County Contract No. Department Clerk of the Board TRINITY COUNTY 2.11 Board Item Request Form 2017-03-07 Contact Margaret Long Phone 623-1382 Requested Agenda Location Consent Requested Board Action: Pursuant to County Fee Waiver Policy find that the Los Angeles Times project on the impacts of dramatic change in land use and growth of marijuana cultivation in counties across Northern California, provides a benefit to the public and is not for the purpose of fund raising, and approve the Los Angeles Times application for waiver of County fees, waiving Assessor fees in the amount of 500? Fiscal Impact: Potential loss of revenue to the General Fund in the amount of 500. Motion: Second Roll Call: Ayes: Nays: Tabled To: Action: Notes:
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF REPORT Subject: Los Angeles Times Fee Waiver Application Date: March 7, 2017 ISSUE: Should the Board pursuant to County Fee Waiver Policy find that the Los Angeles Times project on the impacts of dramatic change in land use and growth of marijuana cultivation in counties across Northern California, provides a benefit to the public and is not for the purpose of fund raising, and approve the Los Angeles Times application for waiver of County fees, waiving Assessor fees in the amount of 500? ALTERNATIVES INCLUDING FINANCIAL IMPLICATION: 1. Approve the fee waiver and the Assessor s Department would recognize a revenue loss of 500. 2. Do not approve the fee waiver, the Los Angeles Times would be responsible for paying the Assessor s fee to obtain a copy of the Trinity County secured property roll, potentially delaying or stopping the project. RECOMMENDATION: Staff has no recommendation. Margaret Long Margaret Long, County Counsel
Naomi Goulette From: Sent: To: Subject: Attachments: St. John, Paige <paige.stjohn@latimes.com> Wednesday, February 22, 2017 3:24 PM clerkoftheboard fee waiver request fee.pdf; ATT00001.txt Greetings, This is my request for a waiver of county fees to obtain a copy of the current secured roll from the Trinity County assessor. Please let me know if you need more information. I'm happy to explain my project to anyone who desires more information. Without the fee waiver I cannot continue the work. Best regards, Paige St John Los Angeles Times 1
APPLICATION FOR WAIVER OF COUNTY FEES Pursuant to County Fee Waiver Policy TRINITY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS PO 80X1613 WEAVERVILLE, OA 96093 (530) 623-1217 1. Eligible entities shall include public entities and private non-profit entities that meet the criteria listed in Section 2. 2. Approval of a fee waiver for an eligible applicant shall be contingent upon a finding of the following criteria: A) The applicant's financial resources are such that, without waiver of fees, the project would not go forward. We are a newspaper struggling with limited financial resources in the newsroom, and I have a limited budget for public records. More, this project involves the need to secure similar records from multiple counties, requiring that I seek the assistance of public record holders in all such as yourself. Siskiyou County has already provided such assistance. B) The proposed project contemplated under the fee waiver request would provide a benefit to the public. I am working on a large project documenting the social, economic and environmental impacts of land ownership changes in northern California, primarily due to marijuana cultivation. This reporting is important to educate readers, serve our role in contributing to an informed democracy, and to inform policymakers at large. C) The proposed project contemplated under the fee waiver request is not for the purpose of fund raising. I seek one-time access to these records for purpose of research and to map and correlate change, and have no intent to publish the raw data. There is no intent for commercial use of the records. 3. Fees shall not be waived on completed projects. L Page 1 of 3 2015-030
4. If a private, non-profit corporation, please demonstrate that your agency provides significant public services to Trinity County residents in a manner that does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, handicap, color, creed, religion or national origin. The Los Angeles Times is owned by a large publicly owned media corporation, but the newspaper is dedicated to serving readers throughout California including Trinity County, and provides free access to a monthly base number of articles on Its website. Important public policy reports are made available to readers for free above and beyond those limits. 5. All applications for fee waivers shall be made in writing, signing by a duly authorized officer or individual representing the Entity, to the Trinity County Board of Supervisors 14 days in advance of submitting the application or permit by the appropriated County Department. A) Name, Address and Phone Number of Applicant: Paige St John Name 4832 Pilot View Dr, Pilot Hill, CA 95664 Mailing Address 213.327.5779 Phone B) County Department Processing Application or Permit Requiring Fee; and Assessor C) Amount of Fee broken down by County Department Department Assessor ^ 500 Fee Page 2 of 3 2015^B0
D) Description of project for which fee is charged: For a public service project on the impacts of dramatic change in land use and growth of marijuana cultivation in counties across northern California, I seek a copy of the Trinity County secured property roll maintained by the assessor's office. The secured roll is identified in Chapter 2.64.050 as provided by the assessor at a cost of 500, beyond the means of the newspaper to pay. Without a fee waiver this reporting project would be limited to anecdotal observation, nor would it permit observation of larger regional trends within Trinity County. Hgnature of Applicant 2/22/2017 Date Reporter 'rm Page 3 of 3 201S030