Courts site bid is timely, proper

Dangle a $211 million carrot - the proposed cost of a state-owned building large enough to house 14 courtrooms, offices for judges, bailiffs, court clerks, jury assembly and deliberation rooms, safety corridors, holding cells, marshals, court reporters and all the rest - and someone is bound to reach for it.

That was the case last week when the Anderson City Council deliberated for more than an hour on whether City Manager Scott Morgan should submit a site proposal to the Judicial Council of California's Administrative Office of the Courts.

Our Page 1 story and photo provide additional details on the result of this debate as well as the reactions that the council's decision is starting to bring to the surface.

It was heartening to see such open and frank discussions among five elected representatives, their appointed city manager and his staff as the questions and concerns of at least two council members - former Mayor Keith Webster and the newly elected Melissa Hunt - were presented, answered and effectively countered.

In a nutshell, Webster is concerned that once a state-owned county courthouse is built, the facility becomes a drain on city services since there are no property taxes paid. Webster would rather see the land in question developed by retailers that would not only pay property taxes but also generate sales tax revenues as well.

Hunt's often rambling concerns were not as clearly stated nor defined, but included laments for the welfare of a neighboring business - the Gaia Anderson Hotel, Spa and Restaurant - whose ground-level banner would be obscured by any development on the 13.1 acres that sit between its fence and Interstate 5. She was concerned as well with the influx of people and vehicles that a county courthouse would bring to the Anderson area on a daily basis.

At one point, Hunt's repeated appeals to consider the financial impacts on Redding and Shasta County prompted Vice Mayor Norma Comnick to ask Hunt which group of constituents was she elected to serve, a question that drew no response from Hunt.

The other council members patiently waited, without interruption, while first Webster and then Hunt presented their respective cases, asked questions of staff and stated their opinions in opposition.

Yarbrough made a short statement favoring the proposal.

However, when Mayor Butch Schaefer, who also works in the existing Shasta County Courthouse in Redding, took his turn in defending the project and making his case that such a development would, in the long run, be good for Anderson as well as Shasta County, Hunt repeatedly interrupted him with counter arguments that she had previously stated ad nauseam.

Schaefer deserves a pat on the back and hearty kudos for holding his cool and biting his tongue despite the lateness of the hour and the multiple times that Hunt attempted to derail his brief remarks.

All in all, it was a fine example of democracy in action, with everyone stating an opinion and a close vote in which the majority prevailed.

Today's editorial cartoon should in no way be looked upon as derogatory toward Mayor Butch Schaefer or anyone else on the council. Rather, it salutes a rare breed of community leader who openly and without fear expresses his or her opinion on a controversial topic.

Ultimately, it is the state's judicial council administrative office that will make the final choice of whether to accept the Anderson proposal or one of two other sites put forward by Shasta County and the City of Redding.

Meanwhile, South County residents can hold their heads up high and without an ounce of shame. At age 53, the City of Anderson is no longer going to sit idly and let opportunities like this go by without at least taking a chance and reaching out for the dangling carrot. Anderson is ready and willing to step up to the plate and take a swing.

Who knows. Anderson might even hit a round-the-bases home run!