LAKEPORT — After putting off the decision in September to allow further review, the county Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt a resolution establishing a much-desired advisory council for Middletown.
Tuesday”s resolution points out that California Government Code 31010 allows for the Board of Supervisors to establish a municipal advisory council for any unincorporated area wishing to have a forum for local citizens to be involved in matters that would affect their community.
As a municipal advisory council, MATH will have advisory input into county decisions including, but not limited to, matters of planning and public works and matters of public health, safety and welfare.
“I think this would be very beneficial to me as a supervisor for the community to have a forum where they can come and discuss issues that are important to them and develop a consensus,” said District 1 Supervisor Ed Robey in his comments to the Board on Tuesday.
Calling itself the Middletown Area Town Hall (MATH), the group of community members brought the idea to Robey in August as a constituent issue, saying Middletown residents felt they needed a voice in the county”s decision-making process.
“This group, when they first started, called themselves the Voice of Middletown, because they wanted to have a unified voice for the community,” said Robey, explaining how the group got started.
Middletown area residents David Neft and John Peschon co-founded the group along with a following of concerned citizenry, later called the Middletown Area Council because its members were not elected.
Peschon estimated approxomately 30 people attend MATH”s monthly meetings.
“The discussion has been going on for many years,” said Robey. “It”s just been in the last couple of years that they”ve really come together and gotten organized.”
Numerous area residents came to the county Board of Supervisors” Sept. 12 meeting to speak to the need for the advisory council.
Concerns over how the group was to be formed were discussed at county Board of Supervisors” Sept. 12 meeting, with divided opinion over whether or not to select the council”s seven governing board members by election.
Since then, the Board of Supervisors held an evening meeting in Middletown with the group in an effort to address these issues, and to resolve wariness expressed at the Sept. meeting over the group”s responsibilities.
“I”d rather have 100 people in board chambers talking about pros and cons rather than having two or three people people telling me they represent a community when they don”t,” said District 3 Supervisor Gary Lewis at that Sept. meeting.
Robey said the evening meeting in Middletown was positive and proved a turning point in the Board”s decision.
With all five Supervisors showing favorable sentiment in this Tuesday”s meeting, the MATH representatives who came to advocate for the group”s formation elected to remain seated when the discussion was opened for public comment.
“They can do the math,” said District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown.
The resolution adopted Tuesday will provide for the county Board of Supervisors to appoint the seven members based on recommendations from the group.
Peschon said the next step is for MATH to decide who to recommend for appointment to the group”s governing board.
“We think this is a good thing for Middletown,” said Peschon. “It … puts us into a position where we can state our opinion about what needs to be done or what shouldn”t be done much more forcefully.”
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
