News From the Nation’s Counties - Oct. 5, 2015

ARIZONA

The solar installation at the City of Flagstaff-Sheriff ’s Office Law Enforcement Administrative Facility (LEAF) in COCONINO COUNTY is one of three solar arrays that came online recently as the result of a public-private partnership between the county and SunEdison. 

Solar arrays have also been installed at the County Health and Community Services building, and the County Jail and Juvenile Services buildings, all located in Flagstaff. The 1.2-megawatt solar installation is expected to generate 2.1 million kWh in the first year, and will offset at least 30 percent of the county’s electric consumption. 

SunEdison financed the $5.6 million project. The company owns the solar panels and system, and the county leases solar space in parking areas and on roofs in return for the energy produced at a lower set rate over the next 25 years. This is expected to save the county $2.7 million in energy costs. Photo by Josh Biggs 

MOHAVE COUNTY is getting support from neighboring LA PAZ COUNTY and the ARIZONA ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES in a fight against a proposed water rights transfer that’s now before the state Supreme Court. The supporters filed a brief advancing the county’s position, havasunews.com reported. 

The county opposes a mining company’s plan to transfer its water rights from one location in the county to another site that would serve a copper mine in YAVAPAI COUNTY. 

Arizona’s Department of Water Resources said Mohave didn’t have standing to object. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, scheduling oral arguments for this month.

ARKANSAS 

Counties are unhappy with an idea being floated by the Governor’s Working Group on Highway Funding: It would make cities and counties responsible for some of the state’s 16,418 miles of roads. 

“I think the idea of offloading these roads on counties is ridiculous,” DALLAS COUNTY Judge Jimmy Jones told KATV News. “We have a tremendous amount of logging traffic on Dallas County roads, and that infrastructure is critical to the timber industry. If our county is mandated to take over those roads, we will simply not be able to provide maintenance.” 

The ASSOCIATION OF ARKANSAS COUNTIES also opposes the potential shift. 

CALIFORNIA 

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY supervisors voted to restore primary health care services to undocumented adults living in the county. That makes 46 of the Golden State’s 58 counties that offer such benefits to provide non-emergency care to immigrants who entered the country illegally. 

The program isn’t full insurance, KPCC-FM News reported. It will, however, provide access to preventive services, which officials hope will cut down visits to the emergency room and save the county money in the long run. 

“It’s just the right thing to do for people, especially undocumented adults who are not covered under the Affordable Care Act,” said Supervisor John Gioia, a key supporter. 

FLORIDA 

PINELLAS COUNTY could land its third Major League Baseball spring training complex. The Atlanta Braves, nine-time baseball All-Star Gary Sheffield and a local developer want to build a stadium, arena, practice fields and hotels on the site of a former landfill. 

A county evaluation committee recently scored the Braves’ plan tops out of three bids from developers responding to a county request for proposals, the Tampa Bay Times reported. 

The Braves-led group would purchase the land for $20 million, paid over 40 years in $500,000 installments, to create an “international destination” for amateur and professional sports. The new facilities could be open in time for the 2018 season. 

GEORGIA 

FORSYTH COUNTY has proposed new licensing requirements for massage parlors and their employees in an effort to crackdown on illegal activities, mainly prostitution, Forsyth County News reported. 

At a County Board public hearing, County Attorney Ken Jarrard explained the county would require annual licenses and renewals for massage parlors and spas that give massages. 

Sheriff Duane Piper has said regulation is needed because stricter ordinances in neighboring jurisdictions are making Forsyth County an attractive place to do business. 

MARYLAND 

Counties can’t ban medical marijuana facilities, according to the state attorney general’s office. But ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY Executive Steve Schuh is backing legislation that would prevent people from growing, processing or dispensing medical marijuana in all zoning classifications. 

Nonbinding legal advice from the attorney general’s office says jurisdictions can’t ban those activities “unless a situation unique to that county makes one or more types of facilities inappropriate,” according to The Capital. 

MISSOURI 

The ST. LOUIS COUNTY Police Board adopted a policy that bars police from using dogs for crowd control, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch. The decision comes after a post-Ferguson, Mo. report from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that criticized the practice. 

Police Chief Jon Belmar told the board that his department did not use dogs in that manner, despite DOJ’s “strong implication that we did.” 

He said he reviewed a draft of the report that contained information that the police department “strongly disagreed with.” He added that DOJ has promised to provide an amended copy.

NEW YORK 

MONROE COUNTY legislators may tighten up policies for employee use of taxpayer-provided take-home vehicles. 

Announced legislation would limit who could be assigned take-home cars and would require employees with county cars to submit a monthly accounting of all miles driven in the vehicles. The policy would prohibit all personal use of county-owned cars. 

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said Monroe County is the most fiscally stressed local government in New York, a condition county officials have said is largely the state’s responsibility, due to an overwhelming burden of unfunded mandates, especially Medicaid expenses, The Democrat and Chronicle reported. 

NORTH CAROLINA 

The WAKE COUNTY Board of Commissioners sharply expanded the groups protected under its employment policy, banning job discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, genetics, veteran status and other characteristics. 

Commissioners said the policy governing the county’s nearly 4,000 employees needed modifications because the original protections touched on only a few categories such as age, race and religion, the News and Observer reported. 

SOUTH DAKOTA 

The BROWN COUNTY Commission’s appeal of a state decision on pipeline property taxes may have wide-reaching consequences. In its appeal to the Hughes County Circuit Court, Brown County claimed the state isn’t assessing as much money on the pipeline as it should, thus depriving local governments of property tax revenues. 

It’s the first such appeal in recent memory of the state’s authority to assess property taxes on pipelines, utilities, railroads and other industries in what’s known as central assessment, according to the Argus Leader. 

“In my tenure here, I don’t remember anybody doing it,” said Bob Wilcox, the executive director of the South Dakota Association of County Officials. 

If it turns out that the state has undervalued the energy company, NuStar’s, pipeline, then it’s possible that other pipelines and industries, which are centrally assessed by the state, could see their tax bills challenged by local governments.

UTAH 

Ballots that go out to SALT LAKE COUNTY residents in early October will contain an insert advising voters where they can get more information about a quarter-cent sales tax hike for local transportation projects. 

State law requires only that educational materials be posted to the state elections website, but the county will spend $14,000 to print the inserts, and possibly $3,500 more to mail pamphlets to voters’ homes upon request. 

“None of us likes spending [more] money, but to err on the side of providing more information for voters is important,” County Council Chairman Richard Snelgrove told the Salt Lake Tribune. 

VIRGINIA

ARLINGTON COUNTY adopted an affordable housing master plan as part of the county’s comprehensive plan. It’s the culmination of a three-year community effort and focuses on increasing the supply of affordable housing for renters (targeting 22,800 affordable units by 2040) and owners (2,700 affordable ownership units), ensuring access and contributing to a sustainable community.

The latter goal will involve geographic distribution of affordable housing, preserving affordable housing where it exists and locating housing close to transit. 

Planners in GLOUCESTER COUNTY are working on a new set of rules to accommodate large solar facilities. 

A proposed amendment to the county’s zoning ordinance would allow solar-energy facilities to be constructed “by right” in both industrial and rural countryside districts but would require a conditional use permit everywhere else. It is similar to a small wind energy facilities ordinance passed several years ago, the Daily Press reported. 

The NELSON COUNTY Board of Supervisors will ask the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to ensure the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline avoids or minimizes impact to sites that are listed or eligible to be listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places. 

The board passed a resolution petitioning FERC to comply fully with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 that requires federal agencies to take into account their actions on historic properties, the Daily Progress reported. 

FERC has the final approval of the proposed 550-mile pipeline that could run through Nelson County. 

WISCONSIN 

DANE COUNTY will purchase property on which it plans to build a day resource center for the county’s homeless population. 

The 19,000-square-foot building would have to be renovated and would include private offices for service providers, meeting rooms, showers, storage space, laundry facilities, meals and other services and facilities. It would focus both on meeting basic needs and providing services like training, mental health services and drug addiction treatment, The Cap Times reported. 

The site sits less than two miles from the Capitol and is accessible via bus and near emergency overnight shelters, several free meal sites and the Madison Central Library.