Volume XXXVI No. 15 • 4 August, 2016
www.ourvalleyvoice.com
Santa Fe Aggregates Hits a Road Block in Mining Expansion Catherine Doe What was expected to be a routine vote to amend a mining permit on the border of Woodlake and Lemon Cove turned into heated public hearing at the June 22 Tulare County Planning Commission meeting. The commission voted 5-4 not to approve the modification of the Kaweah River Rock mining permit. The commission voted to continue the public hearing 30 days, to the July 27 meeting. The mine is currently owned and operated by Santa Fe Aggregates. Chuck Przybylski, Project Planner for Tulare County Resource Management Agency (RMA) made the presentation to the commission. He said that Santa Fe Aggregates was asking for a minor modification of their permit in order to mine 20 acres currently used to store heavy equipment and gravel. The 20 acres are contiguous with the current mine and included in the reclamation plan. The parcel is scheduled to be returned to irrigated pasture during the reclamation process. The company’s motivation for add-
ing the acreage was to extend the life of the mine. Doug Reynolds, general manager of Santa Fe Aggregates, said that they could mine for three to five more years if the modification was approved. Mike Washam, Tulare County Economic Development Manager, said that these minor modifications are normally signed off by the director of RMA, but a notice was sent out as courtesy because mines are controversial. Washam said that RMA wants to “provide the most transparency as possible toward the public.” During public comment, some of the planning commissioners and RMA staff were demonstrably frustrated that the speakers brought up all the old problems at the Stillwell and Lemon Cove Facility, both operated by CEMEX. The county reminded the speakers, who live close to the mine, that they are completely separate permits and companies. The residents explained that, separate or not, the county is in charge of monitoring all mines and ensuring that companies adhere to its permits. Also, Santa Fe Aggregates borders the Lemon
The Santa Fe Aggregates mining operation, southeast of Woodlake. Catherine Doe/Valley Voice
Cove Facility, and even though it might be a different permit number, the company will be digging in the same underground aquifer. Karen Callahan, whose orange grove
borders CEMEX’ Lemon Cove Facility and is kitty corner to Santa Fe Aggregates, reminded the planning commission that CEMEX violated their permit
MINING continued on 4 »
Visalia City Council Gives Final Approval for Sales Tax Measure
A cross-section of young community members spoke at the last Tulare Local Healthcare District meeting in support of Measure I, the upcoming Tulare bond measure that would pay to complete the ailing Tower One project. Tony Maldonado/Valley Voice
TRMC Begins to Cement Oversight at Latest Meeting Tony Maldonado The Tulare Local Healthcare District (TLHCD) has opened applications for community members who wish to join a new Bond Oversight Committee for the potential Measure I bond. The district also attempted to assuage any doubt among voters by formalizing potential bond oversight and spending measures.
Measure I Supporters Speak
A group of Measure I supporters spoke during the public comment section of the meeting to praise the board and urge the public to vote in favor of Measure I. One couple spoke of their young child’s heart surgery and their desire to have a fully modern hospital in Tulare,
so that their child’s follow-up operations could be in town, instead of San Francisco. “My name is Carlos, this is my wife, we’re just going to share a brief story with you that we recently went through. We recently had a serious matter with our new born child, she recently required open heart surgery. My wife had a history of high risk pregnancies, so we were not able to be seen here in Tulare or Visalia, they actually sent us to Fresno, just for ultrasounds,” Carlos said. “We went to UCSF, it was a newer hospital, it was less than 6 months old, it was very nice, we were fortunate to be there.. but we were displaced from our family for over eight months.”
MEETING continued on 11 »
The Visalia City Council at its August 1 meeting gave final approval to put a half-cent sales tax measure on the November ballot. The vote was 5-0. The increased revenue will be earmarked for public safety and a small percent will go to youth services and parks. Because it is a General Revenue Measure, the spending plan can change through the years but only after a lengthy and public process. The measure needs to pass by a simple majority. The city council has been researching the possibility of such a ballot measure for two years because sales tax revenue has stagnated, and may actually go down. The goal of the sales tax is to maintain the current level of city services that have actually increased in cost. Eric Frost, Deputy City Manager, gave the final presentation and reviewed what the council had already agreed upon in principal. The sales tax would have to be reviewed by the council every eight years. To suspend the sales tax the city council would need a four fifths vote. Voters could also suspend the sales tax through a referendum. The council also agreed on many strict accountability measures. The increase in revenue cannot be used to pay off the city’s debt and must undergo annual independent audits. A specific spending plan must be in place and recertified every year by an oversight board, two public hearings and a vote by the city council. The oversight board will consist of 11 members who are involved in the community. Fewer than usual people spoke during the comment period because the
Catherine Doe city council had already addressed citizens’ concerns during previous public hearings. Harold Meyers, a member of the Ballot Measure Advisory Committee, wanted the voter pamphlet to be clear that this measure does not have the same restrictions as Measure T. That measure is a public safety fund whose spending plan cannot be changed. The measure facing voters in November can change with future city councils. Jerrold Jensen, also on the committee, thought that backlash from Kaweah Delta’s failed Measure H would imperil this measure but still felt it would pass. “Visalia is still a bargain,” he said. “Dinuba, Porterville and Tulare have a six or seven percent utility tax on top of a high sales tax.” Jensen did prefer the flexibility that a 50% plus one ballot measure gives to future council members. Councilmember Bob Link gave an example of exactly why the council needs flexibility in its spending plan. He pointed out that ten years ago, when Measure T passed, body cameras for police were relatively new. Now they are almost mandatory equipment for police but because of the restrictions Measure T is not allowed to pay for them. Councilmember Greg Collins said that the yearly public surveys have proven why the council needs flexibility. Ten years ago the priority of the residents of Visalia was gangs and growth. Now citizens’ priorities are homeless, safety and parks. Collins said that he has been supportive from day one of the sales tax measure.
TAX continued on 10 »