The Lake County Board of Supervisors is proposing to ask for a new sales tax to fund lakebed management services like weed and algae abatement and quagga mussel prevention. There will be a separate Board of Supervisors hearing on the sales tax proposal on Wednesday, July 18, at 8 a.m.
There is no question that these services – like fire and police protection – are needed. And, because our tourism revenues have been hard hit in recent years, there is no question that new funding sources must be found.
Simultaneously, however, the Board of Supervisors will be considering a request to exempt from public oversight the organization that provides lakebed management – the Lake County Watershed Protection District.
Public oversight of special service districts (other than schools) is the job of a little known but very powerful body called the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO).
Comprised of elected officials from the county, the cities, and independent special districts, it is LAFCO’s responsibility to provide guidance for efficient delivery of special district services.
LAFCO uses a process called a “municipal service review” to periodically assess the needs of special districts (and cities) to make sure they have the ability to provide services. A LAFCO review of the Watershed Protection District would, most likely, clarify the need for new funding to take care of our lakes.
However, the Watershed Protection District – run by the Board of Supervisors as District Board of Directors – apparently views the public oversight process as unnecessarily burdensome, and LAFCO has offered to let the district off the hook.
Rather than relinquish responsibility for public review of Watershed Protection District practices, LAFCO members should redouble their efforts – in these tough economic times – to ensure that district services are effective and manageable.
Ask your county supervisor to protect our public funding investments by voting no on exempting the Watershed Protection District from LAFCO oversight, on Tuesday, July 17.
Betsy Cawn lives in Upper Lake, Calif.
071712 Board of Supervisiors - Watershed Protection District-LAFCO
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
written by Tim, July 15, 2012
But two other consequences are:
LAFCo oversight assures a public process and offers the public an opportunity to learn and express opinions and concerns regarding their environment and tax expenditures. This process also brings together various agencies that are both impacted and occasionally possess expertise or can make a material contribution to the efforts. Without the LAFCo process the effort itself could be shortchanged and We The People most certainly seem to be.
If LAFCo doesn't want this tremendous burden (doing their job) and the county doesn't want the oversight (skirting public scrutiny) it is disappointing - but perhaps they could at least agree to some oversight short of the Full Monty. If this district that isn't a district is in fact different, then those less relevant attributes of a full MSR need not be engaged, profiles etc., could rehash existing boiler plate descriptions, etc.
Interesting and disturbing that all along this district has not been a district but only now we would like to de-district it, while asking for a special tax to fund it.
However, I disagree with the last commenter, this is needed - yes quagga is the potentially biggest issue but the whole 'soup' and what is going into it needs serious attention and all of us are stake holders, the fishermen could just move onto other waters, we are the ones that will live with the consequences of our inattention.
So, I'd be for this tax, if there was not an apparent attempt to dodge scrutiny.
-
- +3
-
-
written by Rex, July 15, 2012
We've already been asked to tighten our belts & have done so. Why not you, too? WE expect our elected officials to be accountable for what they do. We need to call them to task on this. 'No oversight' is dangerous....we all know how politicos love to spend other peoples' hard-earned money.
The only real concern is keeping quaggas out. The principal danger is boats from (or that have been...) out of county. People who want to play on our playground should help push this merry-go-round. Tax them; they have disposable income...unlike the fixed-income retirees who make up much of the County's demographic.
-
- +3
-
-
Walk around the Lake & pick up some of those other 'stakeholders' garbage, like I do. There's a lot more we can do here & now, before we start throwing money around. These politicos are seeking to enhace power & rep with your money. Make sure they really earn it....