By Ben van der Meer, AppealDemocrat.com -
Both Yuba County and the Marysville Police Department pushed back strongly in responses filed this month to two county grand-jury reports, in both cases questioning some of the language used or calling the conclusions false.
Police Chief Wally Fullerton, whose department came under criticism in a report on preparedness for disaster situations, stated in the response that grand jury members apparently overlooked a flood mitigation plan the city worked on with other agencies.
"The writer(s) of the Grand Jury report were provided a copy of the flood plan on compact disc; however, they have not included it in their review and do not list this plan in their report of items reviewed," Fullerton's response states. "One can only guess why this report was not reviewed by the writer(s)."
Fullerton's response also details disagreements with portions of the report stating emergency response plans aren't coordinated with other agencies and the department has not taken advantage of opportunities to create one.
"It is the intention of the City to continue with its process of preparing for emergencies and we are making great strides in this area," states the response, which is required by law.
In the county's response to a report suggesting two county ordinances are in conflict with each other, Yuba County Administrator Robert Bendorf said the county takes offense to report language suggesting people may be "lawbreakers" because of the conflicting codes.
As well, Bendorf states, suggesting there is such a conflict doesn't mean anyone was actively violating one ordinance or another.
"A staff review has shown no permits were issued that are specifically exempted by the county's building codes," Bendorf states.
The grand jury report suggested the county was charging fees for some improvements under one ordinance, while another forbade such fees for permits. Bendorf and county Community Services & Development Director Kevin Mallen said in responses that the county's fee schedule is separate from permits being issued.
In another grand jury report response, Marysville City Manager Steve Casey agreed with findings that questioned how the city displays the American flag.
Though the issues cited in the report have been corrected, Casey's response stated, he couldn't guarantee they would not arise again because they had stemmed from a previously unknown electrical failure.
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