YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 16, No. 20
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Pink slips final for district teachers
Psyching out the competition
A
nthony Fehr, 8, had a message for his competitors written on his back during last week’s Discovery Bay River Otters swim meet against the Antioch Delta Skimmers in Pittsburg. Both teams swam well, but the River Otters brought home the win, scoring 351 points to the Skimmer’s 195. The River Otters have a busy season ahead with eight more meets scheduled before their Championship League meet in July. This Saturday, the team will go up against the Tracy Tritons in Tracy. Go River Otters!
by Aly Brown Staff Writer
The Byron Union School District (BUSD) Board met this week to finalize staffing decisions, and the five teacher positions in jeopardy of elimination were not reinstated. In February this year, the board made the decision to adopt a resolution that would decrease certificated staff or reduce or eliminate services. By March 15, five teachers in the BUSD were given pink slips, indicating that their positions
What’s Good For The Goose
An injured gosling named Stumpie finds a safe haven, new home with local couple. Page 5
A Super Hero, Special Day
Lions Club welcomes specialneeds families at annual De Luna Ranch event. Page 10
Photo by Dawnmarie Fehr
see Teachers page 34
May 18, 2018
Fire district may increase fees for medical aid Tracking “ In the time since the original ordinance was
by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) Board may increase its fees for providing medical aid to offset growing labor and equipment costs. The yet-to-be-approved changes would alter the fee from $337 per incident to $289.07 for the first half-hour and $263.37 for each subsequent half-hour the district spends giving aid. The current fee is charged to most people receiving medical aid from district firefighters. “In the time since the original ordinance was adopted, the district has experienced increased labor costs and gained greater insight into the cost of
adopted, the district has experienced increased labor costs and gained greater insight into the cost of wear and tear on district equipment.
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Brian Helmick, ECCFPD fire chief wear and tear on district equipment,” said Fire Chief Brian Helmick, who noted that the current fee structure is falling short of expectations. The district initially budgeted $190,000 in projected revenues from the fee for the 2017-2018 fiscal year, but it has actually garnered less than $50,000, Helmick said. This lower-than-anticipated return can be attributed to several factors, including de-
layed implementation of the program and a smaller number of billings than was anticipated, Helmick said. The ECCFPD also doesn’t collect fees on calls handled by mutual or automatic aid resources. The district adopted the fee in February 2016 but has only been actively collecting for about 11 months, due in large part to a strenuous implementation process, Helmick said. “The process for imple-
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menting the fee collection was quite involved and required significant staff work and coordination with the district’s vendor for invoicing and collections,” Helmick said. Thus far, the proposed rate hike has been met with mixed reactions. Board member Steve Smith said he’s in favor of the proposed increase, because it proves to the public that the district is trying to solve its financial problems. The district has dropped from eight stations in 2008 to three today. “It’s a little disappointing about the (income from fees) coming in, but the principle here has been to show the public we are trying everything we can (to help the financially see Aid page 34
Cannibis Tax
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Tax revenue from the cannabis industry totaled $60.9 million since January.
BVAL Stars
East County track teams finish regular season in league championship. Page 23 Calendar................................35 Classifieds.............................29 Cop Logs................................33 Entertainment.....................10 Food........................................11 Kid Scoop ...............................9 Milestones............................13 Opinion..................................22 Pets...........................................8 Sports.....................................23
Par Avion
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Postal service marks 100th anniversary of air mail with new stamp.