I am pleased to report that Lake County and I have reached an agreement to repay taxpayers for the entire $59,000 cost of removing my crane which accidentally sunk into Clear Lake during a major storm in 2010.

This agreement makes the taxpayers whole and requires me to fully compensate the county for all the expenses it incurred in removing and disposing of the crane. 

This was a difficult situation and I appreciate the diligence of our county leaders in working to negotiate a tough, but fair, repayment plan. 

The accidental sinking of the crane occurred over five years ago and created no safety concerns or negative environmental impacts to the lake.

I transferred ownership of the crane to the county after its removal. The county then received $ 4,000 in revenues for selling the crane as scrap metal. My agreement with the county provides a complete repayment for the remaining $55,000.

Most residents of Lakeport were fully aware of this situation when they elected me as their city councilmember in November of 2012.  Unfortunately, that did not stop Supervisor Farrington and his hand-picked replacement candidate from trying to play politics with the crane agreement. Hopefully, the repayment plan I’ve signed with the county will put an end to their sorry political attacks. 

The crane agreement is a financial win for the taxpayers and I thank the citizens of Lake County for your patience and understanding.

Martin Scheel is a member of the city council for Lakeport, Calif., and a candidate in the District 4 supervisorial race.