LAKE COUNTY >> The Lake County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday supported a staff suggestion to put in place a deadline on Right of Entry forms for destroyed properties.
The Department of Community Development and Environmental Health recommended the policy to the BOS so cleanup can take place on all damaged lots before the rainy season begins as the debris imposes a pollution hazard.
“Someone else’s reticence is causing everyone else a problem,” District 1 Supervisor Jim Comstock said.
According to Environmental Health Director Ray Ruminski, 1,214 residents have submitted ROE permits to the county, granting contractors hired by CalRecycle’s cleanup program to remove debris from their lots. That leaves approximately 300 lots that haven’t registered for the program, Ruminski said
He and Community Development Director Richard Coel advised the council that announcement of the deadline should be presented as an abatement notice to owners and encourage them to submit an ROE. Once the notice is given, an owner will have 30 days to fill out an ROE or opt out and begin cleaning their lot.
CalOES told Coel that the state will clean up these sites if the notices go unanswered, but they have not obtained that assurance in writing. If confirmed, California will hire its own contractors to clean the sites and they could possibly more expensive than the ones the county has hired, Ruminski said.
An official date wasn’t approved, but the BOS came to a consensus of Dec. 1 — also its next regular meeting — when it will also revisit the matter.
The date may also not be a hard deadline for the entire burn area. District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown suggested different deadlines for areas based on priority.
To the Board, the top priority is Anderson Springs, where more than 40 homes have yet to file ROE permits.
