Lake County BOS respond to Grand Jury report

September 25, 2014

Record-Bee

By J.W. Burch, IV

LAKEPORT >> Responses to the Lake County Grand Jury annual report were submitted by the Lake County Board of Supervisors (BOS) Tuesday.

The report summarizes the Grand Jury's investigations and activities throughout the year, as well as offers recommendations for action and study.

"A lot of the issues they address are complex, so some of the recommendations they make are difficult to implement due to financial constraints," Lake County Administrative Officer Matt Perry observed.

When preparing future reports, Perry said it would be helpful for the Grand Jury to contact the administrative office to determine the county's ability to act upon recommendations.

"Many of the recommendations in the report have previously been considered by the board," Perry said. "Nevertheless, the total cost to implement a number of the recommendations is cost prohibitive based upon the county's financial means and current economic environment."

Increasing staffing, salary and benefits to multiple departments is one such recommendation, which "cannot be changed on a whim without financial ruin."

The Grand Jury recommended the BOS reconsider the Lake County Code Enforcement and Community Development Department's waiving of permit fees.

"The board is already considering that," District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing said. "It is essentially to say 'Lake County is open for business.'"

Perry said that fee waivers do not affect the department's budget because the cost is covered by other funds.

The Grand Jury report states "there is no evidence that waiving permit fees is a factor in the decision of individuals or companies regarding initiating a project in Lake County."

However, no discussion or reference is associated with the comment.

"It is difficult to determine on what basis the 'finding' was made," the board's response argues. "The same rationale could be used to say that there is no evidence that the fees are not a factor in initiating a project in Lake County,"

Each December, the BOS reviews the fee waiver policy to determine its benefits and whether or not to continue.

District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown said he wants a "running tally" of total costs of recommendations made by the Grand Jury in future reports.

When reviewing the report, the board found several sections which were not accurate, particularly in sections regarding water quality.

"The board is sympathetic to the fact that many of these issues are extremely complex and have many facets," the BOS response states. "It takes board members diligent work, often over several years, to fully understand these issues, while the Grand Jury has only a year to do research and analysis."

No comments were offered by the approximately 30 people attending the meeting.

"We appreciate the participation of the grand jury members in evaluating operations of county government," Perry said.