LAKEPORT >> The Lake County Board of Supervisors this week approved the creation of a full-time water resources director.
The decision downgrades two positions and creates another full-time one. It also leaves part-time director Scott DeLeon solely in charge of the public works department for the first time since the two departments were merged around the recession.
“We should let him take a rest,” Middletown resident Fletcher Thornton said in support. “I don’t know how we can hold him accountable; he’s barely got time to answer his phone.”
The most relieved, however, was District 3 Supervisor and biologist Jim Steele — who has been pushing the separation idea since the beginning of the year. With the approval, he can look for an “applied scientist” or someone with an academic and professional background in lake ecology.
“[Clear Lake] has some very complex issues. It’s not something you can go out and look at the Lake and tell what’s going on,” he said. “You actually need to have a background for understanding.”
In Steele’s view, a qualified director will also bring money to the county in the form of grant funding—something that the government has had a hard time attaining in a competitive application market. He argued that someone with practical experience will be able to use existing and gather new information and process it into an attractive proposal.
“Someone who’s got their head in the game is what we need,” he added.
BOS Chair and District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown didn’t disagree with his analysis, yet he wanted to make sure the county can afford it especially since its current budget is razor-thin thanks to the Valley Fire. Furthermore, Steele’s suggestion was put aside five months ago because it was found that separating the departments (including public services) would create a large deficit.
“The problem always comes down to whether or not we can afford it,” Brown said.
When the topic was first discussed in February, funds for the position were scant. Now the department has some money available in its 2016-2017 preliminary budget to make the move,
DeLeon put the funding argument to rest by noting that the water resources department wasn’t facing the same problems as last time. In fact, in accounting for all the previously mentioned changes it was found that the office’s salaries and benefits fund would expend $70,000 less than its current structure.
According to Human Resources Director Kathy Ferguson, the job would also pay nearly $6,800 a month.
Now, all there’s left to do is to find the right candidate. But since lake management is a highly specialized and fairly recent discipline, the county will have to look across the U.S. or even worldwide.
Still, Steele said he’s confident in Clear Lake’s draw.
“In this particular area, we look pretty good,” he said.
