LAKEPORT — The Lake County Board of Supervisors (BOS) Tuesday approved the Lake County Air Quality Management District draft budget for next fiscal year and another item from the district.
The budget was presented by Douglas Gearhart, the county air pollution control officer. The supervisors adjourned as the BOS and reconvened as the Board of Directors for the district.
Gearhart said projected revenues were around $708,000 for the district, an increase of 6.4 percent from the 2011-12 fiscal year budget. The draft budget was unanimously approved.
In another matter, the board approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the air quality management district and state Air Resource Board to implement and enforce regulations to reduce methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills.
The matter is related to the state”s passage of Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. The Air Resource Board is the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases.
The board unanimously approved the MOU.
Gearhart also presented the results of a rainwater study conducted in April. He said a constituent brought a health concern about rainwater to District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington, which prompted the study. The study did not detect the presence of the metals aluminum, cadmium, strontium or barium.
In other matters, the BOS unanimously adopted three ordinances on second reading.
The first ordinance amended county code related to the inspection program for water vessels launched in the county. Changes included enforcement officers given flexibility to issue infraction or misdemeanor citations when inspecting vessels.
The second ordinance revised abatement of unmanaged, neglected and abandoned pear and apple trees. Changes to the existing ordinance included the elimination of a written complaint from commercial pear growers and a decrease in the amount of time property owners have to reduce the pest and disease populations to an acceptable level prior to the abatement process.
The third ordinance amended various provisions of the county purchasing code. Changes included redefining “local vendors” in the bidding process.
The supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing the Public Works Department to apply for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Improvement Program grants for improvements at Lampson Field.
The improvements would be related to an environmental assessment for construction of a general aviation building, security fencing and rotating beacon replacement.
The supervisors unanimously approved an amendment to an agreement for an ongoing storm repair project on Socrates Mine Road in Middletown. Public Works Director Scott De Leon said the contractor ran into some issues on the project, pushing the cost to $15,750 — which was above his $10,000 approval authority.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14. Follow on Twitter: @KevinNHume.
