News From The Fifth District - July 2019
Dear Friends,
Summer is in full swing, as is the new 2019-2020 Fiscal Year.
In mid-June, after a week of deliberation, my colleagues and I adopted a $1.78 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2019-2020. Our deliberations were thoughtful and thorough, but the task was difficult. The Board was faced with prioritizing and aligning requests to revenues in order to adopt a structurally balanced budget in the face of recent natural disasters, increasing expenditures, and declining revenue sources. This year’s budget presented a $14 million gap between available ongoing revenues and departmental requests for ongoing funding.
The budget book and supplemental materials are difficult documents for our staff to produce, and also time-consuming to read. As your elected representative, it’s critical for me to thoroughly review and absorb these documents. The nitty-gritty details provide the foundation for critical decisions on funding issues. The Board heard extensive public comments about the cuts to mental health that were proposed, and we found a path to providing gap funding through diligent research on available funding sources.
The Board of Supervisors was faced with saving much-needed behavioral and mental health services; addressing crumbling, aged infrastructure; paying down our pension liabilities; and ensuring the County is in a fiscally safe spot so that our local government can successfully maneuver the economic downturn that many economists fear is coming.
The adopted 2019-2010 Fiscal Year Budget includes:
I am extremely grateful for the support, in letters, emails, public comments and more, from Fifth District constituents before and during budget hearings. Public engagement drives action and change; the more involved our pocket of Sonoma County can be, the more we can effect change in the Fifth District. Thank you to everyone who participated in the budgeting process. We would not be where we are without every voice that chimed in.
Cheers,
Lynda
Upcoming Events
Fireworks BANNED in Unincorporated Sonoma County
No fireworks allowed!
As Independence Day approaches, the County of Sonoma Fire Prevention division would like to remind residents and visitors that all fireworks are illegal in unincorporated Sonoma County.
“Our dry summer landscape creates a greater potential for fires caused by fireworks,” said Sonoma County Fire Marshal, Chief James Williams. “We encourage people to go see fireworks at events put on by professionals so you can have fun without putting others at risk.”
Every year, people are seriously injured, property is damaged, and the risk of fires increases due to the illegal use of fireworks. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), fireworks start an average of 18,500 fires per year, including 1,300 structure fires, 300 vehicle fires, and nearly 17,000 other fires. Additionally, in 2017, U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated an estimated 12,900 people for fireworks related injuries.
If you are in an area that allows fireworks, please follow CAL FIRE’s guidelines to help prevent wildfires caused from fireworks by taking the following actions:
For more information on the County of Sonoma’s Fire Prevention work, please visit Permit Sonoma's website.
Local calendars, as of June 20, 2019, list the following public firework events in Sonoma County:
Wednesday, July 3rd
Thursday, July 4th
Friday, July 5th
Russian River TMDL: Next steps
The public comment period on the proposed Russian River TMDL has closed. The TMDL, or Total Maximum Daily Load, is a new health standard proposed by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, that aims to limit the amount of E. coli and other bacteria in the Russian River.
To control the TMDL, the Regional Water Board has the authority to require homeowners within the affected area update their septic systems, if they are not functioning at acceptable standards. Homeowners who are operating on cesspools or unidentified onsite wastewater treatment systems, or OWTS, may need to update their systems in order to comply with the new environmental standards.
Does this mean you need to update your septic system now? Not yet. After the Regional Board takes up and approves the TMDL is August, there remains a lengthy process, which will include approval by the State Water Quality Control Board. The TMDL will like go into effect no sooner than Spring 2020, and will begin with a mailed survey to properties within 200 feet of the main stem Russian River and tributaries. Individual property owners who need an upgrade will have up to 15 years to comply, unless they choose to expand their home's footprint, add additional bedrooms, or have a system that fails. Communities that demonstrate an action plan to address community-wide need will have up to 20 years to implement their system.
