Board of Supervisors Approves Weights & Measures Increase: Three Year Phased Plan

Thursday, 14 June 2007 00:04

Board of Supervisors Approves Weights & Measures Increase: Three Year Phased Plan

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On Tuesday the Board of Supervisors reviewed the Weights and Measure Fee Schedule increase for registration requirements again. Now the fees would impact any commercial business who uses scales and measures in conjunction with their business practices. At the previous meeting when the item was discussed Ag. Commissioner Mike Boitano was asked by the Board and public to come back with a variety of different fee schedules instead of implementing the entirety of the new fees in one year. Boitano developed three proposals.

The first proposal consists of an initial fee increase of 30% the first year, 60% the next year and capping the fee the third year at 90%.
The second proposal begins with an increase of 40% the first year,60% the second and then a final 80% the third year.
The last fee plan proposes an initial 50%, 75% the second year and finishes the third year out with 100%.

Boitano explained that he wanted to phase the fee’s over three years as that will leave the County “in sync” with the sunset defined in the Ruskin’s authorization bill, which allows increases every three years. Supervisor Novelli asked which proposal Boitano and his staff preferred Boitano responded, “with our situation the way it is I would like to see the 50, 75, and 100. That would be the best for me but we have to look at the big picture.” Supervisor Forster commented, “I think there is a good cause for doing this over time, looking at it over a 3 year schedule so that our producers in all areas have time to adjust.” He added, “I know it’s not gonna help us, its not gonna help the Ag. budget and its not gonna help the general fund, but I think it makes sense to do it this way and it would be proactive in the future the next time in 2010 when they come back with more increases.” Forster also said that he agreed with comments made last time, that part of the Weights and Measures job is a health and safety aspect so some of the costs should be absorbed by the County.

At the meeting held last week to discuss the issue, public members expressed that the County should absorb a portion of the costs and one public member said he felt the County should be accountable for at least 50% of the costs. At this Tuesday’s public hearing, nobody from the public spoke on the matter. A motion was made to adopt the first fee proposal voting for an initial 30% raise, then a 60% raise and then capping the fee off at 90% the third year, leaving the county to absorb the remaining 10%. The Board voted 4-1, with Forster, Novelli, Boitano and Escamilla voting for the new fee schedule and Oneto voting against it.