Editorial
When You Are Giving Thanks,
Think of the SVHD Directors
It’s time to take a closer look at the Surprise Valley Healthcare District and its board of directors.
Because, if we do, we will see a remarkable social phenomenon taking place. And that social phenomenon is called change.
Yes, change. A word that makes some people quake to their bones in fear, and others downright gleeful.
We’re of the latter.
A close examination of the make up of the hospital’s board members will reveal that while they are of various backgrounds, education and personal interests they have one mutual interest among their majority.
And that is the future of the hospital.
One would think that such a worthy endeavor would be easy. After all, providing healthcare for the residents of Surprise Valley is not just the humane thing to do, it’s also practical -- a healthy population is a productive population.
But not everyone apparently agrees with that supposition so the board of directors’ endeavor to assure us that the hospital will be there when we need it has not been an easy one.
Just the opposite, but no need to go into details.
Instead, look at the board of directors as a portent of what’s to come if trends have their way. This board is easily the real first “coming together” in the interests of everyone in Modoc County -- in the broadest apolitical sense.
This is called “change.“ We’ll spell it out for you: C - H -A - N - G - E.
The next time you see a member of the Surprise Valley Healthcare District board stop and say thanks we need a change.
-- Ray A. March
Friday, November 23, 2012
SVHD Responds to Grand Jury: “We agree”
The Surprise Valley Healthcare District board of directors has responded to the Modoc County Grand Jury, stating it is working towards complying with 14 different findings and recommendations that range from the secure use of fax machines to a charge of conflict of interest.
While the 2011-12 grand jury’s investigation of the troubled hospital district failed to include any in-depth conclusions similar to a scathing state survey that resulted in two employees being fired and a levy of federal fines, the grand jury did make a number of diplomatic observations for improvements that the board of directors is following.
Taken as a group, the 14 discrepancies uniformly criticized the hospital’s administrative management practices which are in need of serious repair, to include: completing a state audit, provide a secure use of a fax machine, expanding office space, eliminating nepotism, improving the tenure of board meetings and establishing a line of authority when seeking legal opinions.
What could be interpreted as a summation of the grand jury report on the hospital, it stated “the administrator relies on ‘teamwork’ rather than relying her own authority and responsibility,” and recommended “the administrator should be provided with additional and complimentary training in her role of administrator.”
To that the board of directors replied, “The hospital administrator was provided additional training in the last two months. In addition, for the new position of CEO/CFO (overseeing administration) establishing and maintaining and environment of responsive teamwork is a high priority.”
As for the allegations of conflict of interest in board member Jim Laacke’s financing a separate, off-site office medical space the grand jury recommended the district “put this issue behind them and concentrate on the betterment of the hospital and community.”
To that the board responded, “We are fully in agreement.”
The Surprise Valley Healthcare District board of directors has responded to the Modoc County Grand Jury, stating it is working towards complying with 14 different findings and recommendations that range from the secure use of fax machines to a charge of conflict of interest.
While the 2011-12 grand jury’s investigation of the troubled hospital district failed to include any in-depth conclusions similar to a scathing state survey that resulted in two employees being fired and a levy of federal fines, the grand jury did make a number of diplomatic observations for improvements that the board of directors is following.
Taken as a group, the 14 discrepancies uniformly criticized the hospital’s administrative management practices which are in need of serious repair, to include: completing a state audit, provide a secure use of a fax machine, expanding office space, eliminating nepotism, improving the tenure of board meetings and establishing a line of authority when seeking legal opinions.
What could be interpreted as a summation of the grand jury report on the hospital, it stated “the administrator relies on ‘teamwork’ rather than relying her own authority and responsibility,” and recommended “the administrator should be provided with additional and complimentary training in her role of administrator.”
To that the board of directors replied, “The hospital administrator was provided additional training in the last two months. In addition, for the new position of CEO/CFO (overseeing administration) establishing and maintaining and environment of responsive teamwork is a high priority.”
As for the allegations of conflict of interest in board member Jim Laacke’s financing a separate, off-site office medical space the grand jury recommended the district “put this issue behind them and concentrate on the betterment of the hospital and community.”
To that the board responded, “We are fully in agreement.”
Time Running Out
Modoc Fair to Citizens: “Fish or Cut Bait”
By Ray A. March
The Modoc District Fair, often called the Last Frontier Fair, may become just that -- the last -- unless the community it has served for longer than locals can recall comes to its aid.
Under an arrangement with the Del Mar Fair local officials have 30 days to come up with a financial plan leading to one or more options in which the southern California fair could help the Modoc Fair stay in operation from year to year.
But that 30 days is running out, according to Dannette DePaul, fair manager, who said she has to make a report to Del Mar on Nov. 20 unless there is a deadline extension.
That’s where the involvement of the community-at-large comes in.
One option DePaul plans to recommend is a fund-raising plan involving the packaging of local amenities for auction next season at the heavily-attended Del Mar Fair, such as an older collectible car or truck, a hunting or golfing outing, sightseeing tours of natural resourses, participating in a cattle drive, or back country horseback rides.
“If people will get in touch with us as soon as possible, then I can say we have community support,” DePaul said. “Basically it’s up to our county citizens to either fish or cut bait. If we are not going to receive community support in assisting in raising revenues there is no need to go any further.”
In the absence of a community commitment to keep the fair going, there remains two other options.
One is to arrange a loan through Del Mar for an estimated $200,000, which would take the place of an annual $230,000 the state has ceased to pay the Modoc District Fair, but that loan is more potluck pie-in-the-sky than a reality, according to DePaul.
“There has never been a proposal for a $200,000 loan,” she said. “That report is incorrect. Del Mar is not going to give us a $200,000 check and then we do business as we have in the past.”
Besides, she added, the Modoc District Fair board of directors is not anxious to accept such a loan.
“The Modoc fair directors are reluctant to do a loan because if there is a payback there is no way to do it,” she explained. “There are some ways we can discuss it, but it’s not one of the favorable options for our board.
“I don’t want people to get the idea that they are giving us $200,000,” DePaul said. “There is no guarantee. Tim Fennel, Del Mar CEO, has been very supportive, but his challenge is convincing his board of directors.”
A third option open to the Modoc Fair board is to turn over the operation of the fair to Del Mar under a joint powers agreement.
“Under a joint powers agreement they take over operation of the fair with our office being a department of the Del Mar Fair ,” DePaul said.
A long shot option not on the table is that the state would return to partially funding county fairs.
“If the state doesn’t come up with funding for us to survive we have to come up with a business opportunity,” DePaul explained in describing what a future Modoc fair would entail. “We have to turn it into a business to earn revenue to support it. It will change the whole atmosphere of the fair but that’s the only way we can survive.”
She said it was premature to describe exactly what the fair would be as a “business opportunity.”
Modoc Fair to Citizens: “Fish or Cut Bait”
By Ray A. March
The Modoc District Fair, often called the Last Frontier Fair, may become just that -- the last -- unless the community it has served for longer than locals can recall comes to its aid.
Under an arrangement with the Del Mar Fair local officials have 30 days to come up with a financial plan leading to one or more options in which the southern California fair could help the Modoc Fair stay in operation from year to year.
But that 30 days is running out, according to Dannette DePaul, fair manager, who said she has to make a report to Del Mar on Nov. 20 unless there is a deadline extension.
That’s where the involvement of the community-at-large comes in.
One option DePaul plans to recommend is a fund-raising plan involving the packaging of local amenities for auction next season at the heavily-attended Del Mar Fair, such as an older collectible car or truck, a hunting or golfing outing, sightseeing tours of natural resourses, participating in a cattle drive, or back country horseback rides.
“If people will get in touch with us as soon as possible, then I can say we have community support,” DePaul said. “Basically it’s up to our county citizens to either fish or cut bait. If we are not going to receive community support in assisting in raising revenues there is no need to go any further.”
In the absence of a community commitment to keep the fair going, there remains two other options.
One is to arrange a loan through Del Mar for an estimated $200,000, which would take the place of an annual $230,000 the state has ceased to pay the Modoc District Fair, but that loan is more potluck pie-in-the-sky than a reality, according to DePaul.
“There has never been a proposal for a $200,000 loan,” she said. “That report is incorrect. Del Mar is not going to give us a $200,000 check and then we do business as we have in the past.”
Besides, she added, the Modoc District Fair board of directors is not anxious to accept such a loan.
“The Modoc fair directors are reluctant to do a loan because if there is a payback there is no way to do it,” she explained. “There are some ways we can discuss it, but it’s not one of the favorable options for our board.
“I don’t want people to get the idea that they are giving us $200,000,” DePaul said. “There is no guarantee. Tim Fennel, Del Mar CEO, has been very supportive, but his challenge is convincing his board of directors.”
A third option open to the Modoc Fair board is to turn over the operation of the fair to Del Mar under a joint powers agreement.
“Under a joint powers agreement they take over operation of the fair with our office being a department of the Del Mar Fair ,” DePaul said.
A long shot option not on the table is that the state would return to partially funding county fairs.
“If the state doesn’t come up with funding for us to survive we have to come up with a business opportunity,” DePaul explained in describing what a future Modoc fair would entail. “We have to turn it into a business to earn revenue to support it. It will change the whole atmosphere of the fair but that’s the only way we can survive.”
She said it was premature to describe exactly what the fair would be as a “business opportunity.”
Wildfires Force Ranchers into Tough Choices
By Kate Campbell
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in Ag Alert where the author Kate Campbell is assistant editor. It is reprinted here with permission of the California Farm Bureau Federation.
While the catastrophic wildfires that ravaged northeastern California in August have been extinguished with the season's first rain and snow, economic and environmental damage will continue for years for families who ranch, log and live in the state's mountain counties.
And ranchers say an increased number of wildfires, coupled with the rest periods for grassland required by federal agencies, mean the cumulative effect of wildfires takes ever greater amounts of grazing land out of production—limiting feed options and the ability for ranchers to produce food economically.
For example, the 100,000-acre Barry Point Fire swept down from Oregon and burned into timber and public grazing land on the California border in Modoc County. Cattle rancher Bill Wilson of Alturas said the fire scorched grass on his U.S. Forest Service grazing allotment that would have provided at least a month's grazing for about 300 pairs of cows and calves.
"About 85 percent of our permit area burned," said Wilson, who was forced to move his cattle to his home ranch early, potentially depleting grasses much earlier than expected. "We don't think mandatory removal of cattle from the permit area over the next few years is necessary for the land to heal."
Federal policies differ on how long grazing should be banned on land affected by wildfire, saying it depends on the heat of the fire, the topography of burn areas and environmental considerations.
The Rush Fire along the California-Nevada state line started in mid-August with a lightning strike and burned for nearly two weeks on Bureau of Land Management land. The fast-moving fire burned more than 315,000 acres and wiped out grasses on allotments held by the Espil family.
As the fire swept in, Brent Espil said family and friends responded to the emergency by helping to move livestock—herding sheep on foot and cattle on horseback. The family maintains three grazing allotments on the edge of the Great Basin.
"I've already sold cattle, because we're not sure how much it will cost us to feed them in the future," Espil said. "We're hoping to find other grazing land for the spring, whether it's on public or private land. I'm trying to go forward as normal, working the cattle, preparing for calving.
"But, I'd hate to see anyone in the position we're in," he said. "What am I going to do?"
Federal agencies are now assessing damage to grasslands, as well as timber. Regulations can require resting the grazing land after a major fire for two to three years. Ranchers say that's too long for most to feed hay and still raise animals economically.
"One of my concerns, besides the cost and labor to replace miles and miles of fencing, is the need to restore the native grasses through seeding," Espil said. "I'm not sure we have an adequate amount of native grass seed to cover areas of this size. If we don't, I'm afraid the range will go to invasive weeds."
Espil said grazing is a fire-suppression tool.
"We've been ranching in this area since the 1960s and our allotment looked great," he said. "But I'm not sure when we'll be able to go back. It will be tough the next few years."
Of the 30 million acres of California land suitable for grazing, about half is privately owned. Of the more than 15 million acres of suitable public land, less than half is grazed in any one year.
"We need quick assessments of the rangeland, focusing on erosion and whether ground needs to be reseeded or not," said Sean Curtis, Modoc County resource conservation analyst. "If the fire burned hot enough to burn the roots, then it needs to be reseeded."
He said environmental groups argue that if land is reseeded, it must be reseeded with native species.
"But in years like this with a lot of acres burned, there's never enough native seed to go around," said Curtis, who is a past Modoc County Farm Bureau president. "We've been looking at ways to increase the seeds available and exploring ways to create 'grass banks,' so ranchers who graze will have more alternatives."
Curtis said ranchers and resource managers have been trying to work across jurisdictional lines to create access to lands—grass banks—suitable for grazing between the Forest Service and the BLM, and vice versa. Right now, grazing allotments between the two agencies cannot be accessed interchangeably.
Shasta County rancher Henry Giacomini said the widespread fire damage presents an opportunity to discuss with government agencies what ranchers in the wildfire areas can do to help restore the forests to operation.
"It's not just livestock producers who will suffer because of these disasters," said Giacomini, who is president of the Shasta County Farm Bureau. "There are many kinds of businesses that depend on access to public lands to operate."
In addition to grazing and logging, public lands are used by outdoor recreation companies, utilities, and mining and energy operations, as well as providing habitat for hundreds of different species.
"One useful development during recovery from these fires could be creation of contingency plans for livestock producers who depend on access to grazing land," Giacomini said.
Under such plans, he said, if an allotment is damaged, the public agency—Forest Service or BLM—would have already done the environmental certification work to offer alternative areas for grazing.
"It just doesn't make sense to allow fuel loads to build, inevitably resulting in major fires, and put people out of business because alternatives haven't been developed," Giacomini said. "With planning and coordination, these impacts can be lessened."
By Kate Campbell
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in Ag Alert where the author Kate Campbell is assistant editor. It is reprinted here with permission of the California Farm Bureau Federation.
While the catastrophic wildfires that ravaged northeastern California in August have been extinguished with the season's first rain and snow, economic and environmental damage will continue for years for families who ranch, log and live in the state's mountain counties.
And ranchers say an increased number of wildfires, coupled with the rest periods for grassland required by federal agencies, mean the cumulative effect of wildfires takes ever greater amounts of grazing land out of production—limiting feed options and the ability for ranchers to produce food economically.
For example, the 100,000-acre Barry Point Fire swept down from Oregon and burned into timber and public grazing land on the California border in Modoc County. Cattle rancher Bill Wilson of Alturas said the fire scorched grass on his U.S. Forest Service grazing allotment that would have provided at least a month's grazing for about 300 pairs of cows and calves.
"About 85 percent of our permit area burned," said Wilson, who was forced to move his cattle to his home ranch early, potentially depleting grasses much earlier than expected. "We don't think mandatory removal of cattle from the permit area over the next few years is necessary for the land to heal."
Federal policies differ on how long grazing should be banned on land affected by wildfire, saying it depends on the heat of the fire, the topography of burn areas and environmental considerations.
The Rush Fire along the California-Nevada state line started in mid-August with a lightning strike and burned for nearly two weeks on Bureau of Land Management land. The fast-moving fire burned more than 315,000 acres and wiped out grasses on allotments held by the Espil family.
As the fire swept in, Brent Espil said family and friends responded to the emergency by helping to move livestock—herding sheep on foot and cattle on horseback. The family maintains three grazing allotments on the edge of the Great Basin.
"I've already sold cattle, because we're not sure how much it will cost us to feed them in the future," Espil said. "We're hoping to find other grazing land for the spring, whether it's on public or private land. I'm trying to go forward as normal, working the cattle, preparing for calving.
"But, I'd hate to see anyone in the position we're in," he said. "What am I going to do?"
Federal agencies are now assessing damage to grasslands, as well as timber. Regulations can require resting the grazing land after a major fire for two to three years. Ranchers say that's too long for most to feed hay and still raise animals economically.
"One of my concerns, besides the cost and labor to replace miles and miles of fencing, is the need to restore the native grasses through seeding," Espil said. "I'm not sure we have an adequate amount of native grass seed to cover areas of this size. If we don't, I'm afraid the range will go to invasive weeds."
Espil said grazing is a fire-suppression tool.
"We've been ranching in this area since the 1960s and our allotment looked great," he said. "But I'm not sure when we'll be able to go back. It will be tough the next few years."
Of the 30 million acres of California land suitable for grazing, about half is privately owned. Of the more than 15 million acres of suitable public land, less than half is grazed in any one year.
"We need quick assessments of the rangeland, focusing on erosion and whether ground needs to be reseeded or not," said Sean Curtis, Modoc County resource conservation analyst. "If the fire burned hot enough to burn the roots, then it needs to be reseeded."
He said environmental groups argue that if land is reseeded, it must be reseeded with native species.
"But in years like this with a lot of acres burned, there's never enough native seed to go around," said Curtis, who is a past Modoc County Farm Bureau president. "We've been looking at ways to increase the seeds available and exploring ways to create 'grass banks,' so ranchers who graze will have more alternatives."
Curtis said ranchers and resource managers have been trying to work across jurisdictional lines to create access to lands—grass banks—suitable for grazing between the Forest Service and the BLM, and vice versa. Right now, grazing allotments between the two agencies cannot be accessed interchangeably.
Shasta County rancher Henry Giacomini said the widespread fire damage presents an opportunity to discuss with government agencies what ranchers in the wildfire areas can do to help restore the forests to operation.
"It's not just livestock producers who will suffer because of these disasters," said Giacomini, who is president of the Shasta County Farm Bureau. "There are many kinds of businesses that depend on access to public lands to operate."
In addition to grazing and logging, public lands are used by outdoor recreation companies, utilities, and mining and energy operations, as well as providing habitat for hundreds of different species.
"One useful development during recovery from these fires could be creation of contingency plans for livestock producers who depend on access to grazing land," Giacomini said.
Under such plans, he said, if an allotment is damaged, the public agency—Forest Service or BLM—would have already done the environmental certification work to offer alternative areas for grazing.
"It just doesn't make sense to allow fuel loads to build, inevitably resulting in major fires, and put people out of business because alternatives haven't been developed," Giacomini said. "With planning and coordination, these impacts can be lessened."
Barb’s Wire
By Barbara March
A flock of birds swoops and swirls over a field. You’ve seen it. They move as a single thought and nothing, real or perceived, gets in their way, as they dip and dive in their pursuit of bugs. Now put those birds in a box. They hit the walls, fall to the floor, flop around or keg up in the corners like thirsty cows. Their spontaneous fluid movement has disintegrated hasn’t it?
Now recall how often lately you’ve heard the phrase, “we need to think outside the box.” Have you thought about what this really means? Take a baby step, that’s the way to get things done, or as some people say, “you have to put one foot in front of the other.”
For starters thinking outside the box is not about the newest widget or get rich quick scheme. Sure, economic survival is what drives most of us to come up with new ideas.
Hold everything! Before you can think outside it you have to acknowledge that the box exists.
If you don't believe in the box you certainly can't think beyond its borders. Next you have to accept the fact that you're in the box. Then compare a new idea to a window in the box. You can see the sky and imagine the possibilities but face it, you’re still in the box.
If the birds in the box are savvy they’ll figure out a way to open the window or if they’re inventive and imaginative they’ll simply take the walls down. Do you get my philosophical drift?
It’s easy to say we’re going to think outside the box. It’s more of a challenge to see the big picture. A window ray of light is like inspiration. That’s the fun part. Then the work begins; to understand your box, the world outside your box, how that world works and how you’ll flourish in that world.
Corners, walls and ceilings, real and imagined can get in the way whether it’s someone who don’t agree with, or a new idea. Modoc County is a box. Think outside. It helps if you picture the effortless beauty of those birds, flowing over a field.
By Barbara March
A flock of birds swoops and swirls over a field. You’ve seen it. They move as a single thought and nothing, real or perceived, gets in their way, as they dip and dive in their pursuit of bugs. Now put those birds in a box. They hit the walls, fall to the floor, flop around or keg up in the corners like thirsty cows. Their spontaneous fluid movement has disintegrated hasn’t it?
Now recall how often lately you’ve heard the phrase, “we need to think outside the box.” Have you thought about what this really means? Take a baby step, that’s the way to get things done, or as some people say, “you have to put one foot in front of the other.”
For starters thinking outside the box is not about the newest widget or get rich quick scheme. Sure, economic survival is what drives most of us to come up with new ideas.
Hold everything! Before you can think outside it you have to acknowledge that the box exists.
If you don't believe in the box you certainly can't think beyond its borders. Next you have to accept the fact that you're in the box. Then compare a new idea to a window in the box. You can see the sky and imagine the possibilities but face it, you’re still in the box.
If the birds in the box are savvy they’ll figure out a way to open the window or if they’re inventive and imaginative they’ll simply take the walls down. Do you get my philosophical drift?
It’s easy to say we’re going to think outside the box. It’s more of a challenge to see the big picture. A window ray of light is like inspiration. That’s the fun part. Then the work begins; to understand your box, the world outside your box, how that world works and how you’ll flourish in that world.
Corners, walls and ceilings, real and imagined can get in the way whether it’s someone who don’t agree with, or a new idea. Modoc County is a box. Think outside. It helps if you picture the effortless beauty of those birds, flowing over a field.
Cedarville Cemetery Improvements Underway
The Cedarville cemetery is getting a new water system, thanks to puncture vine.
“People are seeking solace when they’re in the cemetery,” explains Ann Odgers, chairperson of the Cedarville Cemetery Improvement Committee. “The puncture vine was a real problem that everyone complained about when they came to a service or wanted to visit a loved one’s grave. Yes, puncture vine started the whole thing.”
Cemetery trustee Robin Quirk researched the habits of puncture vine and found it doesn’t like its roots crowded. From that information sprang the idea to put lawn in the Cedarville cemetery as a deterrent to puncture vine.
Lawns need water.
Cemetery trustees Louie Vermillion, Regina Pratt and Quirk are working with the newly formed Cedarville Cemetery Improvement Committee through its chairman Odgers to make needed improvements through a three-phase project.
Phase One which is has been funded through community donations, volunteer labor and an $11,800 grant from the McConnell Foundation includes an automated sprinkler system routed throughout the entire cemetery.
“The essential infrastructure is in,” Odgers says. “There are 6,000 feet of pipe underground, roughed-in wiring and 60 hydrants which means people will never have to move a hose more than 50 feet to water a grave.” A timer system, to be completed in the spring, will insure maximum use of water. Odgers emphasizes that the trustees have the money in their treasury from the donation fund to complete Phase One.
“As soon as the weather allows in the spring the valves, master timer and sprinkler heads will be purchased and installed,” she said.
Phase Two calls for landscaping including trees. Phase Three plans propose a memorial, a water feature, lights and strategically placed benches.
-- Barbara March
The Cedarville cemetery is getting a new water system, thanks to puncture vine.
“People are seeking solace when they’re in the cemetery,” explains Ann Odgers, chairperson of the Cedarville Cemetery Improvement Committee. “The puncture vine was a real problem that everyone complained about when they came to a service or wanted to visit a loved one’s grave. Yes, puncture vine started the whole thing.”
Cemetery trustee Robin Quirk researched the habits of puncture vine and found it doesn’t like its roots crowded. From that information sprang the idea to put lawn in the Cedarville cemetery as a deterrent to puncture vine.
Lawns need water.
Cemetery trustees Louie Vermillion, Regina Pratt and Quirk are working with the newly formed Cedarville Cemetery Improvement Committee through its chairman Odgers to make needed improvements through a three-phase project.
Phase One which is has been funded through community donations, volunteer labor and an $11,800 grant from the McConnell Foundation includes an automated sprinkler system routed throughout the entire cemetery.
“The essential infrastructure is in,” Odgers says. “There are 6,000 feet of pipe underground, roughed-in wiring and 60 hydrants which means people will never have to move a hose more than 50 feet to water a grave.” A timer system, to be completed in the spring, will insure maximum use of water. Odgers emphasizes that the trustees have the money in their treasury from the donation fund to complete Phase One.
“As soon as the weather allows in the spring the valves, master timer and sprinkler heads will be purchased and installed,” she said.
Phase Two calls for landscaping including trees. Phase Three plans propose a memorial, a water feature, lights and strategically placed benches.
-- Barbara March
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
More on Modoc County’s
Financial Status
Editor’s Note: The following is a continuation of the Q & A conducted by the Modoc Independent News with Modoc County CAO Chester Robertson. The first part of the Q & A can be found in the September issue of the newspaper.
Q. What is the financial status of the county as it enters a new fiscal year?
Robertson: We still appear to have the challenge of the high default rate from non-payment of property taxes like we saw last fiscal year. This is often attributed to the economy and the newer special assessment.
In Treasurer Cheryl Knoch's report of 2012 Tax Sale to the Board of Supervisors we learned that not even all the parcels subject to auction are selling. There are also more parcels subject to sale now. Although the new state SRA fee is only on dwelling units, I have had discussions with the state to help us monitor this closely. I hope the new SRA fee levied and collected by the state does not provoke even a few more property owners to throw in the towel.
This year the general fund is also facing reductions in revenue from decreases in the cost plan charges to non-general fund departments. This is due to a number of factors based on how the cost plan works under federal guidelines.
Essentially there is a delay factor under the calculation criteria. This means the cost reductions in prior years that resulted from the county's fiscal belt tightening now have led to lower cost plan revenue to the general fund.
When cuts were first made in prior years, the general fund still had revenue from charges that reflect the higher staffing levels from the time period prior to staffing cuts. Among some other issues in the cost plan arena, we also have effects of formation of the hospital district. This resulted in a smaller pool of payees of cost plan charges that spread some of the fixed costs of certain general fund departments.
Another general fund cost pressure is that the county now has to pay for the “tail” insurance for workers compensation liability of Modoc Medical Center employees for the period prior to the district's formation. Although the new healthcare district pays for workers compensation liability moving forward, the county is responsible for the "tail" which has exposure and premiums for 10 additional years.
Formerly the workers compensation liability costs were part of the hospital enterprise fund's ongoing operational costs. The county no longer has an operating entity to attach these costs to within the county, so this increases pressure of the general fund significantly.
In the first year alone, the premium remains at nearly 90 percent of the prior level. Fortunately, this cost will decrease in future years.
In addition to these factors unique to Modoc's structural changes, the county is facing similar labor cost pressures that we often hear about in the news around the state. Health insurance costs are going up, and we will be facing increased pension contribution costs.
The current Memorandum of Understandings in place with the employees were contracts for two years. There was a freeze in merit increases that kept labor costs fairly stable the first year, but also led to a wave of merit increases that we have been dealing with in the close of FY2011/12 and early FY2012/13. The new MOU's to be negotiated in the upcoming period will be a significant factor as the county moves forward later in FY 2012/13.
As we began the fiscal year 2012/13 we were facing estimated revenue reductions in several departments due to what is going on at the federal and state level. Of significance, this included a large estimated reduction in the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT).
Modoc County relies heavily on this since a significant proportion of the land is in federal ownership. With all this and more as a backdrop, the combined departments' proposal the budget committee was reviewing was still greater than the prior year expenditure budget.
This was after accounting for some heavy proposed expenditure reductions. Therefore, it was recommended to utilize the tighter FY2011/12 as the recommended budget. With the stricter FY 2011/12 budget in place, we are able to see how stuff shakes out at the state and federal level before making any rash decisions.
This isn't to say all departments are happy because it is holding up some additional beneficial structural changes some of the department heads are working to implement. Yet, things have been improving, in the last two months we have had several general fund departments submit revisions to increase revenue based on decisions occurring at the state and federal levels.
Also, about a week after passage of the recommended budget in June we received news the PILT was renewed in full for one year. Overall the county picture is getting brighter, but this is not to say we have a very difficult finalization of the adopted budget ahead of us in the next few weeks.
Many staff are tired after years of budget cuts, limited resources, and ever increasing mandates. I hope many citizens realize that it is the resolve of the many employees within our county that has been largely responsible for helping things get better.
The big improvement for our budget is that we don't have the significant strain on the budget in context of cash flow issues. The county no longer is teetering tax proceeds, it no longer has to support cash flow of a hospital operation that was significant relative to the overall county budget, and the general fund has been able to support reducing the outstanding amount of the hospital debt.
Financial Status
Editor’s Note: The following is a continuation of the Q & A conducted by the Modoc Independent News with Modoc County CAO Chester Robertson. The first part of the Q & A can be found in the September issue of the newspaper.
Q. What is the financial status of the county as it enters a new fiscal year?
Robertson: We still appear to have the challenge of the high default rate from non-payment of property taxes like we saw last fiscal year. This is often attributed to the economy and the newer special assessment.
In Treasurer Cheryl Knoch's report of 2012 Tax Sale to the Board of Supervisors we learned that not even all the parcels subject to auction are selling. There are also more parcels subject to sale now. Although the new state SRA fee is only on dwelling units, I have had discussions with the state to help us monitor this closely. I hope the new SRA fee levied and collected by the state does not provoke even a few more property owners to throw in the towel.
This year the general fund is also facing reductions in revenue from decreases in the cost plan charges to non-general fund departments. This is due to a number of factors based on how the cost plan works under federal guidelines.
Essentially there is a delay factor under the calculation criteria. This means the cost reductions in prior years that resulted from the county's fiscal belt tightening now have led to lower cost plan revenue to the general fund.
When cuts were first made in prior years, the general fund still had revenue from charges that reflect the higher staffing levels from the time period prior to staffing cuts. Among some other issues in the cost plan arena, we also have effects of formation of the hospital district. This resulted in a smaller pool of payees of cost plan charges that spread some of the fixed costs of certain general fund departments.
Another general fund cost pressure is that the county now has to pay for the “tail” insurance for workers compensation liability of Modoc Medical Center employees for the period prior to the district's formation. Although the new healthcare district pays for workers compensation liability moving forward, the county is responsible for the "tail" which has exposure and premiums for 10 additional years.
Formerly the workers compensation liability costs were part of the hospital enterprise fund's ongoing operational costs. The county no longer has an operating entity to attach these costs to within the county, so this increases pressure of the general fund significantly.
In the first year alone, the premium remains at nearly 90 percent of the prior level. Fortunately, this cost will decrease in future years.
In addition to these factors unique to Modoc's structural changes, the county is facing similar labor cost pressures that we often hear about in the news around the state. Health insurance costs are going up, and we will be facing increased pension contribution costs.
The current Memorandum of Understandings in place with the employees were contracts for two years. There was a freeze in merit increases that kept labor costs fairly stable the first year, but also led to a wave of merit increases that we have been dealing with in the close of FY2011/12 and early FY2012/13. The new MOU's to be negotiated in the upcoming period will be a significant factor as the county moves forward later in FY 2012/13.
As we began the fiscal year 2012/13 we were facing estimated revenue reductions in several departments due to what is going on at the federal and state level. Of significance, this included a large estimated reduction in the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT).
Modoc County relies heavily on this since a significant proportion of the land is in federal ownership. With all this and more as a backdrop, the combined departments' proposal the budget committee was reviewing was still greater than the prior year expenditure budget.
This was after accounting for some heavy proposed expenditure reductions. Therefore, it was recommended to utilize the tighter FY2011/12 as the recommended budget. With the stricter FY 2011/12 budget in place, we are able to see how stuff shakes out at the state and federal level before making any rash decisions.
This isn't to say all departments are happy because it is holding up some additional beneficial structural changes some of the department heads are working to implement. Yet, things have been improving, in the last two months we have had several general fund departments submit revisions to increase revenue based on decisions occurring at the state and federal levels.
Also, about a week after passage of the recommended budget in June we received news the PILT was renewed in full for one year. Overall the county picture is getting brighter, but this is not to say we have a very difficult finalization of the adopted budget ahead of us in the next few weeks.
Many staff are tired after years of budget cuts, limited resources, and ever increasing mandates. I hope many citizens realize that it is the resolve of the many employees within our county that has been largely responsible for helping things get better.
The big improvement for our budget is that we don't have the significant strain on the budget in context of cash flow issues. The county no longer is teetering tax proceeds, it no longer has to support cash flow of a hospital operation that was significant relative to the overall county budget, and the general fund has been able to support reducing the outstanding amount of the hospital debt.
Horses: Wild or Feral?
Editor’s Note: Modoc County is on the border of wild horse country. Ever since the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act was passed in 1971 the controversy of horses ranging free on public lands has consumed wild horse advocates and perplexed public agencies such as the National Fish and Wildlife Service, the BLM and Forest Service. The following quotes and press release excerpts regarding the wild horses on the Sheldon Wildlife Refuge, which is east of Modoc County, represent a small fraction of the volume of information, both pro and con, that swirls around this contentious issue. Your comments, pro or con are welcome. Pro
National Coalition Blasts Government Plan to Eradicate Wild Horses and Burros from the Sheldon Wildlife Refuge. Accuses FWS of Ignoring Strong Public Support
“We are extremely disappointed that the federal government has chosen to eradicate wild horses and burros from the lands where their ancestors have lived for more than a century and a half. They are descendants of cavalry stock and breeds that helped develop the area in the 1800s prior to the land being sold to the federal government. The presence of wild horses and burros on the land pre-dates the 1931 creation of the Sheldon Refuge by over a half-century.”
-- Suzanne Roy, Founder
American Wild Horse
Preservation Coalition
“The final management plan rejects a more humane alternative to phase out wild horses and burros over 15 years using fertility control. We have had conversations with Sheldon Refuge directors over the past 10 years regarding instituting a fertility control program. If a fertility control program had been instituted a decade ago, Sheldon would be experiencing a measurable reduction in reproduction.”
-- Neda DeMayo,
President of Return to Freedom
Wild Horse Sanctuary
AWHPC took aim at the federal government for downplaying public support for maintaining wild horses and burros on the Refuge. In fact, the final management plan for the Sheldon misrepresents the situation by saying 401 public comments were received on the preliminary Comprehensive Conservation Plan. In reality, AWHPC supporters alone submitted in excess of 2,000 individual comments urging FWS to maintain wild horses and burros on the refuge, or at minimum, to choose the more humane alternative of phasing the population out over time.
--AWHPC Press Release, August, 2012
Con
Final Environmental Impact Statement for Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge’s Management Plan is Available. Sheldon Refuge to Get Tough on Invaders
How does one exotic, invasive species destabilize a sensitive desert habitat? First it multiplies, unchecked by predators. Then it tramples native grasses and flowering plants, degrades springs and streams, erodes the soil and shrinks forage and ground cover vital to pronghorn antelope and declining species.
-- FWS Press Release, August, 2010
“One of the Refuge’s most important issues is restoring the degraded wildlife habitat conditions caused by feral horse and burro populations. Managing the Refuge’s feral horse and burro populations has been required to limit damage to wildlife habitat. In the final plan we propose to restore native habitats and species and lower long-term operating costs by removing all feral horses and burros from the Refuge within five years.”
“We had 401 individually different comments in support of the horses which were analyzed and incorporated into the Comprehensive Conservation Plan. We had 1,308 comments of support which were identical, all the same content-wise. We counted those comments, because they were identical, as one of the 401.” In a subsequent interview, Kasbohm retracted this statement.
“We don’t hate horses. Do we really want the image that we’re cruel and heartless to horses? Fish and Wildlife does not want to have the reputation of being inhumane, but no, we don’t want horses on the Refuge.”
-- John Kasbohm, Project Leader
Sheldon-Hart Mountain
National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Editor’s Note: Modoc County is on the border of wild horse country. Ever since the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act was passed in 1971 the controversy of horses ranging free on public lands has consumed wild horse advocates and perplexed public agencies such as the National Fish and Wildlife Service, the BLM and Forest Service. The following quotes and press release excerpts regarding the wild horses on the Sheldon Wildlife Refuge, which is east of Modoc County, represent a small fraction of the volume of information, both pro and con, that swirls around this contentious issue. Your comments, pro or con are welcome. Pro
National Coalition Blasts Government Plan to Eradicate Wild Horses and Burros from the Sheldon Wildlife Refuge. Accuses FWS of Ignoring Strong Public Support
“We are extremely disappointed that the federal government has chosen to eradicate wild horses and burros from the lands where their ancestors have lived for more than a century and a half. They are descendants of cavalry stock and breeds that helped develop the area in the 1800s prior to the land being sold to the federal government. The presence of wild horses and burros on the land pre-dates the 1931 creation of the Sheldon Refuge by over a half-century.”
-- Suzanne Roy, Founder
American Wild Horse
Preservation Coalition
“The final management plan rejects a more humane alternative to phase out wild horses and burros over 15 years using fertility control. We have had conversations with Sheldon Refuge directors over the past 10 years regarding instituting a fertility control program. If a fertility control program had been instituted a decade ago, Sheldon would be experiencing a measurable reduction in reproduction.”
-- Neda DeMayo,
President of Return to Freedom
Wild Horse Sanctuary
AWHPC took aim at the federal government for downplaying public support for maintaining wild horses and burros on the Refuge. In fact, the final management plan for the Sheldon misrepresents the situation by saying 401 public comments were received on the preliminary Comprehensive Conservation Plan. In reality, AWHPC supporters alone submitted in excess of 2,000 individual comments urging FWS to maintain wild horses and burros on the refuge, or at minimum, to choose the more humane alternative of phasing the population out over time.
--AWHPC Press Release, August, 2012
Con
Final Environmental Impact Statement for Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge’s Management Plan is Available. Sheldon Refuge to Get Tough on Invaders
How does one exotic, invasive species destabilize a sensitive desert habitat? First it multiplies, unchecked by predators. Then it tramples native grasses and flowering plants, degrades springs and streams, erodes the soil and shrinks forage and ground cover vital to pronghorn antelope and declining species.
-- FWS Press Release, August, 2010
“One of the Refuge’s most important issues is restoring the degraded wildlife habitat conditions caused by feral horse and burro populations. Managing the Refuge’s feral horse and burro populations has been required to limit damage to wildlife habitat. In the final plan we propose to restore native habitats and species and lower long-term operating costs by removing all feral horses and burros from the Refuge within five years.”
“We had 401 individually different comments in support of the horses which were analyzed and incorporated into the Comprehensive Conservation Plan. We had 1,308 comments of support which were identical, all the same content-wise. We counted those comments, because they were identical, as one of the 401.” In a subsequent interview, Kasbohm retracted this statement.
“We don’t hate horses. Do we really want the image that we’re cruel and heartless to horses? Fish and Wildlife does not want to have the reputation of being inhumane, but no, we don’t want horses on the Refuge.”
-- John Kasbohm, Project Leader
Sheldon-Hart Mountain
National Wildlife Refuge Complex
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