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Town Hall addresses concerns

By Jarrod Lyman / Community Correspondent

(Updated: Thursday, January 26, 2012, 4:26 PM)

Madera County Supervisor Tom Wheeler and more than 40 Mountain Area residents gathered at Yosemite Lakes Park Clubhouse last Thursday for the supervisor's first town hall meeting of the year and the first in YLP since redistricting made the entire community part of Wheeler's district.

Fire fees

Wheeler opened the meeting discussing the recent implementation of fire fees for residents living in rural areas of California.

"We sent a lot of letters to Sacramento opposing these fees, but they went ahead and did it anyway," Wheeler said, referring to state lawmakers who passed the measure.

Wheeler said it is his belief the measure was illegal, and despite lawmakers calling it a fee it truly is a tax which would have required a 2/3 majority public vote for approval.

David Irion with Cal Fire, who spoke at Wheeler's request, said Mountain Area residents in Madera County would pay slightly less than some others thanks to fire protections already in place.

Under the current plan, residents would be required to pay $115 per parcel per year, with an additional $15 per livable unit on the parcel.

In other fire news, Irion said crews at Fire Station 10 are currently putting together a training class for more paid call firefighters, possibly by May. Another class is in the works that will help train engine driver/operators.

"It takes 300 hours of training for one volunteer firefighter. The cost is high, but the benefit is tremendous," said Irion.

Sheriff's programs

Wheeler introduced Sheriff John Anderson who announced a pair of grant-funded programs that will increase service to Madera County residents.

The first is aimed at helping seniors who live alone and have no family nearby.

"It's called Elder Orphans," said Anderson. "We will check on those who are enrolled twice daily with computer phone calls. If the person doesn't answer either call, they will be checked on."

The second program, also paid for through grant funding secured by his department, is an upgrade of its reverse 9-1-1 system.

Currently, the system, funded through a $1 surcharge on all phone bills, can call all telephones connected via landline with prerecorded messages in the event of an emergency.

"The problem is, few people under the age of 30 have land lines anymore. We would only hit every other house," said Anderson.

Under the new system, they can call all cellular phones within the designated area as well as landlines, contacting as many people as possible in an emergency situation. The system can also send text messages to those cellular devices.

Wheeler spent the remainder of the evening answering questions submitted to him ahead of time regarding several issues of concern.

Coarsegold wall

At the top of the list of prepared questions, was the issue of what has been called The Great Wall of Coarsegold," at the southwest corner of Highway 41 and Raymond Road (Road 415). Wheeler said there are more delays on repairing the crumbling retaining wall due to the property being taken over by the bank.

A hearing is scheduled for today (Jan. 26) that will determine who will serve as the trustee for the property and ultimately, who will be responsible for the wall.

"We will take it back to court if we have to in order to get someone to take care of it," Wheeler said.

Impact fees

Supervisor Wheeler told the group that if they were planning on building or remodeling anything, a temporary fee reduction was in place that would lessen the cost. He introduced Norm Allender from the county planning department to explain.

"If you or someone you know is waiting and fees were in your way, now is the time to proceed," said Allender.

Application and impact fees have been reduced by 2/3, resulting in thousands of dollars in savings for anyone initiating a construction project. The fees will remain at the low level until Sept. 2012, when they will be increased to a third of the original price.

"By September 2013 we're revisit it," said Wheeler.

The county is also considering an installment plan that would allow home owners and business owners to pay fees over time.

Madera Quarry

Progress on the planned 121-acre Madera Quarry on near Daulton Road (406) and Road 209 has been halted by the Department of Fish and Game according to Wheeler. While rock is being produced and stored, none can be hauled from the quarry because of concerns by the federal agency about a protected salamander that may be located along the road.

Madera Disposal

Wheeler said the county is currently examining the contract they have with Madera Disposal due to concerns the company has not been sorting recyclables as required. The county's contention is that Madera Disposal's failure to sort recyclebles could result in the county being owed a minimum of $2.9 million from the company.

Through pending litigation the county can only recover any loses from the past four year due to statute of limitations. On going county discussions are taking place as to the best way to proceed with the situation.

Wheelers' next Town Hall meeting will be Feb. 16 at Raymond Knowls Elementary School.