake bottom, resulting in the growth of aquatic weeds, which can make it challenging for boat propellers, sailboat keels, and intake systems on personal watercraft (PWCs).

The county’s more proactive approach to controlling aquatic weeds will create specific recreational areas on the lake while maintaining weeds in other areas to preserve the habitat that makes the Clear Lake ecosystem a haven for fish, birds, and other wildlife.

“The Board of Supervisors truly understands the importance of Clear Lake to the county’s economy,” said County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox. “The board has made Clear Lake a top priority by unanimously committing the resources necessary to address the aquatic weed issues to help make the lake enjoyable for everyone.”

By making the financial commitment necessary for a more proactive aquatic weed abatement program, county officials anticipate this will encourage visitors to come, stay, and experience Clear Lake, and return for another visit.

Owning a boat isn’t necessary to enjoy Clear Lake. Several local businesses offer all types of boats for rent – from ski boats and PWCs to pontoon boats and kayaks.

For more information, call 707-263-2580 or visit www.lakecounty.com.

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District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing (left) and Lake County Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley look over maps that illustrate proposed boundary revisions to county supervisorial districts at a meeting of the 2011 Supervisorial Redistricting Advisory Committee on Thursday, June 30, 2011, at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center in Lucerne, Calif. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

LUCERNE, Calif. – A committee tasked with providing options on how to redraw county supervisorial districts is hosting meetings around the county, but so far the group isn't drawing much public input.

The 2011 Supervisorial Redistricting Advisory Committee held the third of five planned public
redistricting discussions at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center on Thursday evening.

Discussions held earlier in the week took place at the Board of Supervisors chambers at the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport and the Calpine Visitor Center in Middletown on Wednesday.

Maps of the options for changing the district boundaries can be seen at http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=3f17f01596e84337b3ce275414918e05.

So far, attendance has been sparse, said Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley.

At Monday's discussion, no community members showed up, she said. Two appeared in Middletown on Wednesday, and one or two came in to look over five maps showing redistricting options at Lucerne's senior center on Thursday night.

County officials outnumbered community members appearing for the events. In attendance Thursday night were Fridley, District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing, Deputy Redevelopment Director Eric Seely, Deputy Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez, former planner and new redevelopment agency staffer Alan Flora and Assessor-Recorder Doug Wacker.

Fridley said this has been her fourth redistricting process. The work takes place following every US Census.

This is the first time that community discussions have been part of the process, said Fridley, who wanted to include them this time around.

The redistricting process is meant to achieve a target number of residents in each of the county's five supervisorial districts. Fridley said that based on the 2010 US Census, the optimal number of constituents for each district is 12,933.

According to a report Fridley presented to the Board of Supervisors in early June, as the district boundaries currently are drawn, Districts 1, 2 and 5 all have too many residents and Districts 3 and 4 have too few.

Fridley reported the following residency numbers for each district: District 1, 13,259, over by 326; District 2, 13,719, over by 786; District 3, 12,362, under by 571; District 4, 11,913, under by 1,020; and District 5, 13,412, over by 479.

Some of the options include proposed shifts that would have Cobb going to District 1 from District 5, with District 5 picking up more of Kelseyville and Finley. Another proposal has District 4 moving more toward Upper Lake.

Both District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington and Rushing have homes that are just on the boundaries of their districts. In at least one of the proposals, Rushing would find herself just inside the District 4 boundary, but Fridley had said previously that the law allows elected officials to serve out the rest of their terms if the redistricting process puts them out of their districts.

Mapping new district lines is the easy part, said Fridley. Still to come is reorganizing the county's many voting precincts, she said.

Fridley had explained in a previous interview with Lake County News that all of the redistricting work must be completed more than 30 days ahead of Dec. 30, when candidates for county elected offices can begin taking out papers to gather signatures in lieu of paying filing fees.

The committee will host two more meetings for the community: Wednesday, July 6, 6:30 p.m. at the Gard Street School, Kelseyville; and Thursday, July 7, 6:30 p.m., council chambers, Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

Just how the final boundaries are drawn, ultimately, will be up to the Board of Supervisors, which has scheduled a discussion at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, July 26, to discuss the options.

At that time Fridley said the board can either consider the options presented by the committee or draw new lines.

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The Lake County Board of Supervisors recently adopted new landfill rates to help offset the costs of landfill operations and increasing and costly compliance regulations.

During the last three years, the continued downturn in the economy and the increase in recycling has dramatically reduced the amount of refuse – and the revenue – going into the Eastlake Landfill, and as a result, the Solid Waste Division has been operating with a $500,000 annual deficit, as Lake County News has reported.

Closure of the county-operated Lakeport Transfer Station in late 2009 helped save $300,000 annually for the fuel, equipment maintenance, and staffing for that facility. Since that time, the division reported that it has been able to draw from available solid waste reserves to cover the balance of deficits, but those reserves have now been depleted.

To address the financial needs of operating the landfill, the rates will go up 16 percent from $37 per ton to $42.92 per ton. Public Services said that, even with the approved increase, the Eastlake Landfill will have considerably lower rates than surrounding landfills which charge tipping fees in the $60 to $75 per ton range.

Volume rates for loads up to 5 cubic yards will go up from $5.25 per cubic yard to $6.10 per cubic yard, the agency reported. The minimum gate fee will go up to $5 and prices will be increased for individual materials such as couches ($10), mattresses ($5-15 depending on size), and 30-gallon bags or cans ($1.50 each) to help cover the cost of processing the materials and operations.

Smaller increases of 6 percent annually in 2012, 2013 and 2014 will be applied for tonnage and volume loads for each of the following three years. The end result will be that at the end of the fourth year local ratepayers will gradually reach the $500,000 in additional revenue required to cover the annual budget operational deficit.

Landfill rates will be passed through by the franchise haulers to their curbside residential and commercial customers. Depending on the level of service, residential customers can expect beginning in July 2011 to see an increase of about 22 to 35 cents per month on their quarterly statement – about a 3 percent increase – for a standard 32-gallon service in the unincorporated areas.

Commercial customers will see about $3 to $4.40 per monthly increase for a four-cubic yard bin picked up weekly. The cost depends on the location, size, and frequency of service.

The transfer station operated by Lake County Waste Solutions in Lakeport also will pass through the landfill increases.

Lakeport Transfer Station Rates

Tonnage rate: $52.95 per ton

Volume rate: $ 7.15 per cubic yard

Mattresses/couches: $10 each

30-gallon cans/bags: $ 1.50 each

Minimum fee: $ 5.50

At the same time the rate increase was approved, the Board of Supervisors approved a five-year contract with Solid Waste Solutions (SWS) to bring about 65 tons per day of refuse beginning in January 2012 from the Ukiah transfer station which they operate for the City of Ukiah.

Public Services said this contract will generate approximately three transfer trucks per day Monday through Saturday traveling from Ukiah via Highway 29 and Highway 53.

The money produced by the five-year contract allows the county to return to the same level of disposal and income that was produced in 2006, officials reported. The money generated is expected to replenish the solid waste reserves that are required for planning expansion of the landfill into adjacent property already owned by the county that must be planned and funded in the next couple of years.

The cost for this expansion is estimated at $3 million to $5 million. Increased revenue will also provide funding for a state mandate that requires all landfills to install a landfill gas system for monitoring and potential conversion of gas to energy at an estimated cost of $3 million.

Public Services said the revenue from the five-year import contract removes the burden on the local residents and businesses to cover these compliance and expansion costs.

With the import option approved, local ratepayers will see a gradual increase in rates as outlined above to cover only the $500,000 annual shortfall for normal operations.

Public Services stated that, had the import option not been approved, the impact on local ratepayers would have been significantly higher. To achieve the same level of revenue that will be brought in by import, rates would have had to go up by 95 percent immediately, an option that neither staff nor a majority of board members supported in the fragile economy.

Once the initial five-year contract period has expired, Public Services said the smaller local increases that were implemented in the previous five years will place the county in a better financial condition to cover its operational and compliance costs and allow the county to determine if an additional five-year

import extension is in the best interest of the county.

For more information on landfill rates, contact Caroline Chavez at the Public Services Department at 707-262-1760. New rate sheets are being distributed to customers at the Eastlake Landfill.

For more information on curbside rates, contact your franchise hauler. More information on county franchise haulers, programs and recycling opportunities can be found on the County's recycling Web site at: www.recycling.co.lake.ca.us.

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COUNTY OF LAKE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Supervisors of the County of Lake, State of California, will hold a public hearing on an Appeal to the Board of Supervisors (AB 11-03) of the Planning Commission’s decision to deny the Use Permit (UP 10-12) for a five year time extension for an existing off-site advertising sign (billboard).

The appellant is La Monica Signs.

The site is located at 131 Soda Bay Road, Lakeport, CA and further described as APN 008-019-69. The staff report will be available at the Office of the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, (Lake County Courthouse, 255 North Forbes Street, Lakeport, CA) ten (10) days before the hearing.

The Planner processing this appeal is Kevin Ingram, (707) 263-2221, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The public hearing will be held in the Board of Supervisors’ Chamber in the Courthouse on Tuesday, August 2, 2011, at 9:15 AM, at which time and place interested persons may attend and be heard.

If you challenge the action of the Board of Supervisors on any of the above stated items in court, it may be limited to only those issues raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the Lake County Board of Supervisors at, or prior to, the public hearing.

KELLY F. COX

Clerk of the Board

By: Mireya G. Turner

Assistant Clerk to the Board