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173
C ALI FORN IA’S OLDE ST NE W SPAPER
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VOLUME 173 • ISSUE 31 | $1.00
mtdemocrat.com
MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2024
Grand Jury finds pilots at Placerville revenues risk at Georgetown Airport take a minor hit in
MIDYEAR BUDGET REVIEW
new projections
Eric Jaramishian Staff writer
In its recent investigation the El Dorado County Grand Jury took a dive into safety concerns at the Georgetown Airport. The 2023-24 Grand Jury Report found the county-run airport has “significant overgrowth” of trees in the surrounding area, creating a hazard and “potentially catastrophic risk” to pilots. The report claims the county has been made aware of vegetation issues since 2013 and the airport has been operating out of compliance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations and Caltrans’ State Airport Permit. Specifically trees south of the airport’s Runway 35, near Runway 17 and the west side of the airport have been identified as hazards for pilots. Reports of pilots “clipping trees” are spelled out in the report. One pilot within the last year was unaware he ■ See AIRPORT, page A6
Odin Rasco Staff writer
Courtesy photos
A photo of Georgetown Airport in Georgetown taken in November 2023 shows tall trees at the end of Runway 17 that make taking off “an ominous task” for pilots.
A comparison of Placerville’s 2023-24 budget against recently updated projections show the city has seen a slight drop in revenues, city Director of Finance Dave Warren explained to the City Council Tuesday. “Tonight’s report is to look at two primary questions — how is the local economy doing and is the city living within its means?” Warren asked at the start of the midyear review. Though certain projections fell short of their marks and the economy as a whole shows signs of slowing, the city is set to close the financial year with a slightly smaller budget than planned. By some metrics Placerville has shown resiliency that outpaces the state. Though the city’s unemployment rate floats slightly higher than prepandemic figures at 3.6%, the rate remains lower than the state at 5.1% or the county at 4.4%. The city also outperforms the state in terms of sales tax revenue, ranking 37 out of 539 agencies in 2022. Considering the Bradley-Burns Sales Tax is, according to Warren, the most significant economic indicator, Placerville outperforming the state is good news — the tax accounts for 58.18% of total General Fund revenue. Despite this silver lining, revenues have seen a significant downward trend in the last two financial quarters in 2023, showing an overall cooling of the local economy. Adding to the general trend, the closure of Rite Aid on Placerville Drive and the upcoming closure of Office Max on Forni Road will mean an estimated $84,000 drop in Bradley-Burns and add-on tax revenue annually. However, Warren expects this loss will not be an issue in the long term. “We have some new businesses coming into town,
The El Dorado County-operated Georgetown Airport is seen from a bird’s eye view.
■ See BUDGET, page A3
Think before tossing your e-waste in the trash Noel Stack Managing editor
PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
El Dorado Disposal asks residents to properly dispose of batteries and electronic waste as failure to do so could have fiery consequences. In a six-month period the local trash hauler has reported seven truck
fires with lithium-ion batteries and laptop batteries as sources of ignition, among other ignitable materials disposed of in both recycle and trash carts. “Electronic goods continue to infuse the market as cleaner, more eco-friendly initiatives continue to gain momentum, and it is no fault of the consumer for choosing battery operated goods,”
EDH firefighters douse burning garbage after it caught fire due to improper disposal of e-waste — one of several incidents over the last six months, according to El Dorado Disposal officials.
noted Chris Brown, El Dorado Disposal district manager. “The problem is that consumers don’t understand what they need to do with the batteries once they don’t work anymore and our industry suffers from the confusion. “Batteries and electronic waste of any type cannot be disposed of in any of the
Courtesy photo
■ See EWASTE, page A6
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