– Public release from Mammoth Lakes Town Manager Marianna Marysheva-Martinez:
Town’s accomplishments in Fiscal Year 2012-13:
• The Town has developed a succinct list of major accomplishments for Fiscal
Year 20 12-13. We will publish it in the local media, online and in print by the end of August / early September.
MRF:
• At the last night’s Town Council meeting, an announcement was made, following the closed session, regarding the following: (i) that no decision was made on the parcel of land intended for the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), in the Industrial Park; and (ii) there will be an extensive public process regarding the MRF facility, regardless of the Town’s decision — or its timing — on the parcel.
TBID:
• Also at the last night’s Town Council meeting, formation of the Tourism Improvement Distort was approved, effective September 1, 2013. The district would add close to $5 million annually to the current Measure A / General Fund budget provided by the Town to Mammoth Lakes Tourism for tourism promotion and marketing. The new money will flow directly to MLT, with the collections processed by the Town under a contract with MLT.
Contract for Ongoing IT services with Mono County:
• Last night, the Town Council approved the scope of work, and authorized me to enter into a five-year contract with Mono County for the ongoing IT and GIS services. Same request will now go to the Board of Supervisors, in August. We hope to have an agreement in place by the end of August.
CED Director Selection:
• A 6-person panel interviewed 3 leading candidates on Monday. We have two strong finalists based on the panel’s feedback.
• For the leading finalist, we will soon start an extensive background check, as well as a reference check. These will be conducted in August.
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• At the end of August, a follow up phone interview will be held with the leading finalist. Joining me for this interview will be a business owner / community member, Pam Kobylarz, and a staff person from CED. I also have encouraged up to two Council members to be included; Rick Wood and Matthew Lehman were on the interview panel.
• After reviewing the background and reference checks, and conducting the follow up interview, I hope to be able to make a hiring decision. (Which I will do quickly if I am comfortable with the information.) We may be able to have the incumbent on board in September.
Personnel and Risk Analyst Selection:
• Initial panel interviews were held a few weeks ago. The group of candidates was narrowed down by the panel to three.
• A follow up panel interview with the three panelists was held on Monday. We
had a tie between two strong candidates. One of the candidates, unfortunately, accepted another offer a day after the interview.
• For the leading finalist, we will soon start an extensive background check, as well as a reference check. These will be conducted in August.
• At the end of August, I will review the background and reference checks, and hope to be able to make a hiring decision. (Which I will do quickly if I am
comfortable with the information.) We may be able to have the incumbent on board in September.
Plan for Ray Jarvis’s and Johnny Goetz’s Replacements:
1. INTERIM COVERAGE:
• Public Works & Transportation Director: At the recommendation of Ray Jarvis and Peter Bernasconi, no interim will be used. Peter Bernasconi will perform day-to-day administrative tasks of the director, until a permanent replacement is found. In addition, recruitment for a budgeted but vacant Assistant Engineer will begin as soon as possible, to help the engineering staff (including Peter) with the management of the existing workload.
• Assistant Building Official: At the recommendation of Sandra Moberly and Johnny Goetz, the current Public Works Inspector will handle building inspections/code compliance services with Sierra Geotechnical Services (SGS) Inc. providing additional support for inspections that cannot be handled by the Public Works Inspector. SGS is a local company that Johnny has worked with in the past and has a lot of confidence in. SGS started work on July 22, to allow time for a two-week transition with Johnny.
2. RECRUITMENT FOR PERMANENT REPLACEMENTS:
• Public Works & Transportation Director: We are looking to start recruitments by August, with a professionally designed brochure (prepared in-house) and outreach through local printed media, the Town’s website and a number of
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professional organizations. The deadline will likely be at the end of August, with interviews and selection happening in September.
Building Official / Code Compliance / Solid Waste duties: In consultation with Johnny Goetz and Sandra Moberly, the following recruitment / replacement plan has been developed. (Subject to discussions with the impacted unions, and modification as necessary.)
a) Building Official: The Town is legally required to have a certified Building Official. Many smaller cities contract out this function, on an as-needed basis. We would like to do the same, and will seek proposals from at least three entities including Mono County. The contract will be for a not- to-exceed annual hours and amount, to be determined.
b) Building inspections: The Town will recruit for a certified Building Inspector to perform duties currently handled by Johnny Goetz. The position will also be in charge of higher-level solid waste tasks, such as coordination with CalRecycle, long-term regional planning, etc.
c) Code Compliance: The Town will recruit for part-time Code Compliance officer. The position will also be in charge of lower-level solid waste tasks, such as education of businesses on recycling requirements, working with Steve Searles on trash issues, etc.
Please let me know if anyone has questions.
Marianna Marysheva-Martinez
Town Manager
Another issue kicked down the road, Mammoth will be left with what to do with their waste and recycling. Johnston and his side kick Lisa Isaacs have spread their venom. Why diidnt Johnston and company budget vehicle replacement, 6 million worth for the landfill? How much does the MRF cost… Read more »
@ pj – Is that the same Johnston whom after he and his wife gleefully took the taxpayers’ money and ran when both were on the County and Town payroll and now thinks it’s a swell idea to create a bogus “crisis” in order to justify slashing every civil workers’… Read more »
I for one will spend less in town, I will not help fund a bad idea. The airport doesn’t work. People from all over the country are not going to fly over Utah, Colorado, or Tahoe for that matter to ski Mammoth, PERIOD. And it’s easier to drive from LA.… Read more »
Mark this post, in the next five years the increase in taxes will not bring extra tourist revenue to Mammoth, the airport will still be dependent on tax dollars and when this plan does not work the people in charge will again blame the weather or say it would have… Read more »
Exactly! If you have a store or a product and people are not coming into your store or buying your product, do you raise prices to attract more business? Of course not. You lower prices. Yet the geniuses who claim to be our leaders raise prices whenever their business plans… Read more »
Or perhaps rather than letting your store fall apart completely you raise your prices to cover the loan you took out to repaint, re-sign and redesign the interior of your store while upgrading the merchandise you sell. Maybe you don’t lower your prices and let your store fall further into… Read more »
Or one could do it the Mammoth Way — raise prices and do nothing to upgrade facilities or merchandise. Then apply the Homer Principle — if you did it once and it didn’t work, do it again and again until it does work. So keep sticking that fork in the… Read more »
The fish always stinks worst at the head. And that head consists of people whose fingers are in lots of pies at the town and county levels. And as the economy worsens, expect more graft, more corruption, and no desire whatsoever for the head to lead by example and work… Read more »
Show me one airport that doesn’t rely on tax dollars? I get so tired of reading all the complaints about the airport. Every harbor and airport in the world exists because tax dollars paid for their construction and in pretty much every case tax dollars pays for their maintenance. They… Read more »
D.T. It’s not that Mammoth Yosemite International Airport gets tax dollars — it’s how much tax dollars it gets and how much money it brings in.
Where’s the break even point?
What right does the flying public have to get subsidized airline tickets at the expensive of every other taxpayer who spends dollars in Mammoth based on a vote of just a few town businesses and the three stooges on the town council is my question?
What right does the motorist have to get subsidized highways at the expense of every other taxpayer? Transportation infrastructure, whether it is sea ports, river locks and dams, railroads (ours were subsidized to the tune of twenty square miles of free Federal land for every mile of railroad opened, many… Read more »
Maybe it’s as simple as Mono County can’t afford an airport?
Find out how much airline service to rural areas of the US are subsidized by Federal and state tax dollars. Places like Tonopah and Ely would not have air service were it not for a Federal subsidy.
Are they all funded by Bids imposed on taxpayers by the vote of a minority of businesses with local government approval too D.T.?
Revolution any One? =
Why? We elect our governments here and are not going to put up with armed thugs trying to hijack that. Don’t like who we elect? Run for office yourself and offer an alternative. We don’t change governments at the point of a gun, want no part of that and arrest… Read more »
“We don’t change governments at the point of a gun.”
Really? You must have slept through history class my dear.
What planet are you from anyway?
I was wide awake. How about you? We did not elect the British monarch to rule us and we had no say in the size of our taxes or how those taxes were spent. We elect those who represent us, if you haven’t noticed, so comparisons to the Revolution are… Read more »
I think governments should be restricted to delivering the mail. And as for electing others to lead, govern or control me, I would only vote for self-control, equality or freedom. What about the rest of you? =
Next watch the elected officials “trim the fat” and start cutting salaries of all the at will people (who have been at the city for years), while keeping their salaries intact. The Larry Johnston style of management. In the end only the least qualified and least productive will remain. And… Read more »
@ Trimming the fat – When you say “while keeping their salaries intact” who are you talking about?
Correct me if I am wrong but don’t the city counsel members get paid $300 a month ?
County Supervisors get over $54K plus benefits a year. Do some number-crunching and they pull in more per hour than a brain surgeon. Not bad for a part-time job. Couple meetings a month, sitting in the position of Supreme Court Justices while those who elected them grovel at their feet… Read more »
This has nothing to do with county supervisors. This is all on Mammoth Lakes Town Council who get paid $300 a month.
Nonsense. The County is in good shape and the town is trying to get the county to bail them out of the mess they are in. I thought EVERYBODY knew that. But the ego-crazed County Supervisors we have now have, have been trying to BS their constituents into believing that… Read more »
Along with taxpayer paid health, vision, and dental benefits for the Council Member and his/her entire family…
The present Mono County Supervisors are cowards and the worst board we’ve ever seen. Ask them what they’re going to do about the union employees in the county insofar as reducing their salaries and benefits – “to satisfy the constituents”. Then ask them what they themselves are willing to give… Read more »
And next you will tell us all the hard work you have done for the community. Right? Sour grapes maybe because you don’t have the ambition to join a committee, run for office or do anything else useful for your community. Try becoming a member of a committee, just a… Read more »
And just what have YOU done for your community, Tortoise?
I am on a City Council tax oversight committee in my city and it has been effective in changing decisions the Council was considering.
Sitting in chairs in front of the citizens acting like Supreme Court Judges, and trying to BS the community into believing it is a good idea to reduce the salaries of those who have been working their asses off without the benefit of a union (county policemen, and the majority… Read more »
We are all sick and tired of our elected officials, in this case the Mono County Supervisors who know the county is in such good shape (MMM recently contacted them to help bail the Town of Mammoth out) but continue to try and hoodwink we constituents into believing a bogus… Read more »
Spending more money on plans to make plans than actually doing something that would make the plans unnecessary. And making the plans to make plans short term plans to make plans so they can do it all over again before they actually implement the plans that they spent so much… Read more »
Well said Ken. It’s like studying for a urine test.