County passes final budget

Margaret Gan-Garrison - Record-Bee staff

LAKE COUNTY - Final budgets for Lake County were approved Friday with some changes.

Details of the final approved budget will be before the board on Aug. 26 for approval.

Some of the changes made during the hearing:

€ $100,000 has been set aside for possible county purchase of seven acres of the Black Forest. The Lake County Land Trust hopes to complete the transaction and transfer the land to the Bureau Land of Management.

Funding will come from the park bond monies ($50,000) and the contingency budget, using $50,000 from the Snows Lake settlement.

€ An adjustment of $132,984 for the receipt of a grant last week by the Public Services Depart-ment, bringing the budget for waste management to $2,865,996. This year's budget is lower than the previous year which had a capital improvement project at the landfill.

€ An adjustment of $30,944 to the library budget, for a specialized grant received last week. The grant is to equip the library with facilities for disabled people. This brings the new total budget to $812,661.

In presenting the budget last week, Deputy Administrator Jeff Rein said the library continues to suffer as a result of the state's shift of property tax to schools under the Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund (ERAF).

Prior to ERAF, the library operated with 15 positions and immediately lost four positions after the property tax shift, said Rein.

This year, the state has reduced 50 percent in the public library funding program. With the continued impact of ERAF, Rein said, there will be an elimination of two full-time positions and a reduction in the appropriation for purchase of new books.

€ An addition of $100,000 to bring it to $150,000 for mitigation of direct impacts of geothermal development. This brings the new amount to $704,786 for the geothermal resource royalties budget unit.

District 4 Supervisor Ed Robey said he would like to use the $150,000 to conduct a study on the geological profile and baseline study in Anderson Springs. That area has been plagued by the increased frequency and intensity of earthquakes believed to be caused by geothermal development and wastewater injection in the Geysers.

He said the officials from the City of Santa Rosa, now aware of the funds, are going back to talk to Sonoma County to do a similar study in the Cobb area.

Lake County receives 20 percent of the total royalties collected by the federal government. This revenue stream is difficult to project, said Chief Administra-tor Kelly Cox. The county has conservatively estimated $412,329 as revenues for this year.

Cox said he would get the $100,000 by reducing the reserve for the Middletown Library or the Sheriff's substation project by $50,000 and increasing the royalties revenue by another $50,000.

Other projects in the budget unit include county park improvements ($204,650); expansion of Lower Lake park ($100,000); and the Clear Lake aquatic weed program ($200,000).

During the discussion on the geothermal resource royalty budget, Supervisor Anthony Farrington asked the board to consider developing a countywide water master plan in order to have a strong legal case for appropriating surface water.

Farrington said he would work with staff to get a cost estimate and bring it before the board.

When discussing the parks and recreation budget, the cost appropriated to demolish the structure at The Cove Resort in north Lakeport was debated. Both Supervisors Jeff Smith and Rob Brown questioned if the total cost paid by the county would exceed the value of the bare land.

As part of a negotiated settlement with Personal Support Group (PSG), the county bought the property at $475,000 from property owner Ginger Costanzo, wife of Frank Costanzo, operator of PSG, the drug rehabilitation facility.

District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington said the appraisal done earlier was based substantially on the value of the land. "This project was an eyesore to the community," he said, adding that the board can make a decision on the land, one option being the development of a park and marina.

Cox said, "Whether we keep or sell it (the property), it (the structure) needs to go."

The supervisors agreed to leave the money in the budget for future discussion and decision.

n UC Cooperative Extension

A 30 percent budget cut statewide resulted in a permanent loss of several positions in the local UC Cooperative Extension, said department head Rachel Elkins.

With the university absorbing 5 percent of it, there is a 25 percent permanent cut, which is being absorbed by the Extension. Locally, the impact is on the 4-H program, reducing the program coordinator's position to half-time.

Describing the 4-H operation as being on survival mode, coordinator Julie Srazell said she is not sure what will happen.

Elkins hopes that the pear pilot project will go well and the county will continue to provide support. She told the board that organic walnut program is gaining momentum, which Farrington said is a good niche program to help farmers.

Robey said the county needs to protect the agriculture industry and land. "We need to make them profitable," he said. Robey added that he did not want to see Lake County become another San Jose.

n Animal Control

When discussing the budget for Animal Control, the supervisors praised the changes that have taken place in the department. Director Denise Johnson said she is looking at improving public services, and she hopes to have more people working in the shelter in this coming year.

Supervisor Jeff Smith said he would like to put some money in Animal Control's budget to address issues relating to unlicensed animals. "I believe the position will pay for itself," he said.

Rein, in presenting the budget, told the supervisors, "Denise (Johnson) has been operating at less than half staff and at times with no staff. She only has two people in the field although she has an authorization for five."

Johnson was appointed Animal Control director in April.

Lewis said his phone calls relating to Animal Control have dropped considerably since Johnson took over the reins, even with a staff shortage.

When deciding on the community development administration budget, the supervisors debated its contribution to the Local Agency Formation Commission of Lake County (LAFCO) budget.

The supervisors and Cox felt that the agency should also cut its budget like everybody else. Supervisor Gary Lewis said LAFCO is caught in a bind by an increasing number of state mandatory programs.

The board approved $48,590 for the county's contribution to LAFCO, a reduction of $20,660 from last year's contribution. LAFCO is anticipating $69,250 from the county. The supervisors also agreed that the county does not promise that LAFCO could come to them for any shortfall.

LAFCO has sent letters to the state regarding postponing some of the mandates. The agency also met with Assembly member Patty Berg when she was in Lake County earlier this year.

n Senior Citizens Program

The supervisors approved a budget of $33,227 for contribution to the senior citizens program. They also directed Cox to rework the formula and reallocate the budget to the senior centers based on the Meals on Wheels served by each of the centers.