Amador County – Amador County Board of Supervisors formed an ad hoc committee last week to look at fee reductions or waivers for veterans for building, construction or remodeling permits in the county.
Supervisor Ted Novelli and Supervisor Brian Oneto were appointed to a committee by Supervisor Chairman Louis Boitano to develop language for a potential policy for veterans.
Novelli requested board consideration for “fee waivers or fee reductions associated with county imposed fees for disabled veterans returning from active duty and wishing to apply for building and other permits associated with construction or remodeling.”
Novelli said he spoke with the Veterans Association of Amador County, which said we are already having a lot of veterans coming back from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and if they are residents of the county, he would like to look at helping them, on a one-on-one basis, when they want to build homes, remodel or add on. He said: “I thought this would be a good thing if we can reach out to some of our veterans.”
Oneto said: “I think we need to have criteria” for evaluation, not one-on-one basis, “otherwise we might be cherry-picking.” Novelli said: “If we do a broadband” it may help, and maybe they could consider any veteran that wants a waiver could come back and apply. He thought it would be good to go to the American Legion and talk to veterans and see what they would want.
Supervisor Richard Forster said: “My preference would be to do it for all veterans returning. If you want to create criteria, I’d just as soon get on it right now,” and form an ad hoc committee with Novelli and one other supervisor. Oneto volunteered.
Boitano said he would like to consider offering it to all veterans with past war service, including Vietnam, Korea or World War II. Supervisor John Plasse supported the ad hoc committee formation, and did not want the criteria or program to be “arbitrary and capricious.”
Forster asked if they would want to limit it just to disabled vets. He said it was up to the ad hoc committee, but his “preference would be to help active duty” transition back to Amador County.
Novelli said: “What I have been hearing at the meetings is that they would like us to do something for people coming back from these two conflicts,” in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
