Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/508353
ByAndreByik abyik@redbluffdailynews.com @andrebyik on Twitter RED BLUFF The City Council on Tuesday moved forward with a plan to pave the unconnected stretch of Givens Road between Peach Street and Kirsten Court, south of Luther Road. Council members unanimously voted to award a $137,240 con- struction contract to Trinity River Construction, Inc. for the Givens Road Paving and Drainage Im- provement Project. The project, Public Works Di- rector Bruce Henz said, "Would fill in a fairly short piece of dirt in the Givens Road right-of-way, but it also provides" drainage im- provements to the area. Construction costs will be drawn from the city's Street Im- provement Fund and Develop- ment Impact Fee Funds for Drain- age Improvements and will not af- fect the city's general fund. RED BLUFF GivensRoad paving project moves forward By Julie Zeeb jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com @DN_Zeeb on Twitter The Tehama County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution of intent Tuesday to create a wa- ter efficient landscape ordinance. "We'll be drafting a Tehama County ordinance so that it meets the state standards, but also fits the Tehama County culture," said Planning Director Sean Moore. "This would be for current new developments in commercial, res- idential and industrial categories, not anything in the past." The ordinance will be new, but has long been in the works, Moore said. "This has been in the making since 2006 when the state passed new landscaping guidelines," Moore said. "This was brought to Tehama County in January 2010 to seek direction regarding the state guidelines and given the drought it is very timely." While this will take care of state regulations, it will also hopefully give the county more DROUGHT Supervisors considering water efficient landscape law By Andre Byik abyik@redbluffdailynews.com @andrebyik on Twitter RED BLUFF After voters here ap- proved a quarter-percent sales tax increase last November, the City Council on Tuesday adopted a 2015-2016 budget that includes funds for additional police of- ficers, a firefighter and a parks worker. The budget takes into account the estimated $700,000 in reve- nue that the sales tax increase, which raised the city's sales tax rate from 7.5 percent to 7.75 per- cent on April 1, will bring in per year. Voters also approved a non- binding advisory measure that asked whether the added revenue to the city's general fund should largely be spent on police and fire services. The budget includes funds for two additional police officers, an additional dispatcher, police de- partment renovations, an addi- tional firefighter and parks main- tenance worker, among other ad- ditions made possible by the added sales tax revenue. "Had we not gotten that $700,000, we would have been looking at layoffs," Councilman Rob Schmid said. The draft budget recom- mended to the City Council in- cluded $20.48 million in total city expenditures, including about $8.89 million in general fund ex- penditures. Increases to the police de- partment budget totaled about $493,000, according to the draft budget. Fire department increases totaled about $213,000, and parks and recreation increases totaled about $77,500. The city estimated that it would end its fiscal year with a general fund balance of about $573,000. Schmid said that balance falls below the recommended $1.48 million by the Government Fi- nance Officers Association, but that it would have been even worse without the quarter-per- cent sales tax increase. The budget also includes in- RED BLUFF Counciladopts2015-16budget Additionalpoliceandfirepersonnelincluded By Julie Zeeb jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com @DN_Zeeb on Twitter PAYNES CREEK With another year of drought conditions, it is important to be prepared and that is what Cal Fire set about doing for its hand crews this week during a four-day train- ing exercise, the 30th annual Ishi Preparedness Excercise. The largest Conservation Camp Preparedness Exercise in California, hosted by the Ishi Conservation Camp, had 11 Northern California camps represented with about 47 crews in attendance to not only further training but un- dergo evaluation of their read- iness for the fire season, said Jim DiDio, a public informa- tion officer. "It's been a really, really dry year," DiDio said. "There's been no runoff and things are dry- ing out quicker. They thought last year was bad with only 25 percent of the snow-pack. When they measured about a month ago it was recorded at the lowest yet with an average of 6 percent." The best thing the people of Tehama County can do to be prepared is to have about 100 feet of defensible space and no taller than four-inch high veg- etation around a house. At the exercise, crews were asked to show proficiency on a pass or fail basis in four cate- gories including tooling up, fire shelter deployment, a timed hike and fire line construction. The swamper, who is sec- ond in command of the crew, is first out of the vehicle. The crew has about two minutes or less to get out of the bus, grab their tool and assemble from the time his boot hits the ground, whether it is a crew of 12 or 17, said Cal Fire Capt. Sta- cer Hartshorn, of the Tehama- Glenn Unit. The swamper is the one who helps relay mes- sages to the crew, does basic bleeding control and helps with accountability of making sure the entire crew is on-site and safe when they practice de- CAL FIRE DRILLS HELD FOR SEASON'S FIRE CREWS CalFireproctorsinspectahandcrewfromSugarPine Conservation Camp Wednesday at the 2015Ishi Preparedness Drill. The crew was practicing a response to a simulated air tanker drop. Community.....A3 Lifestyles........A4 A&E..................A5 Obituaries....... A7 Opinion............A6 Sports.............. B1 INDEX The Classic Film Series will present "Sleepless in Seattle" at 4p.m. Sunday. Box office will open at 3:15p.m. PAGEA5 A & E CelebrateMother'sDay at the State Theatre TaxAide prepared 789tax forms and refunds coming back to Tehama County were around $480,000. PAGE A3 COMMUNITY Tax volunteers serve more than 1,000 people Baltimore's mayor was em- phatic last week: She did not want federal oversight of her police department. PAGE B5 BALTIMORE Mayor seeks civil-rights probe of police A video search engine would allow people to see, read and share what legislators are do- ing in the Capitol. PAGE B4 DIGITAL DEMOCRACY Government meetings digital tool unveiled A hand crew from Sugar Pine Conservation camp gets out of the bus Wednesday during a tool check period at the 2015 Cal Fire Ishi Preparedness Drill. Crews have two minutes or less to get out, grab their tool and line up before they are inspected. PHOTOS BY JULIE ZEEB — DAILY NEWS BUDGET PAGE 7 LANDSCAPE PAGE 7 GIVENS PAGE 7 DRILLS PAGE 7 » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, May 7, 2015 50CENTS AN EDITION OF THE CHICO ENTERPRISE-RECORD 7 58551 69001 9 Volume130,issue120 Good morning, thanks for subscribing Jill Angliss GARDEN Native, drought tolerant plant sale Lifestyles A4 CONCERT SERIES Renowned tenor to hit stage Saturday A & E A5 FORECAST High: 79 Low: 57 A8 LiketheDailyNews on Facebook and stay in the loop on local news, sports and more. 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