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Air district staff wants to raise fees

May 22, 2012

Larry Allen

Staff at the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District is asking its board on Wednesday to approve a handful of fee increases in order to cover its growing budget needs, according to the agenda.

Staff is requesting increasing DMV fees, APCD permit fees, CEQA review costs, and APCD testing and verification costs. In addition, they are seeking a ballot measure to increase parcel fees in order to help fill a $273,000 budget gap the agency is facing.

District expenditures have grown from $2,438,146 during the 2001-2002 fiscal year to a budget of $4,156,766 for the current fiscal year.

Some 75 percent of the agency’s expenditures are for employee costs, according to the district’s expenditure report.

Of the district’s 21 full-time employees, in salaries benefits and “fringes,” 19 run over $100,000 a year.

Top earner, Executive Director Larry Allen, costs $240,119 a year, according, to the district’s fiscal year 2011/2012 salary projections.

This does not include a board voted increase to Allen’s salary of 5 percent slated for December or his $5,400 a year car allowances

The air quality board is comprised of all five county supervisors and a council person from each of the county’s seven cities.


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Two words. “Executive Layoff”


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I believe the experts call it “Labor realignment” .


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I went out and looked at this man’s resume in Linkedin. He has a B.S., no, really he has a B.S., in Biology from U.C. Irvine and then went to U. Montana for a M.S. (candidate in Botany) and then worked 2 years for Fort Peck Assinniboine & Sioux Tribes as a Environmental Specialist (1980-1982). Then, according to Linkedin there is a gap of 10 years before he came to SLO County as a Planning Division Manager in 1990. Does anyone know what he did in that ten year gap? Interesting gap…. 10 years is a long time


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This Idea that just because some pin head gets a job with the government, somehow they magically become some kind of an official is rediculous.( I am sure none of us would have agreed with this practice if givin the choice)


They can extort money from the citizens for the sole puprose of supporting their existance ( at best a blatant conflict of interest or at worst the work of a tyranical government)


This injustice happens at all levels of government and is the biggest fraud we have allowed our government sevants to perpertrate one us. .


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Sorry but the APCD are a bunch of frauds. If you fart, they want to collect a fee for the methane gas going into the atmosphere. The air district at both the state and local levels are conspiring to run small businesses out of this state. If Jim Patterson votes for this then vote him out. Put up or shut up Jim! Basically if any of the board votes to raise fees then to hell with them too. Enough is enough Larry. Work within your means and leave us out of it. Downsize if you must but take any fee hike and shove it.


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I know how to close the budget gap of $273,000…seems kind of obvious. Listen to OhHenry’s comment below. Any entity that survives on fines/fees only income should be eliminated. Problem solved.


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Then we would have to get ride of the Federal Government to- Any entity that survives on fines/fees :)


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The APCD used to be affiliated with the County. The APCD had its own funding, but the personnel policies of the County were the same as the APCD.


When the County was preparing to start making cuts in salaries, personnel, etc., the APCD decided to split off on its own, and develop its own personnel policies, benefit policies, RETIREMENT policies, etc.


IMO, that is when all heII broke out at the APCD personnel raises, new titles, etc.


The current APCD board of directors either supports this lavish bounty provided to the APCD staff, or the BOD is too weak to stand up to staff.


Whatever….Allen and the rest of the staff seem to have a smug confidence that they can name what they want in salary and benefits, and it will be theirs with just a snap of their fingers.


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Excuse my ignorance, but I’m not sure how the APCD “decided” to split off on its own, but as a business owner for 37 years, I say, here is one opinion to solve the APCD”s problem of budget woes: ELIMINATE the APCD. Budget shortfall solved. Not that I am a believer of the county being able to competently manage ANYTHING, but better than a system of “fines only” income to support an entity such as this one.


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fines,,, extortion same thing.


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This Trib article from 12/10/2010 gives some details. Note that Ed Waage voted against it because of concerns for wage spiking: For some very interesting details, go to the APCD’s website and download their minutes and staff notes for at least a year running up to the Trib article.


———————-


http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/12/01/1391776/air-pollution-control-district.html


…Board members Ed Waage of Pismo Beach and county Supervisor Frank Mecham said Wednesday they were concerned that the employment rules gave Air Pollution Control Officer Larry Allen too much authority over hiring and promotions.

The rules could possibly allow pension spiking, a discredited practice of promoting employees right before their retirement in order to boost their pensions. Other directors said that budget oversight by the board would prevent that from happening.

Waage voted against adopting the new district’s employment guidelines….


—————————


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Well ghee, I’m a liberal softy environmentalist and this even pisses me off. 240k plus these absurd benefits? This isn’t about clean air, it’s about embezzlement, corruption, hierarchy.


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ANYTHING involving the government is about embezzlement, generally speaking. Environmentalism was hijacked years ago and is now used to establish power. Don’t believe me? Re-read this story. Or any story involving a government-run “environmental” agency.


Many things were hijacked, and it always comes down to power – and not the solar/wind/oil/gas kind, but the power over your life and your decision kind.


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Well said Structure! That description fits me with some added asthma (and a dose of experience and practicality). I want clean air, water and food but this is ridiculous.


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Okay,

1) tell me what these guys really really do?


and


2) tell me why we need so many of them when we don’t have a problem??


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They go around and extort money from small bushiness yes the fees the that they are wanting to

increase if you don’t believe me talk to some one in the auto body industry or dry cleaning.

The used to get huge amounts from PG&E in Moro bay . Which passed it on to the consumer.

I will NOT BE VOTING FOR ANY POLITICIAN THAT VOTES FOR THIS KIND OF THING IN THIS

ECONOMY !


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I don’t vote for any politician that does this in ANY economy. A scam is a scam.


What’s next? I suppose they’ll send Guido and the boys to start collecting…


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N, they already do that aka the full force of the US Gov’t.


IF you don’t pay up or comply, you WILL be thrown in jail and your business WILL be closed and taken from you. At least with the mob you could potentially fight back or move away from the problem. Not in the ACPD’s case.


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Sounds like the Regional water quality control board.


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Here is a sample video of their hard work–

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7vBbEG0zH0


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“GSAPCD” – SLO APCD Spends Thousands to Produce Rap Video!

http://www.integrityslo.org/gsapcd-slo-apcd-spends-thousands-to-produce-rap-video


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Coming to you soon-

Reviews of Jobs at SB Air Pollution Control District

http://bit.ly/Mk8F8z


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How do you like this statement from Robert 1’s link from the SB site:


“…Benefits: The retirement program is great (someone who retires at 55 with 30 years service would get 60% of his or her final salary for life). Health insurance is so-so, especially for the family plan. It’s expensive. The agency allows flexible schedules, telecommuting, and there are also generous holiday, vacation, and sick day allocations.

Job Security: All governed by civil service rules. There were lay offs many years ago when revenues declined. Most reductions were achieved with attrition. Workforce size as been stable for a while now.

Work/Life Balance: 11 paid holidays, most people get between 150 and 200 hours of paid vacation each year (all new employees start off with 80 paid vacation days) plus 96 hours per year of paid sick leave for each person. ”


Sounds great for government employees paid with private sector dollars….

But then, we are evil for capitalism and hard work. Tax us more so we can give these employees more to blow to the wind and have them keep coming back for more. Everyone enjoying this???


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Santa Barbara county down sized some of their APCD employees a few years ago, guess where some of them went to work??

They down sized and then SLO county upsized.

SLO county !


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