Inyo supes start fresh
“New” seemed to be the operative word at the first regular Inyo County Board of Supervisors meeting in Independence on Tuesday. The new year sees a new Board Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson elected, a newly-elected First District Supervisor welcomed, and a new Eastern Sierra Family Guide to Warm Water Fishing presented.
As if that wasn’t enough, new fees were proposed for camping and boat launching at County parks, a new Undersheriff was introduced, a request was made to recruit a new Deputy CAO, and approval was given to spend over a million dollars for a new landfill compactor and front-end loader for Recycling and Waste Management.
Fifth District Supervisor Matt Kingsley became the new Inyo County Board Chairperson for 2015. He thanked outgoing 2014 Board Chairperson Rick Pucci for the great example he set during some difficult board meetings over the past year.
Kingsley, known for his good humor, drew laughter when he informed the other Board members sitting to his right and others sitting in the room that he cannot hear out of his right ear, so he hoped that everyone would accommodate him with a waving of hands or whatever it takes to get his attention should it appear that he did not see or hear something being said or done on his right side.
New County First District Supervisor Dan Totheroh was welcomed to the Board. Not only was this his first regular Board of Supervisors meeting, replacing retired First District Supervisor Linda Arcularius, it was also his 70th Birthday, which earned him a round of applause and congratulations.
Dick Noles with Advocates for Access to Public Lands (AAPL) gave the Supervisors a presentation on the new Eastern Sierra Family Guide to Warm Water Fishing, a collaborative effort between the AAPL, the County, local chambers of commerce, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The large, colorful map was designed to give visitors to the Eastern Sierra driving directions to some of the most popular and easily accessible fishing ponds and the Owens River for trout, blue gill, largemouth bass, and catfish.
“The guide is for families that just want to come up for simple, fun recreational fishing without having to take difficult roads or hike into the more remote areas that experienced fishermen like to frequent,” Noles told the Board.
Inyo County Sheriff Bill Lutze, sworn in for his third term in office on January 5, requested the Board to approve filling a vacant lieutenant position created by the appointment of new Undersheriff Jeff Holloway. Lutze introduced Holloway to the board and announced that he had promoted him to the position on January 5.
“Jeff has been with the Sheriff’s Office since 1987, and replaces former Undersheriff Keith Hardcastle, who retired on December 30, 2014,” said Lutz. The department, which has 140 employees (including volunteers), of which 39 are sworn offices and 22 are correctional officers, has three lieutenants overseeing various aspects of department. They report to the Undersheriff, who in turn reports to the Sheriff.
The request was unanimously approved.
The Board also approved County Administrative Officer Kevin Carunchio’s request to begin recruitment for a new “at-will” Deputy, Senior, or Assistant County Administrator (depending on qualifications) to fill a vacancy being left by current Deputy CAO Pam Foster (formerly Hennarty).
Foster is resigning effective January 15 to become Inyo County Superior Court’s Executive Officer of the Courts. She has been with the county for two years and according to Carunchio, “She generated great momentum for many county programs and projects …
“I want to publicly thank Pam for all the efforts she has put forth. A lot improvements have been made in Parks and Recreation and in the motor pool thanks to her efforts.”
New fees for nightly campsites and boat launching at Diaz Lake were proposed to the Supervisors to bring the County closer to what other counties charge, although Inyo County fees are still low by comparison to other counties and agencies. Fees have not been changed since being established in 2001, and due to increased cost of staff, maintenance, and the need for capital improvements, the Supervisors agreed to the proposal.
How quickly can the county spend $1 million? Pretty quickly when you have to replace worn-out heavy equipment and meet strict California Air Resources Board (CARB) diesel emission requirements. The replacement equipment is a landfill compactor and a front end wheel loader used by at County landfills. Supervisors approved the purchase and authorized the CAO to execute all the loan and purchase documents. The Inyo County Recycling Waste Management Department will make seven lump sum annual payments in the amount of $146,825, with 3.8 percent financing.
So what’s new for 2015? Quite a bit, if you live in Inyo County. Just about the only thing “not new” is that the cost of government continues to go up.
