RECOMMENDATION(S): (CONT'D)
3. SUPPORT the efforts of the Sheriff’s Office to work with other stakeholders to encourage the DBW to allow use of AWAF grants for abatement of abandoned commercial vessels;
4. REQUEST the Sheriff to amend the department fee schedule to establish charges for County services for the recovery, movement, impounding, and storage of vessels pursuant to Chapter 410-2 of the County Code with the assistance of County Counsel and to schedule the amended department fee schedule for adoption by the Board of Supervisors;
5. Request the Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Conservation and Development to monitor the activities of public agencies that propose projects near County waterways that could increase the exposure of the public to navigational hazards; and
6. SUPPORT Assembly Bill 166 which will streamline the abatement process for abandoned vessels through a pilot program that authorizes the sale of surrendered vessels prior to their potential or eventual abandonment, and REQUEST an amendment to allow collection of a hazardous waste disposal fee on each boat purchase to augment the AWAF as recommended by the Transportation Water and Infrastructure Committee.
FISCAL IMPACT:
NONE to the General Fund. The recommendations can be implemented within existing adopted budgets.
BACKGROUND:
On August 19, 2008, the Board of Supervisors reviewed the Grand Jury recommendation on Aquatic Junkyards and requested affected County staff to report to the Transportation Water and Infrastructure (TWI) Committee on implementing the County's response to the Grand Jury Recommendations 2 and 3 (refer to page 4-18 and 4-19 of Exhibit A). Interested County staff subsequently formed a working group that met several times. Their findings and recommendations were included in a report (see Exhibit A).
On February 19, the TWI Committee (Supervisor Glover was unable to attend) reviewed the report. The Committee adopted the recommendations of the working group with the following changes:
Recommendation #4 from the working group was revised to be consistent with the provisions of the Contra Costa County code. The Committee recommends that the Board adopt the amended department fee schedule. Adoption of a fee schedule will inform boat owners that if the owner of an abandoned vessel is discovered, the County has the ability to recover specific costs for abatement from that owner.
Recommendation #6 from the working group was amended to request that the bill’s sponsor consider including a hazardous waste disposal fee on each boat purchase to augment the Abandoned Watercraft Abatement Fund. Abandoned marine vessels frequently contain hazardous substances that reduce water quality. Removal and disposal of hazardous substances from abandoned marine vessels is expensive. To help fund abatement efforts, a fee should be added to the purchase price of any boat designed to carry hazardous substances.
The Sheriff is currently monitoring a proposal by the State Lands Commission to seek legislation that will streamline the Commission's process for abatement of abandoned marine vessels on state lands. The TWI Committee will review this proposal at its meeting in March. The TWI Committee also wishes to inform the Board’s Legislation Committee on the legislative matters contained in this report.