Placer County Officials Suspend Generator Permit Fees To Ease Burden Of Power Shutoffs
AUBURN (CBS13) – The Placer County Board of Supervisors listened to residents and approved a measure to suspend permit fees for the connection of portable and permanent generators.
Rural Auburn resident Lynell Ross showed CBS13 where she's storing generators in her barn until the next round of emergency power shutoffs.
To be on the safe side, she purchased two at $500 apiece. She says she's one of the lucky ones.
"There's so many people that can't afford to run out and get a $500 generator. So any help that they can get is wonderful," Ross aid.
The Placer County Board of Supervisors has been listening. Jim Holmes, the Supervisor for District 3, says waiving the $275 permit fee for the installation and connection of generators gives residents in unincorporated areas peace of mind.
"We can't control how much the electrician costs, we can't control how much the generators cost, but every little bit helps," Holmes said. "They still have to apply for a permit but we'll waive that fee to lessen the burden on them trying to get alternative electricity."
All work still requires inspection and fees will be waived until July 2020.
The county says it's not only economical for most people, but also prevents accidents from those people who try to install generators on their own.
"It's a real fire threat. Someone could get electrocuted," Holmes said.
From the kitchen of her sprawling home, Ross says her family paid a heavy price during the outages.
"I was nervous to have anything over three or four days – even vegetables, mayonnaise, large containers of condiments milk. All those things just chucked it," Ross said.
Supervisor Holmes believes, with fees waived, people will be encouraged to have them installed safely.
"This is a critical issue. People have to have the comfort of making sure it's done properly for public safety, for fire threat, and just individual responsibility," Holmes said.
During the outages, generators were in short supply. Now, shelves are fully stocked.