Supervisors to fill non-contested election seats

Several elected positions in the county will be filled by the Tulare County Board of Supervisors today in lieu of election because only the required number of candidates filed for the positions and were unopposed in Tuesday’s election.

In the Porterville and Lindsay areas, David Eshelman, John Milwee, Jason Otter and Larry Marcottee will be appointed to the Springville Memorial District board; and Greg McQueen, Rachel Hill and Roberta Valasquez will be appointed to the Lindsay Hospital District.

In other matters before the board today, the supervisors will considering approving amendments to the Joint Powers Agreement with cities covering the Regional Transportation Impact Fee Program the county is proposing.

The agreement would put in place an impact fee in cities to help pay for road improvements in the county. However, it does not cover the impact fee for county facilities. That impact fee is opposed by some cities, including the city of Porterville.

The board will also consider beginning engineering work to install a traffic signal at Leggett Street and Date Avenue (Avenue 148 and Road 256) in East Porterville. Construction on the light is scheduled to begin next year and the four-way traffic signal will replace two-way stop signs now there.

The board will also consider approving a funding agreement with the state Department of Public Health for $691,000 to complete a feasibility study to develop a domestic water system for the communities of Seville and Yettem.

Seville is one of several small unincorporated communities in the county with contaminated drinking water.