Local Group Alleges Brown Act Violations Over Supervisor’s Decision To Suspend Impact Fees

The group behind the recall effort against Shasta County Supervisor Kevin Crye has issued a “cease and desist” order concerning the board’s decision last week to suspend new development impact fees. Shasta Citizens for Stable Governance alleges violations of the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law that prohibits members from discussing agenda items in private among themselves. The allegation is based on statements made by Crye, which the group construed as acknowledgment that the impact fee issue had been discussed months ago, along with discussions about Crye ascending to the chairmanship. The board voted 3 to 2 at their last meeting to suspend all new development impact fees. Crye argued that the fees are based on an outdated study that overestimated a projection of population growth. Since 2008 the fees have provided $8.7 Million in funding for projects which otherwise would be paid for by the General Fund. Supervisors Mary Rickert and Tim Garmin urged the board to do more research before eliminating the funding source, but they were voted down by the majority. The elimination of the fees will purportedly save Patrick Jones around $20,000 on the construction of his proposed gun range.