Council replaces outdated equipment

The Orland City Council decided to splurge on equipment replacement Monday with $69,000 in unexpected revenues.

City Manager Peter Carr said the city had $35,000 more in its General Fund reserves than estimated last June, and it expects to get a $34,000 refund from Glenn County for property tax collection services.

As a result, the council decided to spend $68,000 of the money on needed equipment that otherwise would have to wait.

Councilman Jim Paschall suggested spending $33,000 on Orland Volunteer Fire Department equipment like personal protetive gear and new fire hoses, which his colleagues agreed to do.

The Council also decided to spend $6,000 from the general fund to replace the computer server in City Hall. The rest of the money will come from the city's water and sewer fund.

It agreed to contribute $3,000 to the Orland Area Chamber of Commerce so it can continue its business promotion activities, and to give $8,000 to the Orland Free Library for new book purchases.

Another $18,000 was to go toward the purchase of a lightly used $34,000 bucket truck for the Public Works Department.

These one-time monies may not come again, members said, so it is a good time to replace some aging items since the general fund reserve is at $637,000 these days.

Carr added the county's collection fees will likely be reduced in the future as the result of a lawsuit by a Southern California city to change the formula across the state.

But for this year, the $34,000 is expected to be returned to Orland, he said.

Council members debated whether to spend all of the money or to keep some in reserve "just in case something pops up," Councilwoman Salina Edwards said.

"A $10,000 cushion is not too much money," she said.

But in the end, they decided to spend nearly all of it.

Edwards pushed to fund the library's new book fund, which has been out of money the last few years due to state budget cuts — forcing it to rely on donations from the Orland Friends of the Library group.

She also advocated funding the Chamber of Commerce since the city had not contributed to it for several years — again because of tight finances.

Councilman Dennis Hoffman supported helping the chamber since it assisted the city in passing its transient occupancy tax about five years ago in exchange for 15 percent of TOT revenues.