LAKEPORT — The Lakeport city council meeting is set for 6 p.m. tonight. On the agenda are a number of administrative items, reports, a budget amendment, and a presentation by Matt Riveras, a Sonoma County developer and pending owner of Vista Point shopping center. The city-owned property is in escrow after the council voted to approve Riveras” bid at the Sept. 18 meeting. Riveras” presentation is regarding ratification of the Vista Point purchase agreement and addendum.
An administrative correction to the recently approved fiscal year 2007-08 budget is set to take place that will allocate expenses for a housing program under the city”s redevelopment agency. According to City Manager Jerry Gillham, an expense line item will be created for the housing program that was previously left out of the budget.
Additionally, the council will hear the appeal of Ron and Barbara Bertsch regarding a decision of the Lakeport planning commission to deny a variance request. Ron Bertsch is a councilman and will sit out on the discussion. Gillham said the request is for the couple”s own residence. “They applied to reinforce or change location of a retaining wall, and it has to come before city council for approval. They went to the planning commission, and now they”re appealing to the council,” Gillham said.
The council will reconvene as the city of Lakeport municipal sewer district to approve an amendment to a grazing lease located at the sprinkler discharge fields near the Hopland Grade. “We have a contract with a rancher up there to allow grazing on those fields. Really what it is, is an extension for two more years,” Gillham said.
In other council business, a public hearing will be set for November 6 at 6 p.m. to take public input on an increase in fire mitigation fees. According to Fire Chief Ken Wells, county residents and citizens of Lakeport pay fees to support the fire department when a new building goes up. The county accepted the fire department”s fee increase request two months ago. The new fee is $1 per square foot of a new building, up from 46 cents.
“The county has to adopt the mitigation fee, and we go through the same process with the city so we can charge $1 mitigation fee per square foot. When someone gets a building permit, they have to get various departments to sign off approval, and the fire district is one of them. We request they pay us the mitigation fee,” Wells said.
Lastly, the council will vote to approve a contract change order for the South Main Street road improvement project, which requires additional drainage improvements.
Contact Elizabeth Wilson at ewilson@record-bee.com
