LAKEPORT — The Lake County Board of Supervisors (BOS) Tuesday approved new ordinances regarding water fees for a county service area, the use of cargo containers and an extension for certain discretionary planning entitlements.
The first two ordinances dealt with County Service Area No. 16, Paradise Valley Water. One ordinance increased the monthly charges and fees for the district from $91.05 to an average of $96.25. The second ordinance increased the capacity expansion fees for the district.
Public hearings on the ordinances were held at the Oct. 18 BOS meeting. No members of the public protested the increased fees, which Special Districts Administrator Mark Dellinger attributed to the work of a water task force in the district informing the 74 customers on the issues.
Dellinger said the increased monthly fees will go toward improving operation and maintenance of the three wells servicing the district, which has peak service during the summer months.
For the capacity expansion fees, Dellinger said in a memo to the supervisors that 34 new connections to the water system are planned, increasing the number of connections from 74 to 108. The net value of the water system is approximately $439,000.
The new developments would be valued at an estimated $138,000, or 31 percent of the value of the system. Planned improvements to the system are expected to cost approximately $492,000, Dellinger said. The new developments would bear 75 percent of the increased costs here, he said, an impact of approximately $329,000.
These costs added together and divided by the 34 new connections will see an increased capacity expansion fee of $13,700. The BOS approved both ordinances unanimously.
Two other ordinances were brought to the BOS by Community Development Director Rick Coel and Associate Planner Brian Horn. One ordinance dealt with a zoning ordinance amendment regarding cargo containers.
The ordinance states that cargo containers on commercial properties as accessory use but be out of public view or be dressed up to resemble a building. The amendment focused on the potential for people to be locked inside the containers if the door should shut for some reason.
Coel said the amendment was a practical one to make sure containers don”t lock people inside during use. The ordinance was unanimously approved.
The second ordinance Coel and Horn presented would grant a two-year extension to entitlements such as use permits, general and specific plans of development, variances and design review permits that have been approved but not yet been vested.
Coel said some projects have had trouble getting financing and finishing the project within a two-year period, which would then necessitate the project going through the permit process again. The ordinance would allow for a two-year extension for projects that have been approved but are having trouble in finishing the project within two years. The ordinance was unanimously approved.
In other news, the BOS heard a resolution brought by District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing that would support the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered (GE) food. Rushing said she was approached by citizens on the issue.
Thurston Williams, a member of the Committee for a GE Free Lake County, said the United States does not require labels on products that have been GE or modified. He said any food product that has been GE and is exported to Europe, where laws exist requiring labeling of GE products, must be labeled.
The resolution supported the labeling of GE foods. Many members of the public spoke in support of the resolution. District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown said he would not support the resolution but would support a resolution that required all food products be labeled.
Debate on the resolution went on for approximately one hour. Rushing said the resolution was skeletal but wanted to see it passed. District 2 Supervisor Jeff Smith said it would be worthwhile to change it a bit to get unanimous support. The resolution will be brought back at the Nov. 1 BOS meeting.
There were some addendums to the agenda from the Public Works Department that Board Chair Jim Comstock said were inadvertently left off the agenda. Director Scott De Leon spoke on the three addendums.
One addressed awarding a bid to a storm damage repair project on Socrates Mine Road that would serve Calpine, which has operations in the area. The project is to construct a retaining wall. De Leon said the project needed to be approved but may be suspended because of weather. The BOS were concerned with the timeline and unanimously approved awarding the contract in the amount of $575,011 to low bidder Bouthillier”s Construction of Willits.
The second addendum addressed a purchasing order for asphalt to begin a repair project on the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff. De Leon said construction crews are ready to go with this project, necessitating the purchase of asphalt. The amount of asphalt to be purchased from Granite Construction is approximately $131,000. The BOS unanimously approved the purchase order.
The third addendum regarded the purchasing of new county vehicles to replace older vehicles that were out of service or in need of replacement. The three vehicles were for the Mental Health Department, Central Garage and Probation Department. The total of the purchased vehicles is approximately $61,000. The BOS unanimously approved the purchasing of the vehicles.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14.
