Uh-oh

When I went out this morning to pick up the paper, I smelled smoke on the early morning air. Didn’t smell like a neighbor firing up a fireplace. Much sharper, more acrid smell. Has our burning time come at last to some wilderness somewhere?
Uh-Oh, Part II
Here’s the amended agenda item that’ll be before the BOS this morning sometime before the noon recess (to be carried over after lunch, if necessary, maybe.) See if you can spot the ginormous broken “Process Promise” (found repeatedly in the glossy brochures on the project that the County churned out  prior to the Survey "vote.") that will happen today. And get ready for the old bait and switches to be found in the Rates & Charges scheme and/or in a 218 protest hearing “vote.” The spin and 'splaining on that one will be worth watching. 

And as for the additional $750,000?  Ah, don't worry about it.  The Prop 218  $25,000 per-property "assessment" the residents voted for was merely a "suggested" amount.  Millions more can be added on to this project in a variety of creative ways.  But it isn't a "tax."  It's not even an "assessment."  It's a Rate and a Charge, see?

--Ratify Letter of Intent to Meet Conditions from USDA for the $87 million in funding then Direct staff to:
--Prepare a Rates and Charges Ordinance for subsequent introduction
--Cancel design-build contracting process for the collection system
--Request proposals for professional engineering services for the collection system design from the short listed collection system design teams.
--Prepare quarterly project and budget updates for presentation on the same date as the quarterly County budget reports
--Consider a Resolution of Intention to proceed with the construction and operation of a wastewater collection, treatment and disposal system for Wastewater Assessment District No. 1.
--Approve a budget adjustment by 4/5 vote in the amount of $750,000 from the Road’s Fund to the Los Osos Sewer Project
--Accept project update from County staff.