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WEEKEND JULY 23-24, 2011 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com Bill Gates See Inside USA Weekend RED BLUFF Rolling Rapids Sports 1B Sunny 99/67 Weather forecast 8B By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer While most municipal and county codes include a transient occupancy ordinance (TOT), how it is applied often depends on how it is interpreted. The interpretation of the ordinance is made more diffi- cult when it does not specifical- ly list the areas to which it applies, as in the case of the Red Bluff TOT ordinance that does not cite “recreational vehi- cle parks” and “campgrounds” by name. Red Bluff officials including DAILYNEWS TEHAMACOUNTY DAILY 50¢ T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Interpretations differ with ordinance lexicon City Manager Martin Nichols and attorney Richard Crabtree stand behind their interpretation that the city’s ordinance, as written, includes RV parks and campgrounds. The City Council voted Tuesday to table its decision to amend the city’s transient occu- pancy tax ordinance, seeking a second opinion on whether the proposed amendment would expand the existing tax base. Other government officials with similar ordinances have their own interpretations. Ordinances in Tehama Coun- ty, Chico and Glenn County are similar to Red Bluff’s. They all do not specifically list RV parks or campgrounds. In Tehama County, the rule does not apply to RV Parks and campgrounds because neither are listed, said Michelle Stan- nard, assistant Tehama County treasurer-tax collector. The ordinance was written in the late 60s or 80s and is really old and outdated, she said. Staff in the treasurer-tax collector department has in the past approached county counsel about possibly updating the ordinance to include RV parks and campgrounds, but until it does, the county does not col- lect TOT from those businesses. The county has not had the same urgency in updating the ordinance as Red Bluff because there are very few RV parks outside of city limits that would fall into county jurisdiction. “I can’t think of any RV parks that we collect from or can collect from,” Stannard said. Dana Hollmer, Tehama County treasurer-tax collector, said any plans to update the Passing the pledge ordinance, at this point, is only between her department staff and county counsel. No imme- diate plans for an update have been developed, as both depart- ments are dealing with other priorities. “We would work with coun- ty counsel on any proposed expansion of the tax base and it may require a vote of the peo- ple,” Hollmer said. In Chico, it’s own ordinance has been interpreted as not being applicable to RV parks and campgrounds. See TOT, page 7A Found dead couple had Oxycodone in system By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Toxicology reports for a man and woman found dead June 20 inside a Rio Vista Mobile Estates home revealed lethal doses of Oxycodone in both persons. Although the report from a pathologist has not yet been released formally, the results indicated the man, James Brad- ford Barker, 60, died from a fatal dose of Oxycodone, said Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston. The woman, Rena Detto, 63, whose cause of death was ruled as strangulation, also had a lethal dose of Oxycodone in her system, Johnston said. It is unclear what exactly happened in that mobile home, Johnston said. Barker, the woman’s caregiver, could have given Detto the pills, but it isn’t certain how it happened, he said. Both Barker and Detto had prescription Oxycodone in the home, he said. The two people were found dead inside the mobile home on Casa Grande Drive after neighbors asked deputies to check in on them. The caller had told deputies that nobody had been pick- ing up the mail, the air conditioner had been running 24 hours a day and no one had been seen for almost a week, sheriff’s logs said. Courtesy photo Julie Buer’s class has taken the pledge to complete the Red Bluff Trails United walk and bike- way project. Special to the DN Red Bluff Trails United has passed the baton to a new genera- tion. Julie Buer’s fourth grade class has taken the pledge to see that the trails project is completed, when they grow up. T-shirts were provid- ed to serve as a reminder of that pledge. A total of 8.5 miles of paved sur- face is still needed to complete the Red Bluff Trails United project, which started in l997 with the dream of connecting all city parks, grade schools, William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park, Tehama campus of Shasta College, Red Bluff and Mercy high schools, the Red Bluff Recreation Area and his- toric downtown Red Bluff, provid- ing a safe route to move on foot or bicycle to all of these places. The project is vital in terms of economic development, healthy recreation, child safety, traffic con- gestion and tourism. The Red Bluff Trails United organization, which had been made up of residents, community leaders, local business people and area edu- cators, has now dissolved. The plan for the proposed bikeway is still there, and there is a need for safe passage and a place to accommo- date the growing number of cyclists, runners and walkers who visit the area. The Sacramento River Discovery Center will be working on creating a new trailhead kiosk for the River Park area to promote existing trails. This kiosk will include the Shasta College Tehama Campus portion of the trail that is nearing completion The Discovery Center's Thurs- day Evening Program meeting on Oct. 20 will discuss ideas on how to complete the last few sections of the system. The completed system would go a long way to help the local economy by attracting both tourists and potential home buyers interested in a healthy lifestyle and promote “green” industry. Those with ideas of how to make this happen can call the center at 527-1196 or send an e-mail to Car- lene Cramer at ccramer@tehama.k12.ca.us or Bobie Hughes at bhughe1@tehama.k12.ca.us. The center is at 1000 Sale Lane within the Mendocino National Forest’s Red Bluff Recreation Area and is open to the public 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. The state of decomposition showed that Barker and Detto had been dead for some time, a press release said. Criminalist’s from the California Department of Justice Crime Lab in Redding and Chico helped with the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office investigation, a release said. Autop- sies were performed in Yolo County. Man leaves Shasta jail, arrested in Red Bluff By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer A 47-year-old transient man was arrested in Red Bluff for stealing beer the same day he was released from the Shasta County Jail on alleged assault charges. Garland Spencer, 47, was arrested at the Greyhound bus depot in Redding on Wednesday for the stabbing of Brenda Wilson, 50, of Redding, said Redding police officer Kevin Kimple. Wilson had been taken by ambulance to Shasta Regional Medical Center for a 3-inch laceration to her cheek and jaw at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday after witnesses told police she and the suspect had argued at Library Park in downtown Redding, Kimple said. See MAN, page 7A Fairboard raises rates as state funding dries By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer The Tehama District Fairboard approved a series of policy and finance com- mittee recommendations including raising rental fees and the price of beer kegs sold on the grounds. The list of recommenda- tions was adopted in response to the state budget cuts, which included the elimination of all fair fund- ing, said Fair CEO Mark Eidman. For the Tehama District Fair that equals a 25 percent loss, equivalent to a $200,000 cut, he said. Building rentals, which have not increased since 2008, will be raised 10 per- cent across the board, not including stalls and RVs, for a gain of $33,000 in revenue. Beer keg prices, not raised since 2003, will go up from $60 to $75 for a pro- jected $2,000 gain. The fairboard approved offering an annual sponsor- ship for $2,000 that will be offered to 10 businesses whose names will be dis- played in a prominent loca- tion on the fairground for the year, Eidman said. That could bring an additional $20,000 in revenue. A reduction in temporary employee hours will add an increase of $5,000 and while dropping Western Fairs Association and Internation- al Association of Fairs and Expositions dues will add $3,000. Dropping the workmans compensation on the county work release program will add $10,000 to the budget. 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 See RATES, page 7A Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Miss Tehama County Coordinator Sonja Akers introduces Golden State Ambassadress Kerry DeFonte, Miss Tehama County 2011 Linda Jo Bennett,Teen Miss Tehama County 2011 Oceana Midgett and Miss Tehama County 2011 candidates Lacie James, Lexi Dubi, Lindsey Hubbel, Marly Adams and Francessca Aguilar Tuesday to the Tehama District Fairboard.