Lake County supervisors Tuesday set aside a request to waive about $27,000 in county building fees for South Lake County Fire Protection District’s planned new fire station in Hidden Valley Lake.
The county’s building department, which collects the fees, already owes the general fund $390,000, Vice Chair Jessica Pyska said. The board took no vote. Supervisors agreed by consensus to pull the item so county staff and the fire district could keep talking.
The board also hired an outside engineering firm to serve as road commissioner and started the process of renaming the county courthouse, according to video of the meeting.
A $9 million station
Supervisor Helen Owen brought the request after receiving a letter from the district. She said the station is expected to cost about $9 million, and that the existing station was built for volunteers, not for firefighters who stay overnight.
Owen said she knew the county was struggling financially and that she could see both sides.
Pyska said the permit fees pay for staff time in a department that’s supposed to fund itself, so the money would have to come from somewhere else. She said she supported the project but didn’t want to set a precedent.
Fire Chief Paul Duncan told the board the station’s plans are with the county for approval. He said changes to federal flood maps required more engineering, and that the district is paying for the station with a loan, possibly with about $800,000 in federal money.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier suggested charging the district what the permit work actually costs the county, and no more. The county’s interim community development director suggested the supervisors’ cannabis discretionary funds could cover the fees instead. Another supervisor said the board has no policy on waiving fees for community projects and should adopt one before deciding.
Owen asked to pull the item and bring it back later.
NCE hired as road commissioner
On a 4-0 vote, supervisors hired the engineering firm NCE to fill the road commissioner job, a post state law requires counties to give to a registered civil engineer. Pyska stepped away from the dais for the item, saying she had a financial conflict involving a staff member at one of the firms.
NCE put forward Scott De Leon, Lake County’s public works director and road commissioner from 2011 to 2024, at $250 an hour. The other firm that applied, RSA+, bid $325 an hour.
Stephen Carter, the county’s interim public works director, told the board the county expects to need the road commissioner three to four hours a week. Public Works Director Lars Ewing held the post until he resigned Sept. 10. Ewing died the next day in a collision in Colusa County.
Sabatier said he leaned toward NCE because of its lower rate and its engineer’s history with the department. Owen cited the county’s finances. The county is recruiting a permanent public works director, and Carter said the contract could be ended with 30 days’ notice.
Courthouse to become ‘Civic Center’
On a 5-0 vote, the board started the process of renaming the county courthouse at 255 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport “County of Lake Civic Center.” Lake County Superior Court has moved to a new courthouse, and the building now houses county offices.
Carter said the name drew 109 votes, or 34%, in an online county survey, ahead of “County of Lake Government Services” with 57. A 30-day public comment period comes next, then a final vote.
Board Chair Brad Rasmussen said the court told the county months ago that it would have to pay $1.3 million to get the building’s fourth floor back. He said he raised the issue with Assemblymember Cecilia Aguilar-Curry and plans to meet with incoming state legislators.
Mobile home residents report rent increase
During public comment, two residents of Running Springs Mobile Home Park said they received notices raising their rent to $490 a month. One said her rent had been $370.
Hillary Mosher, a regional manager for the Golden State Manufactured-Home Owners League, urged the board to adopt an urgent moratorium or a rent stabilization ordinance for mobile home parks. The board took no action.