Trinity PUD Report Let There Be Light BOS Response*

R7

"A. The BOS should evaluate the feasibility of building a pumped storage hydro electric facility and publicize the results. A properly sized Pumped Storage Facility could make beneficial use of some of the excess power allocation, while creating good paying jobs and a substantial increase in the tax base." JUDY PFLUEGER JUDY MORRIS ROGER JAEGEL DEBRA CHAPMAN WENDY OTTO DISTRICT 3 DISTRICT 5 DISTRICT I DISTRICT 2 DISTRICT 4 Response A: Will not be implemented. Trinity County and the BOS do not have jurisdiction over the power inflow and usage in Trinity County, therefore, the recommendation is not within the jurisdiction of the Board of Supervisors. The BOS recognizes that there may be merit in the recommendation; however, it should be addressed to the proper power entity for implementation. "B. The BOS should have the County's general plan updates, specifically the housing and land use elements, with the intent of making it easier and less expensive for housing and other developments, thus increasing the employment base, the tax base and expanding the benefits realized." Response B: The Board of Supervisors agrees in part with the finding. Updating of the County's general plan has been discussed with the BOS and Administration, an attempt to fund an update occurred several years ago and there are on-going attempts to fund updates of portions of the General Plan. Unfortunately, the revenues that the County receives are stretched so thin with our current debt obligations that funding even the most essential of services will be a challenge for several years to come. The BOS will continue to encourage staff and partner organizations to seek grants to fund General Plan updates. The BOS cannot agree with the Grand Jury's comment "with the intent of making it easier and less expensive for housing and other developments, thus increasing the employment base, the tax base and expanding the benefits realized.", as that pre-assumes an outcome to a process that is governed, to a degree, by the rules and regulations of the State of California, with input from the public. There is also an expectation that development, whether for housing or businesses, "pay for itself". To pre-determine that an effort should be made to entice development with "less expensive methods" of creating such development is not a position that the BOS will put itself into. The BOS should encourage the location of energy intensive industries, such as an "C. internet server farm, thus expanding the tax base and employment opportunities." Response C: The recommendation requires further analysis. There are infrastructure capacities that fall both inside and outside of the BOS jurisdiction that need to be explored before attempts are made to encourage the location of energy intensive industries. Several of the infrastructure capacities in question include but are not limited to: Internet access, land-line telephone access, water/sewer capacity; road maintenance capacity, the availability of commercial "turn-key" properties, job skills, assessment and training capacity to name a few. Further discussion will occur on this recommendation by October, 2012. "D. The BOS should aggressively pursue grants which aid in the financing of high speed internet infrastructure. Response D: The recommendation has been implemented. The BOS has partnered with several organizations on the coast, as well as USFS Six Rivers, Shasta-Trinity and private businesses to bring high-speed broadband along the Highway 36 corridor. Currently the same organizations, agencies and businesses are working on high-speed broadband along the Highway 299 corridor.