The R-C Morning Report

Today would be a busy day for Douglas County commissioners if they didn't have a business tax hearing on top of the rest of their business. Two ballot initiatives, one to enact the a growth ordinance and another to establish a new weight limit at the airport are on the agenda. Add to that an hour-long discussion of the airport master plan and another hour talking about the budget and the state of the county and commissioners will be earning their pay. The regular meeting starts at 1 p.m. The business license won't be on the agenda until after 5 p.m.

Also on commissioners agenda today is a request by the chamber for $10,000 for Magiko and a $20,000 landscaping study for the northern Highway 395 corridor. Whatever the benefits of these two items, not spending the money would put the county 5 percent closer to making its budget goals without a business tax. I'm not sure I'd be spending $79,300 for a study to develop a transportation impact fee, which was approved by commissioners in December.

It will be far too nice a day today to be stuck inside at a commission meeting or to put a newspaper to bed, and yet there we all will be, doing our duty. The National Weather Service says the high will be 57. I think they may be sandbagging a bit. I'm betting 62 at least. The temperature in Minden is 17 degrees before dawn.

The Weather Service got their precipitation table filled out and while not great, the snowpack looks all right. Ebbetts Pass is at 89 percent of average, Monitor Pass at 105 percent and Poison Flat at 85 percent. We've already exceeded last water year if we don't get another drop with a basin average of 54 percent and some places, such as Monitor pass at 65 percent for the year. A couple of nice March and April snows could put us over the top.