Undergrounding of utilities moves forward, short-term rental permits and grant application

Undergrounding of Valley Blvd. utilities moves forward

At their February 7 meeting, the Tehachapi City Council adopted a resolution that created an Underground Utility District. Development Services Director Jay Schlosser said this is the next necessary step in preparing for relocating the overhead utilities along Valley Boulevard between Las Colinas Street and Curry Street to underground and removing the existing telephone poles. The City Council approved the project on January 18 following a public hearing where residents had the opportunity to make comments or express any concerns. Schlosser added that the County of Kern had already approved their $4.3 million contribution to the project.

Short-term rental permits

Schlosser also presented a Short-term Rental Permit Fee to the City Council for approval. A short-term rental is any unit that is rented for less than 30 days. This includes the now popular Airbnbs that have also been recently approved by the city. The fee of $227 is designed to match the city’s expenses for providing the services of licensing and annual inspection. This license will apply to room rentals as well as entire residences.

Grant application

Assistant City Manager Corey Costelloe asked the council to approve an application for CalRecycle’s SB1383 Local Grant Assistance Program. This $20,000 non-competitive grant has been allocated to California cities to assist with the funding for educational materials and administrative costs that will be associated with the city’s compliance with the food rescue program required by the state of California. The council unanimously approved the application.

City Manager Greg Garrett introduced the city’s new Director of Finance Hamed Jones. Jones will be replacing Hannah Chung who recently retired (see companion article on page 13).

The Tehachapi City Council meets on the first and third Monday of the month at 6 p.m. They are currently meeting at the Police Department Community Room, 220 W. C St.