Mono County Supervisors start off showing united front

At its second meeting of the new year the Mono County Board of Supervisors sat down Tuesday for a strategic planning workshop sponsored by Board Chair Byng Hunt.

“This is a time to disclose our personal goals and come to consensus early on in the year,” Hunt explained. “We can prioritize later, now is the time to just get everything on the table.”

Hunt kicked things off with his list of priorities, which included: providing live streaming coverage of Board meetings as well as video archiving, similar to what Mammoth does with the Town Council meetings; developing a long-term plan for the solid waste issues in the County; getting a handle on the County’s financial matters; solving the issues at Conway Ranch; reorganizing the paramedic program, and making a decision once and for all on the Sheriff’s Substation and Mammoth Dog Teams.

Solid waste, Conway Ranch, the paramedic program and the Sheriff’s Substation were also on the lists of his fellow supervisors.

In addition Fesko, Stump, Alpers and Johnston mentioned the following:

Fesko: Improving employee moral and County facilities; focusing on economic development in the way of mobile apps.

Stump: Bringing the County’s vehicle replacement into compliance with the CA Air Resources Control Board; reviewing the County’s management structure, and bringing closure to Paradise residents in regard to John Hooper’s development.

Alpers: Reopening June Mountain for the 2013-14 season; increasing County reserves, and making the Board meeting more desirable for the public to attend.

Johnston: Completing the downtown parking in Bridgeport; making affordable housing a part of the County’s economic development, and creating a deer snow fence near the Mammoth Yosemite Airport.

Hunt said that the next step would be to sit down in a public forum and come up with a prioritization list. He added that he would like to see the list created before the Board dove into the new 2013/14-budget cycle.

“It’s good to see the same things coming up from everyone,” said Bridgeport Inn owner Bob Peters. “I’m impressed. It’s nice to know you’re on the same page and that you might get things done.”

“The public is screaming at us to be a team on Tuesdays,” Alpers added. “If I were asked to lift this dais [which is set to be replaced] on my own I couldn’t do it, but if all five of us picked it up we could carry out of the room.”