The following is a letter to the editor submitted by Mendocino County District 3 Supervisor John Haschak, published here as a column, in which he updates his constituents. We encourage the other supervisors to submit letters — we will happily publish them. You can see Haschak’s previous letters to his constituents here. The opinions expressed in this letter are the author’s, not those of The Mendocino Voice.
Frontier Days is coming soon. This is a cherished tradition in the community. Preservation of the history of our County is the role of the County Museum. We are fortunate to have the Museum, Roots of Motive Power, and other historical societies in Mendocino County. Connecting the past to the present and into the future benefits all of us in many ways. The Museum will be open on July 4 and on July 1st there will be lots of interesting and entertaining activities at the Museum as part of the E. Commercial St. Art Walk.
The County budget is balanced. That is the good news. The bad news is that about $7 million of one time only monies have been used to balance it. This is not good when the ongoing costs have been rising due to inflation while the revenue has been down or flat. Proposals to increase revenues (collect all property taxes, short term rental taxes, increase Transient Occupancy Taxes, etc.) as well as cutting costs (decreasing existing contracts with outside consultants, reducing health care costs, eliminating positions) are on the table.
Cannabis revenues are coming in higher than expected. Some of the changes we have made are benefitting the County and cultivators. The County continues to work well with the State in creating a workable program and pathways to annual licensure.
After being inundated with rain and snow this winter, summer is right around the corner. I am waiting for County Counsel to bring forth the water hauling and extraction for commercial purposes draft ordinance. This will go to the Planning Commission for review. Another item is riparian protections. The County has the capacity to generate maps with areas of rivers, creeks, and streams and wetlands. What has been missing is guidance of appropriate setbacks from waterways. Even though we have water in abundance right now, we have to be prepared for the next drought.
My monthly table talk is on Thursday, June 8, at 10:00 at the Brickhouse Coffee in Willits. Please reach out to me at [email protected] or 707-972-4214.
John
