LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council on Tuesday elected its new mayor and mayor pro tem for 2016 and filled several city commission and committee seats when it met for the last meeting of 2015.
All council members were present for the hour-and-a-half-long meeting on Tuesday evening, which had followed a half-hour closed session to discuss a matter in relation to the council's Dec. 1 decision to grant an appeal of a Verizon Wireless cell phone tower at 1875 N. High St.
Mayor Martin Scheel announced out of the closed session that the council had approved a six-month agreement with Verizon that will lengthen the window in which the company could file suit over the appeal.
Verizon counsel Paul Albritton has maintained that the federal Telecommunications Act entitles the company to move forward with the project because it is necessary to address a coverage gap and is the least intrusive location.
City Attorney David Ruderman told Lake County News after the meeting that federal law only gives Verizon a 30-day window from the date the appeal was granted to file suit. However, rather than file suit during that time, the company wanted to explore additional options for a tower, which the agreement will allow.
Acting City Clerk Kelly Buendia then introduced the council reorganization process, which is conducted annually at the last meeting in December.
Scheel nominated Councilman Marc Spillman to be mayor in 2016.
“I'm honored, I accept,” said Spillman, who received unanimous support for the mayor's job.
Spillman then asked Mayor Pro Tem Stacey Mattina if she would be willing to continue in the job, and she agreed. He subsequently nominated her to be mayor pro tem in 2016, which the council also approved unanimously.
Spillman and Scheel then switched seats so Spillman could take over his new mayoral duties.
Scheel thanked the citizens of Lakeport and the council, noting it was an honor to serve as mayor.
“It's been a great experience and I know Marc will do a good job and I look forward to another great year in the city of Lakeport,” Scheel said.
Mattina congratulated Scheel on his term as mayor. She said he had done a great job and was an excellent role model.
Spillman thanked the community, and noted that he won't be seeking reelection when his term runs out at the end of 2016 because he'll be devoting increased time to family and business responsibilities.
He was elected to the council in 2012 after having previously served as a city planning commissioner.
Also on Tuesday, Lake Ministerial Association representatives Taylor Johnson and Pastor Shannon Kimbell-Auth gave a brief presentation on plans to open a homeless warming center from Jan. 4 through April 1 at the Lakeport Seventh-day Adventist Church, which is located outside of city limits on Park Way.
Johnson said that in January a point in time count tallied Lake County's homeless population at 170 people. While that doesn't sound like a lot, Johnson said that's because the number of homeless may be undercounted.
Since that time, the Valley fire has left the county with serious housing issues and likely has resulted in more displaced people, Johnson said, adding there are no safety nets like public housing or homeless shelters, and there is a waiting list for Section 8 housing.
The county ordinance only allows for 24 people per night, said Johnson. The goal is to connect anyone who uses the center to long-term social services.
“The challenges that we have right now are, of course, volunteers,” she said, adding that another major concern is getting security.
Kimbell-Auth said when Lake Family Resource Center had opened a warming center winter before last in Clearlake, county staff were allowed to volunteer to work at the center and were paid for it.
“We would love to see the city do that,” Kimbell-Auth said.
Specifically, they want volunteers from the Lakeport Police Department one day a week for the 13 weeks the center is to be opened, she said.
While the 12 churches and several community service agencies involved should be able to supply enough volunteers, Kimbell-Auth said the real problem that previous warming centers have faced is the inability to control their security.
She said they were looking for off-duty officers, who don't have to be armed, to work at the church, and have made the same request to the sheriff's office.
Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said he is willing to discuss it, but noted that he would want an agreement with the Lake County Sheriff's Office in order to work outside of his jurisdiction.
Mattina said the churches also made a presentation to the Lake Transit Authority Board about providing bus services to and from the center, and she wanted Rasmussen's input on that.
Scheel said he supported the idea. “I definitely think that we can find some way to help, because, I mean, really, we're helping ourselves at the same point in time.”
Rasmussen said his staff has experience dealing with the homeless who have appeared in Lakeport, and he also wants to help people, with Spillman adding his willingness to be involved in the discussions.
Rasmussen told Kimbell-Auth she could contact him on Wednesday to begin setting up a time to consider the matter.
In other business, the council voted to fill several seats on city commissions and committees.
For the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee, the council appointed Pam Harpster, Christine Hutt, George Linn, Taira St. John and Panette Talia.
Staff also will recruit for the position held by Rick Hamilton, who was removed from LEDAC by action the council took as part of its consent agenda. Hamilton was arrested in October for attempted rape and sexual battery, as Lake County News has reported.
The council also voted to appoint Adam Newell, Ann Blue, Suzanne Russell and Cindy Ustrud to the Parks and Recreation Commission.
The Traffic Safety Advisory Committee, which the city is reestablishing after a hiatus, had several seats to fill. The council voted to appoint Blue, Russell and Vicki Cole to the committee, with staff to continue recruiting for three additional seats.
George Spurr, who has been representing the city on the Lake County Vector Control District Board, was reappointed to that position.
The council on Tuesday also hosted a presentation of the winners of the city's holiday decorating contest and approved an application for the Lakeside Car and Boat Show, to be held Aug. 12 and 13 in Library Park.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Lakeport City Council elects new leadership, fills committee and commission slots
- Elizabeth Larson
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