The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, in the Board of Supervisors chambers at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport. TV8 will broadcast the meeting live.

Community Development Director Rick Coel is asking the board to consider his proposal to create a formal plan to reduce staffing in Building and Safety, where “revenues continue to decline at an unexpected rate,” according to his report to the board. The matter is untimed.

Coel said his department has been doing everything it can to cut expenses, but revenues are less than half what the budget forecast.

As of Feb. 1, the department had received $209,000 in revenue, far below the predicted $466,000, Coel reported.

He's asking for conceptual support of a staff reduction plan that would go into effect April 1.

“We will develop a plan that best serves the business needs of the division and still allows us to maintain our customer service obligations,” Coel's report stated.

Coel plans to bring the board back a report in two weeks on how he will proceed.

In another untimed matter set for Tuesday, Coel is taking to the board a new Chapter 13 for the Lake County Uniform Abatement of Public Nuisance Code.

That chapter, which Coel's report said is in need of update, would provide a broader definition of “nuisance,” would include a process for recovering fees and appealing decisions and updates administrative penalties, among other things.

Following a discussion last week, the board is set to approve a resolution amending the county’s

personnel rules related to paid administrative leave. Human Resources Director Kathy Ferguson has provided the board with a final draft of the proposed changes, incorporating additional language the board requested at its Feb. 16 meeting.

The board will hold a closed session to discuss labor negotiations, hold a performance evaluation of Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley and have conference with legal counsel regarding a case of existing litigation, Sidetracked Associates dba Featherbed Railroad v. Lacosan.

Other items on the agenda include the following.

Timed items

9 a.m.: 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.

9:05 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).

9:15 a.m.: Discussion/consideration of funding a garden water system and other improvements needed to establish a community garden in Lucerne.

Nontimed items

– Supervisors’ weekly calendar, travel and reports.

– Consideration of proposed letter to all local postmasters regarding distribution of US Census forms to residents with post office boxes.

– An ordinance authorizing payment of a one-time stipend to members of the Board of Supervisors (the same stipend provided for county employees and department heads). Second reading; advanced from Feb. 16.

– Appointment of District 2 planning commissioner.

– Update on issues relative to Southeast Regional Wastewater System.

– Followup report to the board on recent Economic Development training by Supervisor Denise Rushing.

– Mental Health Department’s fiscal status and operations. Continued from Feb. 16.

– Discussion/consideration of bid award for the purchase of one full size one-ton, four-wheel drive, single rear wheel, regular cab, long bed pickup for Public Services, Parks and Recreation Division.

Consent agenda

– Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting held on Feb. 16.

– Adopt Resolution No. _____ reappointing Steven Hajik as Agricultural agricultural commission commissioner and sealer of weights and measures for a four-year term.

– Waive the 900-hour limit for District Attorney's Office extra-help employees Darla Lewis (approximately 1,400 hours), Sharon Parks (approximately 1,100 hours) and Geraldine Brown (approximately 960 hours).

– Waive the 900 hour limit for Health Service extra-help employee Larry Platz (60 additional hours).

– Adopt Resolution No. _____ authorizing the Director of Public Works to sign State Water Resources Control Board Grant establishing funding for Clear Lake Watershed Mercury and Nutrient Assessment.

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California Board of Equalization Chair Betty T. Yee will visit Lake County on Wednesday, March 10, 2010. Photo courtesy of the California Board of Equalization.

LAKEPORT – The chair of the state Board of Equalization will visit Lake County next month for a round table discussion with local leaders and community members.

Board of Equalization Chair Betty T. Yee will join District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing, County Administrator Kelly Cox, and other community leaders and special guests for a discussion that will focus on the state of California's economy and budget.

The event will be held beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 10, in the Board of Supervisors chambers at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St.

The community is invited to attend.

Yee represents the First District on the Board of Equalization. The First District is comprised of 21 counties in northern and central California, including Lake County.

She has more than 20 years of public service experience, with widely recognized expertise in state and local finance.

Please RSVP to attend the event by Monday, March 8.

For additional information or to RSVP, contact Lauren Lester at 415-557-3000 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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In a 4-0 vote – with Councilman Bob Rumfelt absent – the council approved the policy, which City Attorney Steve Brookes drafted.

While the city will still be looking for the most qualified service providers, the policy is meant to keep as much business local as possible, officials said.

Councilman Ron Bertsch, who sat on a consultant selection panel, said it's good to have council members serve in that capacity to better understand the process. “It's an eye opener,” he said.

Nancy Ruzicka of Ruzicka Associates, who has lobbied the council for the policy changes, made several suggestions on the draft policy.

Those included asking them to add “services” to the first point in the document, which states, “City personnel are directed to use their best efforts to purchase goods and supplies from local vendors whenever possible and consistent with the terms of this policy.”

She asked that businesses within the sphere of influence – not necessarily just within the current city limits – should fit the criteria of being “local,” but said that for businesses to be eligible for the preference they should have a storefront with three employees or more, and that independent contractors shouldn't count as employees.

Ruzicka said that would prevent out-of-area businesses from being able to operate from a person's home.

“It's not about competing with out of town,” she said, noting big city firms are “slicker,” have more money and are branching out into rural areas to pick up business.

Brookes said the city currently allows businesses to be located in homes, and that they shouldn't be disqualified, as they might be legitimately local.

Ruzicka disagreed that they should get a preference. City Engineer Scott Harter pointed out that one local engineering firm has an office with only one employee.

Ruzicka also wanted each evaluator on the consultant selection board to be able to grant 10 points for local preference, and suggested that the consultant selection boards should be increased by two members who have had recent experience with projects similar to the one set for selection.

The council approved raising the number of points per evaluator to 10, adding the “services” notation and expanding local businesses to include those in the sphere of influence.

Councilman Roy Parmentier moved to approve the changes, with Lyons seconding. The motion passed 4-0.

With that policy now complete, Harter suggested to the council that it might be worthwhile to look into a similar policy for construction projects, as local contractors have inquired about that. However, he cautioned that such a vendor preference policy might not apply for projects where state and federal funding is used.

Brookes said they might be able to have such a policy on small projects of $5,000 and below, or alter the new policy to have a wider net. Mayor Jim Irwin said he supported the idea.

The council also gave support to moving forward on a building project with Habitat for Humanity, voted to adopt Resolution No. 2383 (2010) supporting the findings of the California Statewide Local Streets and Roads Needs Assessment Project in a 3-1 vote, with Irwin voting no, and adopted Resolution No. 2384 (2010) approving the application for statewide park program grant funds.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

Last November and December, the county received a “premium holiday” from its insurance carriers, which the board voted late last year to give back to employees in the form of that one-time stipend.

Now it was up to the board to decide if it would accept the refund for its members, who also pay into the county's health insurance plan.

Supervisor Denise Rushing questioned how the board could vote on a matter that would benefit its members financially, but County Counsel Anita Grant said it was the same as them voting for a salary increase.

County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox said only the board had the authority to decide the matter.

Supervisor Rob Brown said the board had the option of not accepting it, but he suggested they also could take it and put it to use for community groups.

He said he's sponsoring a wrestling team and that's where his funds would go; Rushing said some of hers was going to the Lucerne Community Garden.

Cox encouraged them to spend it and put it into the local economy.

Board Chair Anthony Farrington said that putting it into an ordinance “moves into my discomfort zone.”

He said the only way he would vote for it is if the ordinance can specifically state where he would donate the money. Grant said they needed the ordinance to get the matter approved, and his pledge for a donation could be separate.

Farrington asked staff if the county auditor-controller could write the check for him directly to Clear Lake High Sober Grad and Hospice Services of Lake County.

Cox said the auditor-controller wouldn't do that, and that he would have to write the checks himself, to which Farrington replied that he wouldn't then support the ordinance.

Supervisor Jeff Smith said he originally was against the stipend, however, “We all pay in just like everybody else pays in.”

He said it would be a shame if it didn't pass. “I think it's a good way to get some money out there in the community.”

Smith said he had some groups in mind to benefit, and Supervisor Jim Comstock said he also planned to make donations to south county organizations. Rushing pledged to give half to the Lucerne Community Garden and half to the Clark's Island Sustainability Initiative.

Brown moved to advance the ordinance to Feb. 23, with Comstock seconded. The ordinance passed 4-1 on its first reading, with Farrington voting no.

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Assemblyman Wes Chesbro (D-Arcata) will run for his second term in the State Assembly in 2010. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY – Saying there's a lot more work to be done, North Coast Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro announced Friday that he'll seek re-election to the State Assembly this year.

Chesbro, who represents the First District – which includes Lake County – made the announcement during a brief ceremony Friday afternoon at the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee office, amid dozens of supporters who signed petitions to place his name on the June primary election ballot for the Democratic nomination.

“Two years ago, I ran for this office pledging to put the First Assembly District First and I have kept that promise,” he said Friday.

Chesbro said he worked to build a bipartisan coalition to ensure the state’s budget is not balanced on the backs of rural California.

He pointed to successes including the defeat of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to cut funding to rural sheriffs by finding another funding source, and noted that he and other rural lawmakers fought off efforts to raid small counties’ public road funds and made it easier for rural counties to manage emergencies.

Chesbro said he also worked to preserve access to health care, specifically protecting critical access hospitals in rural areas.

“These bipartisan victories on behalf of rural California have been the most gratifying accomplishments during my first term in the Assembly,” Chesbro said.

The Arcata resident has represented the First District in the Assembly since 2008, after he won election to the seat with nearly 71 percent of the vote.

Chesbro previously served two terms in the State Senate, from 1998 to 2006. He also has served on the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

Before moving into state government, Chesbro represented District 3 on the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors from 1980 to 1990, and before that served on the Arcata City Council.

The First Assembly District is one of the largest legislative districts in the state. It stretches from Bodega Bay to the Oregon border and includes all of Del Norte, Trinity, Humboldt, Mendocino and Lake counties, and western and northern Sonoma County.

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LAKEPORT – County employees were honored for their service at Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting.

During the presentations, the county's administrative officer, Kelly Cox, indicated that he may soon be headed to retirement as he received his latest service award.

Board Chair Anthony Farrington, assisted by Board Clerk Mireya Turner, presented the employee service awards, which were small commemorative clocks.

“The community thanks you for your years of service and dedication,” Farrington said at the presentation's beginning.

For 10 years of service, District Attorney Jon Hopkins and Animal Care and Control Director Denise Johnson were recognized.

Fifteen-year employees receiving awards included Stephen Brooks, Lake County Sheriff's Office; Pauline Buchanan, Social Services; William Chapin, Parks and Recreation: Kathy Kitchens, Lake County Sheriff's Office-jail facilities; Janice Louie, Lake County Sheriff's Office; Stephen Shryock, Juvenile Home; Cynthia Silva-Brackett, Health Services Administration; Lyle Thomas, Lake County Sheriff's Office; and Charles Villines, Public Works-Roads Division.

Robert Allen of the county's Buildings and Grounds division was the first employee recognized for 20 years of service.

As he was being handed his award, Supervisor Rob Brown asked playfully, “How's that elevator?” He was referring to the courthouse's out-of-service elevator which hasn't worked in several months. Allen, as if on cue, went immediately out the chambers door.

Other 20-year employees honored were Robert Brasier, Special Districts; Loretta Deter, Social Services; John Flynn, District Attorney's Office; Chris Macedo, Lake County Sheriff's Office-bailiffs; John Moore, Social Services; Teresa Murray, Probation; Barbara Ringen, Treasurer-Tax Collector; and Laura Solis, Alcohol and Other Drug Services.

For 25 years of service, employees receiving awards included Lawrence Henry, Public Works-Roads Division; Steve Linthicum, Special Districts; Don Prather, Public Works-Roads Division; Robert Saderlund, Special Districts; and Skip Simkins, Public Works-Water Resources Division, and a recent retiree.

Employees with the most service included County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox, Mike Curran of the Lake County Sheriff's Office and Donna Gitchell of Mental Health, all with 30 years; and Lary Dumont of Special Districts, who has been with the county 35 years.

Cox received a standing ovation when he went forward to get his award.

“It seems like just yesterday I was getting a five year service award,” he said.

Cox said he thinks this is the last one he'll be receiving, and he told the board and county employees that it's been an honor and a privilege working with all of them.

“Behind every good administrator is an outstanding staff,” he said.

Afterward, Cox told Lake County News that his retirement as the county's top administrator could come as soon as later this year.

In other business on Tuesday, the board received information on a tick-borne illness identified through the work of local physician Dr. Marc Shapiro, Lake County Vector Control and Lake County Public Health.

Vector Control Director Dr. Jamie Scott said no one had connected the dots until Shapiro's observations were brought together with the resources of local health officials.

The board also received an update on community meetings for the Lake County 2030 Blueprint process from Terri Persons of the Lake County/City Area Planning Council, offered a proclamation in support of National Engineers Week, turned down a request for a road fee waiver and property value reassessment, approved a conference trip to Eureka for a Mental Health Department employee and held a closed session meeting with members of the Lake County Grand Jury.

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