Westwood Birch Street Warehouse

Public Records indicate that the LCCDC never met to approve any pay back of the $50,000 USDA loan or transfer ownership or use of this property

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Lassen County Codes

There is "unfinished" business with this Commission.

Lassen County used a $50,000 RBEG Grant (obtained through the USDA) to renovate this building and it can only be used for small and emerging private business enterprises with less than 50 employees and less than a million dollars in gross revenues.

The Lassen County Supervisors tried to move money and transfer property belonging to the Lassen County Community Development Commission, WITHOUT CONVENING THIS COMMISSION.

After Kan We Help exposed this, the County started moving backwards to correct this "deliberate" oversight.

1. Supervisors approved placing $50,000 in a parking lot account (Fund 588) to repay the restricted USDA Grant, hoping no one would notice. KAN WE HELP NOTICED.

2. Supervisors never paid the the USDA Grant back until Kan We Help asked for proof that this loan was re-paid . The Westwood Warehouse, under the Grant, could not be used by the Sheriff's Department without re-paying the USDA Grant. Again, the Supervisors unilaterally took this action without convening the Lassen County Community Development Commission. The Supervisors hoped that no one would notice. KAN WE HELP NOTICED

3. Supervisors moved the maintenance of the Westwood Warehouse property to Public Works due to the fact that the Sheriff's Department has no money to maintain a Sheriff Substation at the Westwood Warehouse on Birch Street.

4. On July 26, 2016, the Supervisors placed the Lassen County Community Development Commission on the Agenda. But moved the meeting to Beiber (over one hour from Susanville). Supervisor Chapman did not attend this meeting. Supervisor Albaugh Chaired the meeting. Discussion started on Agenda F Boards and Commissions before the Board of Supervisors convened as the LCCDC. After this was corrected, a question was asked about Resolution 16-2016 deeding the Westwood property to the Sheriff.

Now that the legal transfers have finally been done, the Sheriff can begin setting up a substation in Westwood.

Public Records indicate that the LCCDC never met to approve any pay back of the $50,000 USDA loan or transfer ownership or use of this property

Richard Egan claimed that the Community Development Commission was dissolved so they didn't have to convene any commission

Kan We Help has stayed on this story and now the Supervisors are being forced to take care of the "unfinished" business with this Commission........but to go out-of-town to do it?

Lassen County Supervisors made decisions on this property without convening as the Community Development Commission. They voted to close the "Business Parks" in Westwood and Bieber and transfer the maintenance of these buildings to Public Works.

The Lassen County Auditor announced that Fund 588 would be closed and the remaining balance of approximately $20,000 would be transferred to the "General Fund". These funds are RESTRICTED and cannot be placed for general use, but they decided to do it anyway.

In 2015 and again in March of 2016, Kan We Help challenged the $50,000 suddenly being placed in Fund 588. It appeared the Supervisors never intended to convene the Community Development Commission to legally take any action on the Westwood property. After Kan We Help challenged this action again, on June 8, 2016, a check for $50,000 was sent to USDA to repay the Grant on June 9, 2016. This warehouse, in Westwood, can now be used by Lassen County unrestricted.

It would have been easy just to put this on the Agenda under "Boards and Commissions" and approve the change of use. Public Records indicate the Lassen County Supervisors NEVER MET to change the use of the Westwood Warehouse.

In 2015, the Supervisors intentionally placed $50,000 in an innocuous "paving" fund to secretly pay back the USDA Grant that limited the use of this property. Chapman was on the Budget Committee that made this decision.

The Supervisors cannot blame this deception on Public Works, Planning, the Sheriff.

MOST PEOPLE FIND IT EASY TO BE HONEST, RICHARD EGAN FINDS HONESTY AN INCONVENIENCE

Lassen County CAo Richard Egan placed the majority of the Board of Supervisor's Agenda in the "Consent Calendar" (13 items). CAo Richard Egan has abused the "Consent Calendar" more than anyone else in the history of Lassen County government. He places Critical/Controversial issues in the Consent Calendar hoping no one will notice, including Supervisors. This Agenda category is voted on with one sweeping vote.

FUNDS WERE "NOT" AVAILABLE WITHIN THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENTS BUDGET. That was a lie.

During the Budget process, Egan, Pyle and Chapman placed the $50,000 in PUBLIC WORKS Fund 588/Budget 943/Account 3002800 (paving).

CAO Egan and Supervisor Chapman were quick, to deny, that funds were being taken out of FUND 588 [PAVING], but Public Works Pete Heimbigner was quick to confirm the fact that the $50,000 is being taken out of "Paving" to pay back the USDA Grant.

The Sheriff's Department's budget is bare bones so $50,000 was placed in the the WESTWOOD PARKING LOT ACCOUNT, to pay back the USDA Grant, with the hopes that no one would notice

The Sheriff told Kan We Help that he has no idea how much the maintenance will be on the Westwood warehouse.

A similar stunt was performed when $142,000 was placed in the WESTWOOD LIBRARY FUND to replace the Library roof that was never done. The Funds were used in Beiber

Attempt to transfer the Westwood Birch Street Warehouse and parking lot (owned separately by Lassen County Community Development Commission) to

All operational costs will be paid by the Sheriff's Department, except the Sheriff has no money in budget for maintaining this property or repaying the $50,000 Grant money

The Sheriff claims that this property will serve as a substation and storage of "evidence", boats, ATV's, snowmobiles

Sheriff Growden initially spoke at the June 23, 2015 Board of Supervisors meeting wanting to use the Westwood warehouse at 463-475 Birch Street in Westwood.

He then spoke on September 15, 2015 and stated that the Sheriff's Department could pay back the $50,000 RBEG Grant ( Rural Business Enterprise Grant)

Sheriff Growden claimed that he could use the warehouse to store a boat to do lake patrols on Walker Lake/ PGE's Mt. Meadows Reservoir