Be prepared for sticker shock with the receipt of this month’s city utility bill. As of March 1, rate increases for both sewer and refuse have been approved, following last year’s increase to the local water rate.
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City to seek public input on rate hike
The city will soon be looking for public input into a pair of proposed utility rate increases, one for refuse (garbage) pick-up and another for the local sewer rate. The issue was discussed last week, when the city council received an enterprise funds report from IGService, the same company that prepared the rate increase report for the water department portion of the city utility bill last year.
City’s Capital Projects
The city council was able to get a first look at a five-year capital projects spending plan, presented last week by city staff. The multi-page document included $7.4 million in projects for the 2017-18 fiscal year.
Council discusses marijuana
Not quite hopping on the bandwagon, the City of Corcoran is taking a measured approach when it comes to allowing legalized cannabis businesses. The city is also moving forward on a policy process to cover the personal cultivation of recreational marijuana within its boundaries.
City alerted to mosquitoes
It’s bad enough that Kings County has already reported its first human case of West Nile Virus this year. The mosquito-borne virus has alerted residents to watch for any standing water hazards around their properties. However, there’s more cause for concern. The Kings County Mosquito Abatement Authority has now reported that its first detection of Aedes aegypti has been captured in the county—three adult mosquitoes collected from the City of Corcoran. This mosquito is not native to California, but has established itself in Fresno, Clovis, Madera and throughout portions of Southern California.
CDCR accepting public input
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has begun accepting public comments on the Proposition 57 regulations, a bill recently approved by voters to—as proposed—enhance public safety, stop the revolving door of crime by emphasizing rehabilitation and prevent federal courts from indiscriminately releasing inmates.
Current city watering schedule
The Journal got the watering schedule wrong in last week’s paper. A two-day watering pattern was put in place early in the year in 2016; however, when the state’s department of water resources reduced the amount of water the City of Corcoran was required to serve, the city council adjusted the watering schedule in the spring of 2016.
Levee updates
Work on the Cross Creek Levee is about 75 percent complete and it appears a relatively cool beginning of spring may well have helped the city of Corcoran dodge a bullet. Unless the weather heats up rapidly, it now appears the town could be safe from catastrophic flooding.
History of Bliss Castle
This first story recounts the background of Corcoran’s castle, also originally known as the Bliss House, located on S. Dairy Ave. The article was first printed in the Nov. 3, 1977, edition of The Corcoran Journal.
–Rupert Brooke 1887-1915
City finalizes HSR land deal
The City of Corcoran and the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) have finalized a land deal that will deliver the city $630,000. In exchange, the authority gains parcels and rights of way it needs to complete its Fresno to Bakersfield portion of track.