Assessor's Office

Recommendations 6

• R1
  As a service to the appointed special district board members who serve on a voluntary basis, and to meet the requirements of AB1234, the Lassen County Board of Supervisors needs to establish an open meeting advisory position to provide and coordinate initial training in ethics, parliamentary procedures, and open meeting laws, and be available for attendance at meetings in a procedural advisory capacity for all boards in the county. SLFPD Response: The SLFPD board agrees with this recommendation and looks forward to assistance and guidance to attain this much needed training. The SLFPD also notes that it is very difficult to find community members willing to voluntarily give of their time to participate in meetings and fulfill the commitments of a board member.
• R2
  The SLFPD board establish policies and procedures for their district. SLFPD Response: The SLFPD board agrees with the recommendation. The recommendation requires research and we are in the process of composing such a document, with plans to present it at the October board meeting for review. Other fire districts will be contacted to find good examples of such a written policy. At this time there are only four board members with an election to be held in November. Three of the current four members will be exiting at the end of their terms on December 2, 2016. The board hopes to have a written policy in place before then.
• R3
  The SLFPD board provide typed reasons for closed sessions on the agenda which shall be posted 72 hours before the meeting SLFPD Response: The recommendation has already been implemented, even prior to the Grand Jury report. The board secretary uses an agenda template which has the closed session heading already on it. When there is a reason for closed session, it is typed on the agenda prior to posting. The secretary will now only include the closed session heading when there is a reason for it to avoid confusion. Agendas have always been posted at least 72 hours prior to meetings at two locations.
• R4
  The SLFPD to hold their meetings in an ADA compliant location. SLFPD Response: The recommendation has not been implemented. Meetings are held in the day use area of the station next to the main office. This allows use of the phone, copy machine, computer, and access to files. Occasionally meetings are held in the engine bay, however, the fire apparatus have to be taken out, floors swept and tables and chairs set up prior to the meeting, then in reverse after the meeting. In the summer there is no air conditioning and in the winter the heat is let out when the bay doors are opened to move the apparatus out and back in, plus allowing time for the exhaust to disperse. This is a waste of time and energy and only necessary when there is a large crowd expected at the meeting. It is very rare for anyone to be present at the meetings other than the board members and secretary, the fire chief and an occasional volunteer firefighter. To conduct the meetings at a different location would be extremely inconvenient. The Chappius Lane station where SLFPD board meetings are held was built in the early 1980's, prior to ADA requirements. The board is researching acquiring a portable restroom to accommodate people with disabilities that wish to attend the meetings.
• R5
  The SLFPD board to include a contact number on the agenda for people with special needs to call to request accommodations to attend the meetings SLFPD Response: The recommendation had been implemented prior to the Grand Jury report, however, the contact person/board member has since resigned from the board. Due to board member turnover and no fire chief or full-time secretary, a contact person had not been available. Now that the chief and secretary positions have been filled, future agendas will include the name and phone number of a person to contact to request special accommodations (set up engine bay for the meeting).
• R6
  The SLFPD board work with the county to pursue additional revenue generating programs to include the annexation finalization of the Belfast Road area. SLFPD Response: The Standish-Litchfield Fire Protection District annual revenue is derived from a small percentage of property tax and developer fees. We have no fire safety parcel fees to collect. Several grants have been applied for and received in the past to help purchase new equipment. The board is dedicated to saving money and staying within their budget to remain financially sound while providing the volunteer firefighters with the necessary safety equipment The annual budget is less than $70,000 to support and protect an almost 92 square mile district. The recommendation has been implemented even prior to the Grand Jury report in that the SLFPD has contacted several county offices numerous times over the years questioning the Belfast annexation, to no avail. While the Belfast area is now considered part of the fire district and the SLFPD does respond to that area, there are no property taxes received from the annexation, only developer fees, and with no development there is no income OTHER: 1. In the body of the report it was noted that there were several Brown Act violations, including Section 54961. In researching this code it was discovered that this pertains to a "sign-in" sheet that the SLFPD presents at their board meetings. Signatures on this form are for the convenience of the secretary when typing the meeting minutes to confirm the members in attendance, names of speakers during the public comment section, etc. It should be noted that the words, 35 "Voluntary, not mandatory to attend meeting" have been written on the sign in sheet for several months now 2. It was also noted that two board members were appointed earlier in 2015 but did not take their oath of office until fall of 2015. This delay was due to a number of reasons; no secretary, brand new secretary, no meetings due to a lack of quorum, new members not present at the meetings, an accidental omission from the agenda, and a lack of understanding. 3. The SLFPD board had intended to update their bylaws, but County Counsel Robert Burns assured us that they were still legal even though they were adopted many years ago. With other, more pressing matters, (such as updating fire chief and secretary duty statements prior to hiring) the issue was set aside. The board intends to resume this endeavor and present an updated document at the October board meeting for review. 4. The SLFPD had been without a fire chief and full-time secretary. Volunteer numbers were dwindling. Board members resigned without notice. Recently, a chief and secretary were hired, volunteer firefighters are on a waiting list to join and there is an upcoming election for board members. The SLFPD board members are looking forward to the future with continuity and training to help the district's firefighters provide a safe and sound community for the residents Respectfully submitted, Jane Nickerson, Board Chairperson Dan Rice, Board Member Paul Smith, Board Member 114 4 Pam Cherny, Board Member 36