RE: CAO
Alturas Supportive of Joint-Job Sharing
Still to Work Out Details with County

As the date quickly approaches for Chester Robertson to take over as chief administrative officer of Modoc County, the City of Alturas is scrambling to come up with an agreement that will also retain him as its public works and planning director.

Still to be worked out is a contract in which Robertson will hold both county and city positions on a part time or job-sharing basis, with the county providing planning staff for the city.

With a deadline of June 2, the day Robertson takes over as the county’s top administrator, replacing Rick Rudometkin who will go back to being full time director of public works, there is a majority consensus of the city council favoring Robertson's dual role.

But council members have not officially acted on the job-sharing proposal saying they were never formally presented with the innovative plan until May 23.

What’s at issue is a creative move by the cash-strapped Modoc County Board of Supervisors where the two governmental agencies can combine administrative services with the prospect of saving an undetermined amount of expense.

Alturas Mayor John Dederick is working to draft an agreement by June 2, which will apportion Robertson’s duties, compensation and benefit package, to mesh with his employment agreement with the county.

“The council is going to try to come to an agreement with the county by June 2. The city has to draft an agreement with Chester and with the county which it has not yet done,” Dederick explained.

“My concerns and some of the other council members are that we haven’t been in the loop and didn’t know how it was going to work,” he said.

However, Supervisor Geri Byrne, who has been instrumental in the job-sharing concept when it was first discussed months ago, told the Modoc County Daily News that Robertson in fact had informally notified the city council that he intended to apply for the CAO position.

“He said he had individual approval and couldn’t do anything with the city until he had an agreement with the county,” Byrne said. “We had an application and interviewee in hand. Supervisor Dave Allan and I met with Mayor Dederick at his home and had a lengthy conversation with him about Chester.”

Aside from Dederick’s contention that he was not involved in the initial discussions over the county’s joint-job proposal, the Alturas mayor appears to favor the plan as long as the city doesn’t lose any services.

“It’s the council’s responsibly to make sure city services don’t suffer,” Dederick said. “That’s the bottom line.”

He said council members Keith Jacques, and Cheryl Nelson will meet with Robertson and Modoc County Planning Director Kim Hunter May 30, to discuss how shared planning services between the county and city will work.

While various California cities are looking at meeting stripped-down budgets by contracting such services as police and fire protection to counties, sharing administrative and planning services with the city is unique -- if not rare in the state.

A spokeswoman for the California State Association of counties said they were not aware of any similar plan being considered by any county.

-- Barbara March

Horses Threatened by Equine Herpes Virus
Junior Livestock Horse Show Canceled

Eighteen confirmed cases of equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM) have been identified in 12 California counties according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Dr. Ryan DePaul of Modoc Veterinary Center considers the disease a threat to horses in Modoc County.
   
“Yes, there are horses in Modoc that have been exposed to the equine herpes virus,” Dr. DePaul told the Modoc County Daily News. “They traveled to events outside the county and were exposed to other horses that carry the virus. I’m advising horse owners not to move their animals for the next month until we know whether or not the disease has run its course.”
   
EHM is a neurologic disease associated with equine herpesvirus infections. It is highly contagious, and often deadly.
   
Reacting to the threat, the Modoc County Junior Livestock Show board of directors has canceled the annual horse show, held in conjunction with the Livestock Show, June 14 - 17. The horse show was scheduled for June 13. The board announced Wednesday evening, May 25 that it will consider re-scheduling the horse show at a later date this summer.
   
“I’m frustrated with the whole situation,” said Laurie Nelson,4-H program representative. Nelson believes the tentative nature of the board’s decision will leave people up in the air about the ongoing safety to local equines. “I wanted them to give us a clear yes or no,” Nelson said.
   
Neurological symptoms of EHM appear as a result of damage to blood vessels in the brain and spinal cord. Interference with blood supply leads to tissue damage and subsequent loss in normal function of areas in the brain and spinal cord.
   
As of May 25 there are positive confirmed cases of EHM in these twelve California counties: Amador (1), Glenn (2), Kern (2), Los Angeles (1), Marin (1), Napa (1), Placer (3), Plumas (1), Sacramento (1), Shasta (1), Stanislaus (3) and Ventura(1).
   
Sixteen of the confirmed positive EHM cases participated in the National Cutting Horse Association’s Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah. Two of the confirmed cases participated only in the Kern County Cutting Horse Event on May 13 in Bakersfield.
   
One confirmed positive EHM horse was euthanized after showing severe neurological signs associated with EHM. All positive confirmed EHM cases are under a state quarantine.
   
For more detailed information visit: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/animal_health/equine_herpes_virus.html

Editor’s Note:

Dear Readers,

In case you have missed us, we want you to know we have not forsaken you nor have we ceased to investigate Modoc County issues of concern -- especially stories dealing with the misappropriation of treasury funds and all its related ramifications. We have been detoured recently with a computer breakdown and a few other distractions but hope to be back in business soon.

Thanks,

Ray and Barbara March