Thursday, February 8, 2007

Supervisors' trip to Washington gets green light

By: Gus Thomson, Journal Staff Writer

The Placer County Board of Supervisors gave their approval for a trip to Washington, D.C. at the board meeting on Tuesday for supervisors Bruce Kranz, Jim Holmes, Rocky Rockholm and Robert Weygandt to travel to the nation's capital for a lobbying effort later this month.

Along with the board approval of a lease agreement with the Placer Hills Union School District for classroom space at Placer Hills Elementary School in Meadow Vista, the supervisors were told by Economic Development Director David Snyder that Assemblyman Ted Gaines, R-Roseville, is attempting to get Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger onboard as a promoter of the Reno-Tahoe Winter Games Coalition's early efforts to land the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Placer County's Squaw Valley was the site of the 1960 games.

Kranz said he'd like a proposal for an Olympic museum on Highway 89 to be incorporated into the coalition's work. Rockholm said he'd attended the 1960 Olympics and that it would be "cool to be alive and go to another."

In other board business Tuesday:

l Supervisors approved a $5.8 million contract with CAL FIRE (the new name for the California Department of Forestry) for fire protection services in unincorporated areas of Placer County totaling 475 square miles. The general fund contribution this year will be $420,000, down from last year's $440,000. Emergency Services Program Manager Rui Cunha said the contract takes in 65 firefighters working out of eight fully staffed stations.

l Supervisors approved a list of vehicles to be sold as surplus equipment. David Seward, purchasing manager, said the previous sales netted $116,000 for the county. The list of vehicles includes a 1971 Austin Western road grader, a 1994 Bluebird bus with 440,000 miles, and a 1988 Ford road sweeper.

Bar None Auction of Placerville will charge six percent commission for the surplus sale.

l Supervisors agreed to accept $3.23 million from Federal Highway Administration emergency funds for repairs to Foresthill Road. The repairs stem from a slide last spring on the road. A section of the failed road was rebuilt and new underground drainage was installed.

l Proposition F salary increases for law enforcement were OK'd by ordinance. The new totals are based on the average salaries for similar positions in neighboring counties. Base salary for a deputy sheriff II classification rises from $56,580 to $59,376. Negotiations are still taking place for benefits and health coverage that is part of the county's contract with the Deputy Sheriff's Association.

l Former Rocklin City Councilman Ken Yorde was on hand to accept a resolution of commendation for his 13 years of work with the municipal panel. Weygandt praised Yorde for his work on flood control and providing a fresh perspective on city finances.

l Kranz again was on the short end of a 4-1 vote on requests for revenue-sharing funding. Approvals were given for $200 to the Koinonia Family Services foster care program, the Lazarus Project's seventh annual St. Patrick's Day Dinner celebration, the Lincoln Arts and Culture Foundation's Feats of Clay and the 12th annual PlacerGrown farm conference. Kranz said he's working with the County Counsel's Office on creating a committee in his district that would allow distribution of revenue sharing funds to worthy causes -- but steering clear of any appearance that the money was being used to gain political support. Kranz has consistently voted against revenue-sharing grants, saying that supervisors shouldn't take on the role of dispensing county funds to groups and organizations for events.

l Supervisors authorized $250,000 to be spent for tree removal as part of the road-widening project on Auburn Folsom Road, from the county line at Folsom to just north of Oak Hill Drive.

l Project plans were approved for curb relocation at Foresthill Road's Auburn Ravine Road, Foresthill Road and Lincoln Way crossroads. Plans are to widen the existing right-turn lane on northbound Auburn Ravine Road to alleviate congestion. Project costs are an estimated $160,000.

The Journal's Gus Thomson can be reached at gust@goldcountrymedia.com.