Livermore residents ask Humboldt County for help with $103,000 pool filter; board agrees to review recycling allocation

Billy Scott, a Livermore resident, asked the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors for financial help to replace a pool filtration system that he said would cost about $103,000.

Scott told the board the pool serves local residents and draws visitors on hot days and that Livermore typically receives small annual county assistance for pool operations. "We're looking at a $103,000," Scott said, asking the board to consider additional support beyond the $1,600 the town has typically received in recent years.

The request came during the meeting's public-comments portion and was followed by a lengthy board discussion about the county's recycling program and how distribution of that program's funds has been handled for decades.

Scott and another Livermore speaker, identified in the record as Eric, described local fundraising efforts, including silent auctions and a longstanding can-bin program, and said the pool can draw about 100 people on very hot days. They also noted ongoing maintenance needs for the pool building, which they said dates to the 1970s.

Supervisors and staff described the county's existing practice of distributing recycling-related funds and said the program dates back to the late 1990s. Board members said the City of Humboldt receives the largest share because it hosts centralized recycling bins and historically had a central grocery and drop-off location. Meeting remarks indicated the county divides roughly $15,500 among participating communities, with about $11,000 going to the City of Humboldt and smaller amounts earmarked for towns such as Livermore, which Scott said received about $400 in recent years.

Board members and staff said the county does not currently receive direct revenue from mixed recycling collections; mixed recyclables incur processing charges while strictly cardboard collections are baled and sold when market conditions permit. Meeting discussion cited an estimated landfill avoidance savings of nearly $10,000 last year due to the county's recycling activity and mentioned landfill tipping fees in the range of $42 to $45 per ton.

Supervisors said the county will review the recycling-distribution method during the upcoming budget workshop and consider options such as reallocating funds on a per-capita basis or shifting money to communities that operate local recycling trailers. No formal funding decision for the Livermore pool was made during the meeting. A county official told Scott the board would try to help within the constraints of a tight budget.

The board also encouraged the pool group to pursue other grant and fundraising options already underway, including a community betterment grant application that is decided at a separate meeting.

The board did not take a vote on pool funding at the meeting but agreed to reexamine the recycling allocation formula during budget deliberations.