CALIFORNIA

• The Yuba City metropolitan area in California is once again on the Forbes magazine “Best Small Places” listing. The area, which includes YUBA and SUTTER counties, ranked tenth nationwide and first in California.
  John Fleming, economic development coordinator for Yuba County noted that the county’s marketing efforts are starting to pay off.
  “We’re definitely being perceived more as a business-friendly area now,” Fleming said in published reports.
  The area rose from 27th to 10th among 95 areas rated, and the magazine noted this movement as one of the most significant improvements evaluated by the publication.
  
  
• On May 15, supervisors in CONTRA COSTA COUNTY voted to oppose any additional local power plant proposals for their county.
  “Enough is enough,” said Supervisor Donna Gerber in the Contra Costa Times. “Given the load we absorb of heavy industry and its emissions, we shouldn’t be looking for additional plants.”
  Earlier in the year, the board had initiated a county search for power plant sites. However, after county planners reported that Contra Costa ranks second in the state for most new power generators under construction or on the planning boards, the supervisors decided to put a halt to it.
  “We are doing more than our fair share of meeting the state’s energy crisis,” said Supervisor John Gioia in a published article. “I think it’s an environmental justice issue too. Some areas in our county already have more than their fair share of oil, chemical and power plants.”
  One proposed, and two approved power plants will take care of about 19 percent of California’s projected energy shortfall.
  
  
• The SAN DIEGO COUNTY Board of Supervisors is going commercial. Well, the county’s Web site might be anyway. On May 15, Supervisors Ron Roberts and Greg Cox proposed a study of how practical it would be to run advertisements on the county’s Web site. The report is due back to the board in 60 days. According to the proposal, monies raised from the site would go to the nonprofit Child Abuse Prevention Foundation.
  To make sure offensive advertising does not appear on the site, Roberts and Cox propose the county use the same standards the transit board does when choosing advertising for buses and bus stops.
  It is anticipated that the site could raise $1 million in advertising revenue.
  
  
• The SACRAMENTO COUNTY Board of Supervisors is working with the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) to protect the last rural Chinatown in the United States.
  Under a plan proposed by SHRA, building owners in the town of Locke will have the option to finally acquire and own the land underneath their homes and businesses while at the same time ensuring the historical, cultural and architectural integrity of the town.
  Located about 30 miles from Sacramento, the town was built in 1915 by Chinese merchants and families, and for decades only Chinese lived in Locke. The town was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1970 and was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1990.
  The next step is for SHRA to conclude its original transaction to purchase the 10-acre site from the current owner for $250,000 by December 31. SHRA is also seeking approval to hire a property management firm and to form the Locke Advisory Committee to oversee the development of a nonprofit association to ensure the historic and cultural integrity of Locke.
  SHRA has been working with the residents of Locke, the county, representatives of the area’s Chinese-American community, historic preservation groups and state officials to preserve the small town since early 1999. SHRA is currently stabilizing 11 of the 50 wooden buildings in town that are near collapse.
  “Locke is an important part of the Sacramento Delta and California’s history and I’m pleased we’re able to move forward in protecting and preserving it for generations to come,” said County Supervisor Don Nottoli in a statement issued by his office.

FLORIDA

In what may be one of the final chapters of the Election 2000 saga, the PALM BEACH COUNTY commissioners voted unanimously on May 15 to begin negotiations for an ATM-like voting system to replace the punch card ballots that caused such an uproar in 2000. The county is opting for this $14 million touch-screen voting system over the less expensive optical scan system encouraged by state Legislature.
“I am fully prepared to ask the County Commission and the county administrator to find a way to fund the $14 million or $12 million or whatever,” said County Commissioner Burt Aaronson in published reports. “Let us be the first ones in the state to do this because we’re going to be the ones that are going to be looked at the most.”
County Election Supervisor Carol LePore hopes to have the new system purchased by the end of the year and fully functional for the 2002 gubernatorial race.

GEORGIA

The CLAYTON COUNTY Board of Commissioners recently approved a new retirement plan for county workers that could be of particular benefit for older and low-income county employees.
The new plan, which passed through the County Commission unanimously, will allow county employees with seven years on the job to leave with complete benefits at age 60, rather than 65. The plan will allow the 60-year-olds to draw maximum pension benefits based on years of service and remain on the county’s health plan.
Another change in the plan involves designating beneficiaries. According to published reports, the previous package required spouses be the beneficiaries. If the county worker died single, the benefits would automatically transfer to his or her estate and be distributed to whatever heirs might remain. Beginning June 1, retirees will be able to specify the persons whom they want to get the remainder of their benefits. Commissioners said this change would level the benefits between married and single employees.

ILLINOIS

Since 1997, neighbors of COOK COUNTY resident Adolph Stec figured the reclusive elderly man had abandoned his home. But, according to published reports, it wasn’t until May 15 that the developers who bought Stec’s home at a tax auction three years ago finally stepped inside to find a man’s body almost completely decomposed in his living room chair. A newspaper from 1997 was at his side.
Stec’s unpaid property taxes were assumed at an auction in 1998 after Stec had failed to pay them since 1996, and only recently had the property been turned over to the new owners. According to the Cook County treasurer’s office, the process of turning over property usually takes two to four years.
A spokesman for the treasurer’s office said in published reports that many buyers do not inspect their property before taking possession and it’s not the job of the treasurer’s department to go inside every home.
“More than 51,000 pieces of property go up for auction each year. So going into houses, per se, is not our business,” said spokesman Bob Benjamin. “It’s their job to respond. I don’t have to tell you that this was an unusual case.”
Although the body found in the house is believed to be that of Stec, it will take the Cook County medical examiner’s office a while to make the identification because so little remains.

MARYLAND

Don’t even think about getting your navel pierced if you live in BALTIMORE COUNTY and are under 18. Okay, you can think about it, but if the County Council has its way, don’t plan on doing it within the county limits anytime soon without permission from your parents.
Legislation, which goes before a vote at the end of May and is expected to pass easily, will close a loophole from previous legislation about tattoos and require that anyone under 18 wishing to get pierced must have written parental consent.
“I am not trying to prevent minors from having their bodies pierced,” said County Councilman Vincent J. Gardina in published reports. “I merely want their parents to be involved in the decision-making process.”
The measure would affect professional shops as well as in-home amateur piercings, giving parents and police an additional tool to punish irresponsible behavior. Violators would face a $500 fine, 90 days in jail, or both.

NEW YORK

• WESTCHESTER COUNTY Clerk Leonard N. Spano is inviting county residents who own rifles, shotguns or any other long-armed weapons to come into his office to receive safety devices for those weapons — free of charge.
  The latest initiative to enhance gun safety and responsibility comes on the heels of the widely successful program to hand out free trigger locks to certified licensed handgun owners. To date, more than 15,000 locks have been given out.
  In a statement issued by his office, Spano said the decision to expand his agenda of free locks was a logical one because so many county residents also own long-armed weapons.
  “It just makes sense to give out free locks to anyone who has a weapon — whether it’s a pistol or a long gun,” Spano said. “Let’s face it, a rifle can be just as dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands and if it’s not properly secured and stored.”
  
  
• ROCKLAND COUNTY recently passed election reform legislation that will replace the county’s antiquated punch-card absentee ballot system with a modern Standard Achievement Test (SAT)-style ballot. Rockland is the first county in New York to adopt any voting reforms.
  “This is a victory for honest and accurate elections,” said Majority Leader Ryan Karben in a statement issued by his office. “The hanging chads are now fully detached from our electoral process.”
  Under the plan adopted by the Legislature, the county will spend $75,000 to acquire an optical-scan system to read absentee ballots. Over 6,000 Rocklanders voted by punch card in the last election.

OREGON

A multimillion-dollar shortfall could mean major cuts in CLACKAMAS COUNTY public safety. According to local television, county budget writers anticipate a $3.9 million budget shortfall during the 2001–2002 fiscal year.
In the proposed $386 million budget, the sheriff’s department, district attorney’s office, corrections and juvenile departments are expected to take the brunt of the shortfall.

SOUTH CAROLINA

• If you build a parking lot, they will come. The JASPER COUNTY Transportation Committee recently approved $200,000 to build a parking lot for the county’s popular nature trail and fishing hole on the Broad River. The eight-year-old plan will create the Knowles Island Park along a one-and-a-half-mile abandoned rail line.
  The plan, supported by everyone from the County Administrator, Henry Moss, to the county Chamber of Commerce Director, Mona Dickson, will require additional funding of about $1 million, which the county plans to apply for from the National Park Service and Sea Grant Consortium.
  The county expects the new park to be complete by spring 2002.
  
  
• Fighting crime is a bit easier for upstate county law enforcement. Deputies from GREENVILLE COUNTY have some of the most up-to-date equipment at their disposal to aid in investigations.
  From mobile computers to global positioning systems (GPS) to infrared cameras the deputies can put this high-tech equipment to work in the search for suspects such as the recent double murder suspect they were searching for.
  More than anything, these new high-tech devices help the deputies save time. Instead of sending dozens of deputies into an area for a ground search, a helicopter using infrared cameras can fly over an area and tell right away if anyone is in the area.

TEXAS

Officials in the largest counties in Texas are fighting proposals involving appointment of attorneys for poor criminal defendants, threatening to derail efforts to overhaul the state’s indigent defense system.
The Conference of Urban Counties and individual county officials are pushing for last-minute changes to legislation that would create the Fair Defense Act.
As the bill stands, large counties are required to appoint an attorney for defendants as soon as possible or within one working day after the defendant appears before the magistrate. Rural counties would have three days.
County officials and judges complain that the 24-hour deadline will pressure prosecutors to rush filing charges, involve counties in city jail problems and allow municipalities to avoid paying their part of the tab.
Judges and attorneys worry that hiring an attorney for a defendant out on bail, but not formally charged, may also mean the county has to pick up the bill for handling a case the district attorney decides to let go.
“It would be inaccurate to say that the urban counties are opposing this bill,” said Tarrant County Administrator G.K. Maenius in a published article. “We just want a role beyond funding this thing. We’re the ones who have to pay the bills.”
Although the counties would prefer commissioners to play a role in establishing fee schedules, they will accept a pay-scale provision that allows the judges to pay “reasonable fixed rates” that may be below market prices.
The Texas House was scheduled to vote on the bill on May 22. The Senate approved the bill in April.

WASHINGTON

• We’ve all heard about the Army reserves and reserve police officers and firefighters, but reserve coroners? That’s right, reserve coroners. The KITSAP COUNTY Coroner’s Office recently began what is thought to be a one-of-a-kind program to train volunteers to become deputy coroners. The 80-hour program, with 40 hours of classroom work and 40 hours of fieldwork, is a step toward a degree program offered through an arrangement with Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas.
  According to published reports, most of the 10 students in the first class have a background in the medical or legal professions and view the program as an opportunity to expand their career options. Once the volunteers are trained, they will help relieve others in the Coroner’s Office, which already has six deputy coroners.
  These new volunteer deputies may come in handy in the future as actual employees. Kitsap County Coroner Greg Sandstrom has ambitious plans for the Coroner’s Office that include the office’s new designation as a regional center to store and share information with adjacent counties over the Internet. This pilot program falls under the U.S. Department of Justice.
  
  
• A Superior Court judge ordered KING COUNTY to pay $13,716.55 in attorney fees because the sheriff’s office refuses to disclose the last names and ranks of its deputies to a man who is posting the information on the Internet.
  In September, the county sued a man in an attempt to stop him from obtaining the information through the state’s Public Disclosure Act. Through formal written requests, the man and a business partner asked several local law enforcement agencies for the names, ranks and salaries of officers. The sheriff’s department declined the request and soon afterward the county filed suit.
  According to published accounts, on January 4 the county was ordered by a judge to disclose the last names and ranks of all of its officers before it was discovered this information was for a Web site.
  “We think that he is abusing the public-disclosure act,” said Sgt. John Urquhart, a sheriff’s spokesman, in published reports.
  The county still has not complied with the Jan. 4 ruling and the attorney representing the sheriff’s office said the county is appealing that ruling. In the meantime the county was ordered to pay the fees because the Superior Court found that the county had neither complied with the January ruling nor acted to stay or superscede the court’s order.

WISCONSIN

Although the threat of foot-and- mouth disease is diminishing, some DANE COUNTY farmers want this year’s World Dairy Expo to be canceled. Despite the approximate $10 million the Expo brings to the area each year, county farmers are more worried about the potential spread of foot-and-mouth disease.
While Expo officials say it will put as many security measures in place as possible, and the Wisconsin Agriculture Department is taking its own precautions, county farmers are still concerned.
“If it wipes out our dairy industry in Wisconsin or in this country, it’s not just going to impact Dane County,” said county resident Rick Trinko in published reports. “And if they think that’s an economic blow, just not having the Expo, wait for that.”
The World Dairy Expo is scheduled for Oct. 3–7 and is expected to draw more than 70,000 people.

(Mindy Moretti, senior writer, and Bev Schlotterbeck, executive editor, compiled News from the Nation’s Counties. If you have any news, let us know. Call (202) 942-4223 or e-mail us at cnews@naco.org.)