A win for public art
Post-meeting coverage + more + more
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
NEWSBOY Late Night with City Council post-meeting brief
NEWSBOY contents
What happened tonight?
Mental health money
Water policy: Brooktrails UPDATE
Gov’t Calendar!
Jimmy Carter on America: Presidential quote
Good evening reader. A meeting of the Willits City Council was held tonight. You will be briefed on the city’s business in this edition of NEWSBOY.
NEWSBOY ventured again to the Zoom meeting halls of local government since most people do not have the time to do so themselves.
You should know that for all the remote meetings held these days you can still participate in the video feed or call in from your phone.
That part has not changed and opportunity for the public’s participation is still a thing.
It’s safe to say there is little and most often no public participation at Willits or Brooktrails meetings since NEWSBOY formed back in May.
Brooktrails and Willits, to name two, continue to responsibly meet remotely due to the pandemic.
But it’s not all hardship and garbled speech. Some aspects of the remote meeting system actually improve public access to meetings.
For example, if you lived in Covelo, you would be looking at traveling about 130 miles round-trip for a chance to speak to the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors.
With remote meeting capabilities, that person can now speak over the air or record a comment in advance of the meeting without traveling 130 miles.
It would be good if some of this technology can be retained to improve access to government meetings.
Post-meeting: Willits City Council
Sculpture for Highway 20 park approved
Resolution that approved labor agreement corrected
Private hangar convo garbled
A win for public art
Council members voted 5-0 to approve a pinwheel sculpture headed to the grass strip along Highway 20.
Talk about the sculpture tonight became complicated as the city and council members discussed Willits’ lack of a public art policy.
“We have not done the policy part and now we are considering a concept piece of art,” city lawyer James Lance said.
The council opted to accept the project with the potential for additional provisions to be added.
Gary Martin, Willits Center for the Arts, spoke first when the line opened for public comment. Martin asked if there was anyone opposed to the project.
There was no answer. A man in attendance did ask what the cost to the city was but nobody with a public art beef spoke.
Cost to the city is estimated to be about $2,000 or an additional $1,000 to that if lighting is involved, a written report from City Hall stated.
The council first discussed longtime community member Jane Camp’s proposal to donate the sculpture last May.
The project came to the full council tonight after attention was given by an art committee.
“Let's get this off the ground and show the community we really support the arts,” Vice Mayor Greta Kanne said.
Growth at Ells Field?
An aviator whose business occupies three hangars at the city’s airport had asked the city to approve moving ahead with his plan to eventually build a new private hangar.
Communications became garbled at this time. NEWSBOY could not ascertain what the vote was. When we can confirm the vote the information will be passed on to you.
Councilman Gerardo Gonzalez wanted to know if any other parties were interested in a similar project.
City Manager Brian Bender said there were none, but that he did know CalFire has eyed the airport as a potential base.
“It is something that has been kicked around,” Bender said. No details and no formal proposal submitted to the city, he said.
Since the new hangar would be on city-owned property an agreement will need to be drafted.
Resolution edit approved
The council voted to adjust and correct the language in a labor agreement passed last year.
To be stricken is language that non-IBEW employees get a $1,000 bonus–such language is not in the contract, the city stated.
Unrepresented employees do see a five-percent salary increase beginning this month. And a three-percent cost-of-living increase in July and another in 2023, the city stated.
Around the county
More than $30 million for mental health
Mendocino County has money to help the mentally-ill members of the community.
Measure B has earned the county $31.7 million, a report from a citizen oversight committee for the measure stated in Dec.
The report stated expenses of $4.2 million, leaving the fund with a balance of $28 million to fund mental health solutions county-wide.
County voters approved Measure B’s ½ cent sales tax in Nov. 2017.
A look back at the ballot: What was in the ballot language and what was Measure B really for?
Psychiatric facility and other behavioral health facilities
A regional behavioral health training facility to be used by behavioral health professionals, public safety and other first responders
Provide for the necessary infrastructure to support and stabilize individuals with behavioral health conditions, including addiction and neurological disorders
For a period of five (5) years a maximum of 75% of the revenue deposited into the Mental Health Treatment Fund may be used for facilities,
Not less than 25% dedicated to services and treatment; thereafter 100% of all revenue deposited into the Mental Health Treatment Fund shall be used for ongoing operations, services and treatment.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Mental Health Treatment Act Citizens Oversight Committee will meet March 23.
Brooktrails’ water policies: UPDATE
Brooktrails moves ahead with two new water ordinances.
In the works are two ordinances aimed at water thieves and water abusers in the Brooktrails township.
One ordinance takes aim at people who exceed the township’s 9,000 gallon monthly cap.
The other ordinance is directed at water thieves who help themselves to water by tampering with water meters or tapping water lines directly, for example.
Both ordinances will be heard March 8 at 7 PM.
Government Calendar!
County Planning Commission
Feb. 3 at 9AM…..Commission meeting
Ukiah
Jan. 26 at 6PM…..Planning Commission
Jan. 27 at 3PM…..Design Review Board
Feb. 1 at 6PM…..Airport Commission
Feb. 2 at 4:30PM…..City Council (Special)
Feb. 2 at 6PM…..City Council
Feb. 8 at 6PM…..Ukiah Valley Fire District
Feb. 9 at 6PM…..Planning Commission
Feb. 16 at 6PM…..City Council
Feb. 23 at 6PM…..Planning Commission
Feb. 23 at 6PM…..Diversity and Equity
Feb. 24 at 3PM…..Design Review Board
Brooktrails
Feb. 8 at 7PM…..Board Meeting
Feb. 22 at 7PM…..Board Meeting
March 8 at 7PM…..Hearing re: water ordinances (2)
Willits
Bi-monthly 2nd & 4th Wednesday at 6PM…..Council Meeting
Local Area Formation Commission (LAFCo)
Feb. 07 at 9AM…..Commission Meeting
Mendocino County Council of Governments (MCOG)
Feb. 07 at 1:30PM…..Board Meeting
Measure B Oversight Committee
March 23 at 1PM…..Regular Meeting
Quote
“Our gross national economy exceeds that of the three countries that follow us, and our nation’s voice most often prevails as decisions are made concerning trade, humanitarian assistance, and the allocation of global wealth. This dominant status is unlikely to change in our lifetimes,” 39th US President Jimmy Carter.
Dec. 02, 2002, Oslo, Norway. Nobel Peace Prize lecture.
