HomeMy WebLinkAboutChapter 07 - Public ServicesChapter 7: Public Services
Final Draft August 8, 2005
Butte County General Plan Background Report
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CHAPTER 7: PUBLIC SERVICES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
7.1 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................................3
7.2 GENERAL GOVERNMENT...............................................................................................................................3
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ...........................................................................................................................................3
CITY COUNCILS .........................................................................................................................................................3
COUNTY GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION ...................................................................................................................3
Chief Administrative Officer................................................................................................................................3
General Government............................................................................................................................................4
Assessor............................................................................................................................................................................4
Auditor-Controller............................................................................................................................................................4
Treasurer-Tax Collector....................................................................................................................................................4
Human Resources Department..........................................................................................................................................4
County Counsel.................................................................................................................................................................4
Agricultural Commissioner...............................................................................................................................................4
Public Guardian/Public Administrator..............................................................................................................................5
Water and Resource Conservation Department...................................................................................................5
Department of Development Services..................................................................................................................5
Planning Division..............................................................................................................................................................5
Building Division..............................................................................................................................................................5
Public Works........................................................................................................................................................6
Public Works Department.................................................................................................................................................6
Public Protection.................................................................................................................................................6
Sheriff-Coroner.................................................................................................................................................................6
District Attorney...............................................................................................................................................................6
County Clerk-Recorder.....................................................................................................................................................6
Grand Jury ........................................................................................................................................................................6
Fire....................................................................................................................................................................................7
Public Defender ................................................................................................................................................................7
Probation...........................................................................................................................................................................7
Animal Control.................................................................................................................................................................7
Public Assistance.................................................................................................................................................8
Public Health.......................................................................................................................................................8
Public Health.....................................................................................................................................................................8
Behavioral Health.............................................................................................................................................................8
Education.............................................................................................................................................................8
Library..............................................................................................................................................................................8
Farm and Home Advisor...................................................................................................................................................9
7.3 FIRE PROTECTION............................................................................................................................................9
BUTTE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT ..........................................................................................................................9
Service..................................................................................................................................................................9
Aid Agreements..................................................................................................................................................10
Volunteer Fire Companies.................................................................................................................................10
Organization......................................................................................................................................................11
BCFD/CDF........................................................................................................................................................12
EL MEDIO FIRE DISTRICT ........................................................................................................................................13
FIRE RATING............................................................................................................................................................13
7.4 LAW ENFORCEMENT.....................................................................................................................................13
BUTTE COUNTY SHERIFF .........................................................................................................................................13
Service................................................................................................................................................................13
CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL ..............................................................................................................................14
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Service................................................................................................................................................................14
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME ......................................................................................................14
Service................................................................................................................................................................14
7.5 EDUCATION.......................................................................................................................................................15
BUTTE COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION ..................................................................................................................15
BUTTE COLLEGE......................................................................................................................................................15
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY – CHICO ...............................................................................................................16
BUTTE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS........................................................................................................................16
Bangor Union Elementary School District ........................................................................................................17
Biggs Unified School District.............................................................................................................................17
Chico Unified School District............................................................................................................................18
Durham Unified School District ........................................................................................................................19
Feather Falls Union School District..................................................................................................................19
Golden Feather Union School District ..............................................................................................................19
Gridley Union School District ...........................................................................................................................20
Manzanita School District..................................................................................................................................20
Oroville Elementary School District..................................................................................................................21
Oroville Union High School District .................................................................................................................21
Palermo Union School District..........................................................................................................................22
Paradise Unified School District.......................................................................................................................22
Pioneer Union School District...........................................................................................................................23
Thermalito Union Elementary School District...................................................................................................23
7.6 BUTTE COUNTY LIBRARY ............................................................................................................................23
ORGANIZATION .......................................................................................................................................................23
SERVICES .................................................................................................................................................................24
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 7-1 FIRE STATIONS IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS OF BUTTE COUNTY .......................................................11
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7.1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter describes the status and adequacy of existing public services, service levels, and
capital facilities provided by Butte County. It discusses fire protection, law enforcement, schools,
and other general government services.
7.2 GENERAL GOVERNMENT
Board of Supervisors
According to the 1911 Home Rule Amendment of the California Constitution, Butte County is a
charter county dating to 1917. It was founded in 1850 and is one of the original 27 counties in
California. A five-member Board of Supervisors who are elected by district to staggered four-
year terms governs the county. The Board exercises the legislative, administrative, and appellate
powers prescribed to it by the California Constitution and Statutes as well as the Butte County
Charter. The Board appoints the Chief Administrative Officer and all department heads with the
exception of the Chief Probation Officer and those who are elected by the citizens of the county.
The Board adopts the county budget and sets the levels of services for county appropriations
under its control. The Board also serves as the governing body of a number of special districts
with individual members serving on intergovernmental committees, commissions, and policy
making bodies.
City Councils
Within Butte County, individual city councils govern the five chartered or general use cities: the
Cities of Biggs, Chico, Gridley, Oroville, and the Town of Paradise. There are also a number of
joint city and county boards, commissions, and committees that are responsible for issues that
affect cities and the unincorporated areas of county, including airports, public transit, and waste
management.
County Government Organization
The Butte County government is organized into seven major functional areas: General
Government, Development Services, Public Works, Public Protection, Public Assistance, Public
Health, and Education. This organization is summarized below.
Chief Administrative Officer
The Administrative Officer is the appointed chief executive of the County and is responsible to
the Board for the proper and efficient administration of all county offices, departments,
institutions, and special districts that are under the Board’s jurisdiction. The Administrator
prepares the recommended County budget and is responsible for overseeing central services,
purchasing, veterans services, and building maintenance, in addition to administering contract
services such as data processing and the public defender.
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General Government
Assessor
The Assessor oversees a department that is responsible for determining the value of residential,
industrial, commercial, and personal property for tax purposes. The valuation of public utility
property is the responsibility of the State Board of Equalization.
Auditor-Controller
The elected Auditor-Controller is the chief accounting officer of the county. The responsibilities
of this office include the accounting of county revenues, expenditures, assets, liabilities, and fund
balances. In addition, this office provides accurate and timely financial information to the Board
of Supervisors, other county offices, and county residents.
Treasurer-Tax Collector
The elected Treasurer-Tax Collector is responsible for taxing, collecting, and controlling county
funds. This office is composed of three divisions: treasury, which invests and safeguards county
and school district funds; tax collection, which bills, collects, and processes the county property
taxes; and central collections, which collects funds for most departments within the county. In
addition, this office acts as the tax collector for all cities, school districts, and special districts
within the county.
Human Resources Department
The Human Resources Department recruits, examines, and certifies qualified employees for
County departments. In this capacity, the Human Resources Department provides human
resource services, including compensation and employee benefits and administration of
employee relations. The Human Resources Department also provides a program of personnel
services to all County departments.
County Counsel
The County Counsel serves as the civil attorney to the Board of Supervisors and other County
officers, boards, commissions, committees, and County departments. The Counsel is responsible
for advice on legal matters, written legal opinions, review of County contracts, personnel
hearings and arbitrations, overseeing litigation, and represents the County in administrative
hearings and litigation. The Counsel is appointed for a four-year term.
Agricultural Commissioner
The appointed Agricultural Commissioner enforces the agricultural laws and regulations
established by the California Food and Agricultural Code. The Commissioner inspects seeds and
plants, detects and manages pests, prepares crop statistics, inspects nurseries, and controls
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predatory animals. The Commissioner works with and under the guidance of the California
Department of Food and Agriculture. In addition, the Agricultural Commissioner also serves as
the Sealer of Weights and Measures and is responsible for the inspection of scales, and the
quantity control of items sold by weight, measures, or count. Since 1996 the Commissioner also
handles a Water Division staff to handle and process requests for water transfer.
Public Guardian/Public Administrator
This department serves in a dual capacity to meet the needs of the living and to provide for the
disposition of the dead. The Public Guardian is responsible for the investigation, establishment,
and case management of all persons and their estates which are referred by public and private
agencies, according to the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act for conservatorship of the mentally
disabled. The Public Administrator investigates facts about deceased persons and the disposition
of their estate for those persons who are intestate or without known heirs.
Water and Resource Conservation Department
Butte County’s Department of Water and Resource Conservation was formed on July 1, 1999
and hired its first Director on August 23, 1999. The Department is involved in a wide range of
activities, including: providing support to the Butte County Water Commission in the
implementation of Chapter 33 of the Butte County Code’s Groundwater Protection Ordinance,
including the development of the well monitoring grid for avoiding third-party impacts;
management of Butte County’s State Water Project entitlement of 27,500 acre-feet, and the
contract with the California Department of Water Resources (including the County’s contracts
with Del Oro Water Company and California Water Service Company); the inventory and
analysis of Butte County’s water resources, including supplies and demands for urban,
agricultural and environmental water now and in the future; participation in watershed activities
including the Butte Creek Watershed Conservancy Technical Advisory Committee, and the Little
Chico Creek watershed study with California State University-Chico; participation in watershed
activities including the Butte Creek Watershed Conservancy Technical Advisory Committee, and
the Little Chico Creek watershed study with California State University-Chico.
Department of Development Services
Planning Division
The Planning Division prepares plans for the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors
to review. These plans concern the physical development of the county. The division administers
the policies and implementation programs of the approved plans and is responsible for the
support of the Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC).
Building Division
The Building Division enforces the provisions of the California Building Standards Code
pertaining to the erection, construction, reconstruction, movement, enlargement, conversion,
alteration, repair, removal, or demolition of all structures as mandated by state law. Additionally,
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the Building Division enforces Title 25 requirements for the installation of utilities and mobile
homes within the unincorporated areas of Butte County.
Public Works
Public Works Department
The Public Works Department is responsible for constructing, operating, and maintaining county
roads and bridges. The Department is also responsible for the county public transit system. These
services include administration, mapping, engineering, construction, and transportation planning.
In addition, the Department supervises several public works areas, including land development,
county service areas, refuse disposal, and county lighting districts.
Public Protection
Sheriff-Coroner
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) is responsible for law enforcement, criminal
investigation, marijuana eradication and crime prevention in the unincorporated areas of the
county. Additionally, BCSO operates the county jail, serves civil process and acts as bailiffs for
the county court system. The BCSO also functions as the county Coroner, and investigates all
violent deaths and deaths where there is no certified cause. A full description of BCSO
operations appears below.
District Attorney
The elected District Attorney serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the county and acts
as the public prosecutor for all criminal violations of state and county laws and ordinances. In
addition, the District Attorney operates a family support division that enforces child and family
support obligations; investigates and prosecutes criminal child abuse; operates a welfare fraud
unit to investigate welfare and public assistance fraud; and provides enforcement of
environmental health, planning, and building code violations.
County Clerk-Recorder
The elected County Clerk serves as ex-officio clerk of the superior court, and files all civil,
criminal, probate, and juvenile cases, takes minutes, and schedules court proceedings. In
addition, the clerk registers voters, conducts elections, records vital statistics and real estate
documents, issues certain licenses, maintains files on corporate and fictitious business names,
and acts as the commissioner of civil marriages.
Grand Jury
The Grand Jury is a body of 19 electors who are selected annually from a panel of prospective
jurors by the Superior Court. The Grand Jury hears evidence on criminal matters presented by
the District Attorney and judges if there is sufficient evidence to present an indictment to the
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Superior Court. The Grand Jury also investigates the operation, accounts, and records of the
County departments and inquires into misconduct by any public office within the county.
Fire
Through a cooperative agreement with the County, the California Department of Forestry and
Fire Protection (CDF) operates the Butte County Fire Department. Under the terms of the
agreement, the County provides funds for the CDF professional command and fire-fighting staff,
and directly funds the operating expenses of the Fire Department. The Fire Department provides
structural and wildland fire control, emergency medical service, training, dispatch, and fire
protection services to the entire county, with the exception of Chico, Oroville, Paradise and the
El Medio Fire Protection District near Oroville. The Fire Department is staffed by full-time CDF
officers and fire fighters who are supported by a large force of volunteer fire fighters. Currently
in 2003 CDF and BCFD, fully or cooperatively, maintains 48 fire stations and support facilities
located throughout the county. The CDF and BCFD also maintain a fleet of fire fighting
equipment in Butte County, including engines, aircraft, squads/rescues, bulldozers, water
tenders, hazardous materials units and heavy rescue vehicles. In addition, the CDF operates five
seasonal stations and an air attack base within the county. During the declared fire season, the
U.S. Forest Service provides wildland fire protection in the Plumas and Lassen National Forests.
Public Defender
The Public Defender offers legal counsel to those citizens who have been charged with a
criminal offense and who are unable to provide for their own legal defense, as required by state
and federal requirements. The court appoints the Public Defender at the request of the defendant
or of the court. The county contracts with a consortium of private attorneys in the area to provide
these legal services.
Probation
The Probation Department provides mandated and discretionary probation services to the adult
and juvenile courts in the county. These services include investigations, sentence
recommendations, supervision of persons placed on probation, and the administration of several
programs, including victim witness program, the school dropout prevention program, and
juvenile hall. The Department operates under the direction of the Chief Probation Officer who is
appointed by the Superior Court.
Animal Control
The Animal Control Department provides services, as required by state and county laws, to
control the spread of rabies within the county. These services include animal licensure,
investigation of bites, and the quarantine of animals.
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Public Assistance
Employment and Social Services Department
The Employment and Social Services Department administers federal, state, and county funded
public assistance and social welfare programs. These programs include Aid to Families with
Dependent Children; Food Stamps; Medi-Cal; Independent Living Program; Domestic Violence;
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment; In-Home Support Services; and the County general
relief program. The Employment and Social Services Department is also in charge of the federal
“Welfare to Work” program and was responsible for its implementation by the year 2000.
Public Health
Public Health
The Public Health Department administers public health programs to promote individual,
community, and environmental health within the county. These public health programs include
county medical services; chronic disease control; maternal and child health; dental health;
communicable disease control; health services for the elderly; emergency and disaster services;
nursing field services; and health education. The environmental health programs provide services
that monitor food, housing and institutions, solid waste, water supply, and hazardous materials
within the county.
Behavioral Health
The Behavioral Health Department provides a comprehensive range of mental health related
treatment and prevention services to the county. These services include a psychiatric health
facility, skilled nursing facilities, residential treatment facilities, outpatient services, individual
and group therapy and counseling, administration services for the chronically mentally ill, and
community outreach services, including consultation and education. The Department is also
responsible for administering an alcohol and drug services program that includes prevention,
education, intervention, treatment, and recovery services.
Education
Library
The Butte County Library provides library services to county residents through a consolidated
operation from its headquarters in Oroville and branches in Biggs, Chico, Durham, Gridley and
Paradise. The library offers basic services for adults and limited programming for children. In
addition, the library operates the local California Literacy Campaign. See below for a full
description of the library.
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Farm and Home Advisor
This department provides educational and advisory services in agriculture, floriculture, and home
economics to county residents, and sponsors the local 4-H club. The department operates through
an agreement with the University of California Cooperative Extension.
7.3 FIRE PROTECTION
Butte County Fire Department
Since 1931, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) has provided fire
protection services through an annual cooperative agreement with the County. Under the terms
of this agreement, the County funds CDF professional command, fire-fighting, and
administrative staff to operate the Butte County Fire Department (BCFD). In addition, the
County provides funds for operating expenses, stations, equipment, and maintenance for the
BCFD. Through this arrangement, the CDF and the BCFD function together as a fully
consolidated fire protection agency and provide the most cost-effective fire protection service for
Butte County.
Service
The BCFD provides emergency services to all of Butte County, protecting over 1,600 square
miles, several municipalities, and an unincorporated population of over 108,000 residents.
Within the county, only the Cities of Chico, Oroville, the Town of Paradise, and the El Medio
Fire Protection District have independent fire departments.
The BCFD services include fire control for structural, wildland and vehicular fires, emergency
medical service, including water and heavy rescues, hazardous materials response, flood control
assistance, fire prevention and education, fire law enforcement, and vegetation management. In
addition, the BCFD operates countywide dispatch services, coordinates major emergency
response teams within the county, and provides training for the local volunteer fire companies.
In 2002 BCFD responded to 15,593 calls for service, more than half of which were for traffic
collisions, rescues, and medical aids. BCFD also responded to 1,023 fires, 470 of which were
wildland fires. In 2002 the BCFD responded 91 times to incidents involving chemicals or
suspected chemicals. Other responses, such as general assists to the public, fireworks complaints,
false fire alarms, assists to other agencies, downed powerlines and law enforcement operations
totaled 4,558 responses.
In addition to fire engine responses, the department’s Emergency Command Center performed
179 “Emergency Medical Dispatch” calls. These are calls where, prior to the arrival of the fire
engine, trained dispatchers give lifesaving instruction to the 9-1-1 caller in the event of severe
bleeding, heart attacks, choking, or childbirth.
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Aid Agreements
The BCFD has established mutual aid or automatic aid agreements with other fire protection
agencies to provide optimal fire protection service to the entire county. Mutual aid agreements
require a specific request for help on an incident-by-incident basis, while automatic aid
agreements allow the resources nearest to an emergency situation to be dispatched on the first
alarm regardless of the jurisdiction. The BCFD has mutual aid agreements with every fire-
fighting agency in the County, with the U.S. Forest Service, Lassen and Plumas National Forests,
Hamilton City in Glenn County, and several fire districts in Yuba County. The BCFD has
automatic aid agreements with all of the fire agencies with the exception of the City of Chico,
where such an agreement is to be finalized in the near future. Additionally, BCFD serves as the
dispatcher for all emergencies to which the Oroville Fire Department and the El Medio Fire
Protection District respond.
Volunteer Fire Companies
Four hundred volunteer fire fighters support the BCFD. They are organized into 22 local
companies that operate 18 stations and provide back-up service to BCFD stations within the
county. The volunteer companies are dispatched by the BCFD as needed, and provide key
support to the BCFD in emergency situations. The volunteer companies make up an essential
part of the county fire protection system, often providing the first response to an emergency in
the rural portions of the county that are some distance from a BCFD station. Although the
volunteer companies are organized and supported by the local communities, they operate as part
of the countywide fire protection system and receive regular training by the BCFD professional
fire fighters. The volunteer facilities include shared stations with the BCFD, stand-alone stations,
and in a few cases, stations in name only, where the equipment is kept outside. The volunteer
companies are listed in Table 7-1.
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TABLE 7-1
FIRE STATIONS IN THE UNINCORPORATED
AREAS OF BUTTE COUNTY
10 Butte Meadows BC Volunteer
11 Butte Meadows (open during fire season only)CDF/BCFD
12 Stirling City BC Volunteer
13 Stirling City CDF/BCFD
17 Butte Fire Center CDF/CCC
21 Cohasset BC Volunteer
22 Cohasset (open during fire season only)CDF/BCFD
23 Forest Ranch CDF/BCFD
24 Forest Ranch BC Volunteer
25 Butte Valley BC Volunteer
26 Centerville BC Volunteer
27 Centerville BC Volunteer
31 Magalia BC Volunteer
32 Magalia BC Volunteer
33 Upper Ridge CDF/BCFD
35 Paradise CDF/BCFD
36 Jarbo Gap CDF/BCFD
37 Jarbo Gap BC Volunteer
38 Concow BC Volunteer
41 Nord CDF/BCFD
42 North Chico CDF/BCFD
44 South Chico CDF/BCFD
45 Durham CDF/BCFD
51 Feather Falls (open during fire season only)CDF/BCFD
52 Feather Falls BC Volunteer
53 Clipper Mills BC Volunteer
54 Robinson Mills CDF/BCFD
55 Bangor CDF/BCFD
60 Brush Creek BC Volunteer
61 Berry Creek BC Volunteer
62 Berry Creek CDF/BCFD
63 Oroville HQ’s CDF/BCFD
64 Kelly Ridge CDF/BCFD
66 Wyandotte BC Volunteer
67 Cherokee BC Volunteer
71 Richvale CDF/BCFD
72 Palermo CDF/BCFD
73 Biggs CDF/BCFD
74 Gridley CDF/BCFD
76 Gridley BC Volunteer
77 Greylodge BC Volunteer
Source: Butte County Fire Department, 2003
Organization
The BCFD is organized into four divisions. The North Division and the South Divisions
comprise the field organizations that provide emergency response within the county. The
Administrative Services Division provides dispatch, maintenance, fire prevention, personnel,
finance, and other support services to the BCFD. Finally, the Special Operations Division
operates the Butte Fire Central Training and Air Operations Battalions and coordinates technical
rescue services.
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The Field Divisions are divided into seven battalions, each of which in turn is comprised of a
mixture of BCFD and CDF stations and volunteer fire companies. Within the county there are 12
BCFD stations staffed with full time fire fighters, 18 volunteer stations, 10 CDF stations (full
time), four fire lookouts, an air attack base located at the Chico Municipal Airport, and the Butte
Fire Center, located in Magalia.
BCFD/CDF
The year-round stations, situated in a number of communities, were built to serve the needs of
expanding local populations. Each of the 17 stations has varied staffing levels, depending on the
history of emergency activity in an area. In order to provide a basic level of fire protection, most
stations are staffed with 24 full-time fire fighters on duty 24 hours a day. During the six summer
months, a second fire fighter is assigned to provide additional support to the remaining stations.
The CDF stations are located primarily in the foothills of the eastern portion of the county. These
stations operate primarily during the summer wildland fire season, although five of the stations,
in Forest Ranch, Jarbo Gap, Paradise, Robinson Mill, and Harts Mill, are staffed during the
winter months by the BCFD to provide year-round protection to county residents. The remaining
stations are located in Butte Meadows, Cohasset, Feather Falls, and Stirling City. In addition, the
CDF operates the Chico Air Attack Base and four fire lookouts during the summer season.
The CDF operates more than 50 fire-fighting and support vehicles, a spotter plane, and two air
tankers. The average age of the CDF fleet is less than 7 years.
The BCFD and CDF headquarters, Administrative Division, and the emergency center command
(ECC) are located in Oroville and serve as the control and dispatch center for all fire-fighting
activities in the county. Other BCFD Stations are located in the following areas:
▪ Bangor ▪ North Chico
▪ Biggs ▪ Palermo
▪ Durham ▪ Richvale
▪ Gridley ▪ South Chico
▪ Kelly Ridge ▪ Upper Ridge
▪ Nord
Additional fire stations are needed in the West Chico area and in the Wyandotte area, southeast
of Oroville. Additional facilities will be required to the east of Oroville and north of Chico if
development continues in these areas.
The BCFD operates more than 80 fire-fighting and support vehicles. This number includes
vehicles assigned to BCFD stations and those assigned to the volunteer companies. Many of
these vehicles have been in service for over 15 years, and a number of the first line and reserve
engines have well over 100,000 miles of service.
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El Medio Fire District
The El Medio Fire District operates a single station located in south Oroville. Six full-time fire
fighters and 20 volunteers staff the station. The El Medio Fire District covers approximately
1,100 acres. The fire district provides structural and wildland fire protection, medical aid, and
emergency rescue services to over 4,000 people in Oroville and in the unincorporated portions of
the County. The BCFD provides dispatcher services.
As of late 2003, LAFCo was processing a proposal to dissolve this district.
Fire Rating
The County has sought to maintain the Insurance Services Office (ISO) ratings that were
achieved in 1997. Those areas of the county that are located within five miles of a fire station
and within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant have an ISO rating of 4. Most of the rest of the county,
located within five miles of a fire station, has an ISO rating of Rural 8. Although a few, thinly
populated areas have been rated at a Rural 9, no area has been rated as unprotected. The El
Medio Fire District has an ISO rating of 5.
7.4 LAW ENFORCEMENT
Several agencies provide law enforcement in Butte County. These include the Butte County
Sheriff, the California Highway Patrol, the California State Police, and the State Department of
Fish and Game. The individual agencies each have jurisdiction over the entire county, although
they provide different types of law enforcement services to county residents.
Butte County Sheriff
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) is responsible for law enforcement, criminal
investigation, marijuana eradication, and crime prevention in the unincorporated areas of the
county. The BCSO operates the county jail and acts as bailiff for the County court system. In
addition to the crime prevention and law enforcement services, the BCSD also functions as the
County Coroner, and investigates all violent deaths and deaths which have no certified cause.
The BCSO is the countywide coordinator for mutual aid situations and has mutual aid
agreements with the California Highway Patrol and the Oroville, Chico and Gridley municipal
police departments. The BCSO has its main office in Oroville, with additional offices (sub-
stations) in Chico and Magalia. The County opened a new jail facility in 1995. It is approved by
the California Department of Corrections to hold 614 beds.
Service
In 2003, the BCSO has approximately 109 sworn and 151 non-sworn personnel. The sworn
personnel are the Sheriff, Undersheriff, Captains, Lieutenants, Sergeants and Deputies; while the
non-sworn personnel are correctional personnel, Public Safety Dispatchers and clerical staff. Of
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the sworn personnel 34 Deputy Sheriff’s are assigned to the one of eight patrol teams and each
team is supervised by a Sergeant. Another 15 Deputy Sheriffs and a Sergeant are assigned to the
county courts, with the remainder assigned to administration, narcotics, marijuana eradication,
boat patrol, criminal investigations, internal affairs, background investigation, specialized units
and the jail.
The BCSO has divided the county into north and south service areas. Twenty-four hour patrol
service is provided to the citizens of Butte County. Typically, one deputy is assigned per car. The
patrol teams normally operate in response to specific incidents and have very limited time to
patrol rural roads with the county.
California Highway Patrol
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) provides law enforcement services, primarily traffic
control, for the State roads and roads in the unincorporated portions of the county. These services
include traffic control, accident investigation, and licensing of vehicles. The CHP has a mutual
aid agreement with the Sheriff’s Department and will respond when requested by the Sheriff.
Service
The CHP has two offices to serve Butte County. The county is divided into north and south
regions by the intersection of Highways 99 and 149. The north district office, located in Chico,
has 25 uniformed staff, including 22 officers, two sergeants, and one lieutenant. The office has
12 vehicles in operation. Typical staffing has four units during the day shift, five units during the
afternoon shift, and two units on the graveyard shift. This office is also the dispatch center for
the region.
The CHP’s south office, which is located in Oroville, has 21 officers, two sergeants, and one
lieutenant. The office has 13 vehicles in operation, with similar staffing as the north office.
The normal deployment/distribution of CHP personnel is based upon traffic volume and accident
rates within the county. Areas with a high incidence of accidents or traffic control problems are
patrolled on a regular basis. There are many areas of the county, particularly in the foothills in
the East, that are outside the regular patrols of the CHP, so the CHP visits these areas only when
called.
California Department of Fish and Game
The California Department of Fish and Game is responsible for protecting wildlife resources
within the county. The Department has jurisdiction over all state, county, and municipal lands to
enforce wildlife statutes.
Service
The Department has five officers assigned to Butte County, two in Oroville, and one each in
Paradise, Chico, and Biggs. The Regional Headquarters is located in Rancho Cordova. The
officers/wardens operate out of their own home offices and establish their own hours, patrols,
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and focus for their activity. The officers generally respond only to situations involving wildlife,
but can and do respond to public safety issues if they witness such violations or situations. They
will also assist in emergency situations. Most of the officers have federal wildlife enforcement
capability as well, since they are deputy marshals in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
7.5 EDUCATION
Fifteen local school districts, Butte Community College, and the County Office of Education
provide public education in the unincorporated area of Butte County. The local districts provide
elementary and secondary education to the communities and unincorporated areas of the county,
while the County Office of Education offers special education programs and other related
services to the individual districts within the county. The Butte Community College is a two year
junior college that serves the residents of Butte and Glenn Counties with post-secondary and
adult education.
Butte County Office of Education
The Butte County Office of Education provides local and regional educational programs,
services, and support to the individual school districts within the county. The office provides
help to establish and maintain a consistent level of educational quality among the various school
districts and serves as a link between the local districts and the requirements of state and federal
education programs.
The office provides three areas of service to the county school districts: administrative and
organizational support, including fiscal services, personnel services, and data services;
curriculum and staff support, including staff development, instructional support and curriculum
development; and student services, including student activities and events, student welfare and
related programs, migrant education, and the mini corps program. In addition, the office operates
the juvenile court schools, community schools, and a series of special service programs including
vocational education, regional occupation, teenage parent education, and special education.
The office also provides a series of services to the State of California, including management
information systems, policy assistance, and legal compliance programs.
Butte College
Butte College is a two-year community college that serves the residents of Butte and Glenn
Counties. The college offers a range of liberal arts and career/technical classes through full-time,
part-time, and evening programs. Founded in 1967, the college offered classes in Durham until it
moved onto the current campus in 1974. The main campus, located approximately 15 miles
northwest of Oroville, is approximately 925 acres in size and has over 20 academic and support
buildings. It is easily accessible to the nearby communities of Oroville, Chico, Durham, Gridley,
Paradise, and Magalia. The college also operates two satellite centers in Chico and in Orland,
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which is in Glenn County. Enrollment in the 2002-03 academic year is approximately 15,000
students (approximately 11,000 full-time equivalents (FTE)).
Approximately 50 percent of the students attend classes on the main campus, which offers both
day and evening classes. The Chico Center serves another 25 percent of the students. Students
may earn an AA or AS degree in 25 academic disciplines and 55 vocational areas, complete a
Certificate of Achievement in 60 vocational programs in the arts sciences, occupational and
technical fields, or earn a Certificate of Completion in short-term programs.
The District completed a Facilities Master Plan at the end of 2001, detailing facility needs over
the next several years. In order to meet the needs described in the Plan, the District obtained
authorization from local voters, through the approval of Measure A on March 6, 2002, to issue
$85 million in general obligation bonds.
Additionally, the District has been allocated over $17 million from Proposition 47 proceeds. As a
result, Butte College expects to break ground on two new buildings in 2003, as part of an
intensive ten-year program to construct five new buildings and dramatically improve existing
facilities.
California State University – Chico
California State University, Chico, established in 1887, is a residential campus, with 90 percent
of students living within a one-mile radius. The university has seven colleges (Agriculture,
Behavioral and Social Sciences, Business, Communication and Education, Engineering,
Computer Science, and Technology, Humanities and Fine Arts and Natural Sciences), six
schools and 14 centers. In 2003 there are approximately 16,000 students (approximately 14,000
full-time equivalents (FTEs)), 1,000 each of faculty and staff, and 105,000 alumni. The campus
itself is 119 acres large, with nine walking bridges across Big Chico Creek, which cuts through
the campus core. Chico is one of the CSU's most popular campuses with prospective students,
and has more CSU-qualified applicants than it can accommodate. The second-oldest CSU, Chico
was the first university in the world offering a graduate degree via satellite, and is a distance
education trailblazer. Students have won recent national awards in business, engineering,
journalism, political science and speech. CSU, Chico is also known for its college-town
atmosphere, top ratings from corporate recruiters, and high graduation rates.
Butte County School Districts
The Butte County Charter lists the superintendent of schools as an elected county officer, but the
County’s responsibility for public schools today is limited to conducting elections for the
superintendent and the County Board of Education and collecting taxes on which the county
schools’ budget is based. Basic education in Butte County is primarily the function of the
California Department of Education.
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The local school districts range in size from the single school Feather Falls Union Elementary
School District, which has an average daily attendance (ADA) of 45 students, to the Chico
Unified School District, which has 26 schools and an ADA of over 13,269 students. Five of the
districts (Biggs, Chico, Durham, Gridley and Paradise) are unified school districts, serving
students from kindergarten through high school. Eight districts (Bangor, Feather Falls, Golden
Feather, Manzanita, Oroville, Palermo, Pioneer and Thermalito) provide elementary education
throughout the rest of the county, feeding students into Oroville Union High School District and
Gridley Unified for secondary education. According to the district CBEDS Report for the fiscal
year 2002/03 there are 34,259 students enrolled in schools in Butte County.
Two school districts (Chico & Oroville) provide year round schools at the elementary grade
level. Chico has five schools that operate year round (Chapman, Rosedale, Emma Wilson, Neil
Dow, Little Chico Creek and Nord).
Oroville provides year round elementary schools at Ophir, Wyandotte and Bird Street schools.
Special educational services are provided for those students with special needs/handicaps:
orthopedically impaired, hearing impaired, communicatively impaired, and severely
handicapped. There are three special education schools in the county: Loma Vista (Chico) and
Mesa Vista (Thermalito) serving K-12 students, and Sierra Del Oro (Oroville) that serves
preschool students.
Bangor Union Elementary School District
The Bangor Union Elementary School District provides elementary education to the community
of Bangor and the surrounding county to the south and east of Oroville. The school district is
approximately 40 square miles in area and operates a single school, Bangor Elementary, with an
ADA of 150 students in kindergarten through eighth grade (K-8). Following eighth grade,
Bangor students attend school in the Oroville Union High School District. The elementary
school, which was built for an enrollment of 75-100 students, is operating at its capacity with the
restrooms, cafeteria, and other facilities serving an expanded student population.
The district has experienced moderate growth over the past several years and is projecting this
trend to continue at a rate of approximately 5 students per year. In addition, the district
participates in the State class size reduction program, which requires limiting the number of
student in the primary grades. In order to accommodate this program and growth the district has
added six portable classrooms in the last several years.
Biggs Unified School District
[Note: the district did not respond to repeated information requests to update this information.
The text is from the August 1998 draft of the Butte County General Plan Technical Background
Report. Enrollment information was updated to 2002-03 with California Department of
Education “Dataquest” information.]
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The Biggs Unified School District provides elementary and secondary education to the City of
Biggs and surrounding unincorporated County areas. The district is approximately 135 square
miles in area and operates three schools, Biggs Elementary (K-6), Richvale Elementary (1-6),
and Biggs Junior/Senior High (7-12), with a combined total enrollment of 862 students. Biggs
Elementary and the Junior/Senior High School share a common campus in Biggs, and Richvale
Elementary School is located in the community of Richvale.
To meet future increases in enrollment, the district added six portable classrooms for the
elementary school and four for the high school in the late 1990s. The district owns a vacant, 44-
acre site next to the Biggs schools, but it has not made plans to build a new school facility at this
time.
Chico Unified School District
[Note: the district did not respond to repeated information requests to update this information.
The text is from the August 1998 draft of the Butte County General Plan Technical Background
Report. Enrollment information was updated to 2002-03 with California Department of
Education “Dataquest” information.]
The Chico Unified School District provides elementary and secondary education to residents of
the City of Chico and surrounding unincorporated areas. The school district serves an area of
approximately 322 square miles and operates 22 schools on 21 sites with a combined total
enrollment of 14,011 students. The district has 16 elementary schools with grades K-6; they are
as follows:
▪ Chapman ▪ McManus
▪ Citrus ▪ Neal Dow
▪ Cohasset ▪ Nord
▪ Emma Wilson ▪ Parkview
▪ Forest Ranch ▪ Partridge
▪ Hooker Oak ▪ Rosedale
▪ Little Chico Creek ▪ Shasta
▪ Marigold ▪ Sierra View
In addition, Chico Unified has four junior high schools with grades 7-8 (Bidwell, Chico, Marsh,
and the Center for Alternative Learning), and three senior high schools (Chico, Pleasant Valley,
and Fairview Continuation) with grades 9-12.
The district has completed three planning studies that document the status of the school system
and forecast the short- and long-term facilities needs: School Facilities Fee Plan, April, 1996;
Justification Report for School Impact Fees, June, 1996; and Twenty Year Student Housing
Master Plan, 1996. According to the Master Plan, student enrollment increased by 50 percent
between the 1984-85 and the 1997-98 school years. This growth is expected to continue for at
least the next five year period and is likely to continue for the next two decades.
The district has accommodated this growth by changing school boundaries, reusing existing
facilities, modifying existing facilities, allowing intradistrict student transfers, constructing new
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facilities, using leased portable facilities, and implementing multi-track year-round school
schedules for five elementary schools. Even with these plans, all high schools were at, or near,
their capacities in 1997-98. The Master Plan identified a series of steps that will be taken over
the next five years to address this continued growth in enrollment. These include utilization of
interim facilities on high school campuses until the expansion of facilities on the Pleasant Valley
Senior High School Campus is completed and an additional high school is ready for occupancy.
Durham Unified School District
The Durham Unified School District provides elementary and secondary education to a 186
square mile area that includes Durham and the surrounding area. The district operates four
schools, Durham Elementary (K-5), Durham Intermediate (6-8), Durham High School (9-12) and
Mission High School (9-12 Continuation), with a combined ADA of 1,300 students in the
2002/03 academic year.
Durham experienced its peak enrollment in 2000/01 with 1362 students. Enrollment projections
with use of the 2002 developer fee justification document indicate continued declining
enrollment through 2006/07 at an average rate of 37 per year.
The district has addressed growth in the past by moving the sixth grade to the intermediate
school and through the use of portable classrooms at all schools. The district has installed 27
portable classrooms throughout its campus. In addition, the district has identified the need for
new, permanent elementary and intermediate schools.
Feather Falls Union School District
The Feather Falls Union School District provides elementary education to the community of
Feather Falls and surrounding county areas. The school district is approximately 94 square miles
in area and operates a single school, Feather Falls Elementary, which had an ADA of 54 in the
2001-2002 school year. Following eighth grade, Feather Falls' students attend school in the
Oroville Union High School District.
School enrollment has averaged between 35 and 55 over the last 10 years; additional growth is
projected in the next few years. The existing facility will accommodate up to 100 students.
Feather Falls School employs 3.5 full-time teachers and a part-time Resource Specialist.
Administrative services for the District are provided by the Pioneer Union Elementary School
District.
Golden Feather Union School District
The Golden Feather Union School District provided elementary education to approximately 208
square miles of unincorporated county lands to the north and west of Lake Oroville. The school
district operates three elementary schools, Spring Valley (K-4), Concow (5-8), and Golden
Feather Community Day School (K-8), with a combined 2002-03 school year ADA of 200
students. Following eighth grade, Golden Feather students attend school in the Oroville High
School District.
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The school district has experienced uneven growth in enrollment due in large part to fluctuations
in the economy. The Spring Valley school site can accept two or three additional portable units,
but has constraints on this growth due to the inadequacy of the water supply. The Concow
School site, which has had several additions since the original facility was completed in 1940,
does not have room for any portable classrooms.
Gridley Union School District
As of July, 1998, the Gridley Elementary School District and the Gridley High School District
became the Gridley Unified School District. The enrollment of the District is 2,090.
The Gridley Unified School offers elementary education to residents of Gridley and the
surrounding areas. The District is approximately 87 square miles in size and operates three
elementary schools, McKinley Primary (K-1), Wilson Elementary (2-5), Sycamore Middle
School (6-8) with a combined 2001/02 ADA of approximately 1,400 students, two high schools,
Gridley High School (9-12) and Esperanza Continuation High School (9-12) with a combined
2001/02 ADA of approximately 690 students.
The high school leases a gymnasium from the Butte County Fairgrounds across the street, and is
operating at close to its enrollment capacity. The high school has accommodated growth by
moving in a number of portable classroom buildings. There is adequate space on the school site
for additional portable classrooms to handle the increasing enrollment for the near term. The
high school is eligible for state rehabilitation funds, but has a low priority rating in the state. This
is partially due to the fact that the high school has a large industrial arts facility that is considered
classroom space by the state, but has a very limited function as a teaching facility.
The district is also eligible for state rehabilitation funding, but does not have a high priority
rating compared with other districts in the state that are experiencing faster growth. The district
owns a 17-acre parcel to the west of the Sycamore Street campus that would be an ideal site for a
new middle school. There are no plans for a new facility at this time, however, due to the lack of
available funding on the local or state level.
Manzanita School District
The Manzanita School District provides elementary education to the Rancho Boga community
area to the south of Gridley. The school district covers approximately 11 square miles and
operates a single school, Manzanita Elementary, with an ADA of 250 students in grades K-8.
Following eighth grade, Manzanita students attend school in the Gridley Unified School District.
School enrollment has averaged approximately 205 students per year since 1988. The school has
also experienced 35 percent growth since 1988. Most of Manzanita’s growth has been from an
increase of interdistrict students coming into the district. The district has no plans to increase its
school’s population beyond its capacity.
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Oroville Elementary School District
The Oroville Elementary School District offers elementary education to residents of Oroville and
the unincorporated areas of the county to the east and south of the city. The District is
approximately 78 square miles in size and operates six elementary schools, one middle school,
and one special education school, as follows:
• Bird Street Elementary, K-4
• Eastside Elementary, K-3, Home School
• Oakdale Heights, K-6 and Special Education
• Ophir Elementary, K-6 and Special Education
• Wyandotte Avenue, K-6 and Special Education
• Central Middle, 7-8 and Special Education
• Sierra del Oro, Pre-School Special Education
The eight schools have a combined ADA of 3,390 students in the 2002-2003 school year.
Following eighth grade, students attend the Oroville Union High School District. The District
schools are fully utilizing all permanent classroom facilities.
The District has grown by more than 1,000 students since 1985. In the past, the District has
addressed growth by adding portable classroom facilities to the school sites. In addition, the
District operates three year-round schools on a multi-track, year-round schedule: Bird Street
School, Ophir School, and Wyandotte Avenue School. Given the capacity at the existing schools,
the District has successfully passed a general obligation bond to build a new middle school. The
District has acquired two new sites for an elementary and a middle school.
The District expects that student growth will continue in future years, and classroom needs will
exceed their current projections. According to the District, student enrollment growth trends for
the past 15 years have been based, in part, on two factors: the immigration of Hmong students
into the community, and the influx of young families into the community. These trends may
decrease if new employment opportunities within the community do not become available.
Oroville Union High School District
[Note: the district did not respond to repeated information requests to update this information.
The text is from the August 1998 draft of the Butte County General Plan Technical Background
Report. Enrollment information was updated to 2002-03 with California Department of
Education “Dataquest” information.]
The Oroville Union High School District offers secondary education to a 663-square-mile area
that includes Oroville and surrounding unincorporated county areas. The district accepts students
from the Bangor Union, Feather Falls Union, Golden Feather Union, Oroville Elementary,
Palermo, Pioneer, and Thermalito School Districts. The district operates four schools: Las
Plumas High (9-12), Oroville Union High (9-12), Prospect Continuation High (9-12), and
Challenge Charter High (9-12). These schools had a combined enrollment of 2,927 students in
the 2002-03 school year.
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The district has experienced continuing growth in enrollment. While long range goals are still to
be determined, the district plans to add 60,000 square feet to the existing facilities, mostly at Las
Plumas High School.
Palermo Union School District
The Palermo Union School District provides elementary education to approximately 67 square
miles of unincorporated county territory to the south of Oroville. The District operates five
schools: Helen Wilcox (K-4, Day Care Center), Honcut Elementary (K-4), Palermo School (5-8),
Palermo Community Day School (K-6), and Palermo Community Day School (7-8).
The District projects that it will have a combined ADA of approximately 1,202 for the 2002-03
school year. Following eighth grade, Palermo students attend school in the Oroville High School
District.
The 2002-03 projection reflects a 3% decline in enrollment since 1999-00. In spite of this
decline, Palermo and Helen Wilcox Schools continue to experience overcrowding. The District
utilizes 16 emergency portables to provide adequate instructional space. The District is in the
process of planning and designing construction of a twelve-room school.
Paradise Unified School District
The Paradise Unified School District provides elementary and secondary education to a 220-
square mile area that includes the Town of Paradise and the unincorporated areas of the county
north to Tehama and Plumas Counties. The district operates a comprehensive educational
system, which includes 15 schools and programs as follows:
1 Preschool (Paradise Pre-School)
1 K-8 school (Children’s Community Charter School)
2 K-5 schools (Cedarwood and Pines Elementary Schools)
2 K-6 schools (Paradise and Ponderosa Elementary Schools)
2 6-8 middle schools (Mountain Ridge Middle and Paradise Charter Middle Schools)
1 7-8 intermediate school (Paradise Intermediate School)
2 K-12 schools (HomeTech Charter School and Independent Learning Center)
1 9-12 comprehensive high school (Paradise High School)
1 9-12 continuation high school (Ridgeview High School
2 special programs [College Connection (12) and Community Day School (7-12)]
2002-03 enrollment is approximately 5,285.
Enrollment within the District increased at an annual rate of 3.5 percent through the 1980s. This
growth trend spiked as enrollment grew by 32 percent between 1988 and 1998, after which
enrollment began to decline. Trending over the next few years shows a continued decline,
particularly at the elementary grades. With the addition of Mountain Ridge Middle School in
2000 and Cedarwood Elementary School in 1996, the District has been able to place all schools
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on a traditional calendar. As of 2003, the District is trying to obtain a comprehensive high school
site in the Magalia area in order to ease the overcrowding at Paradise High School.
Pioneer Union School District
The Pioneer Union School District provides elementary education to the residents of the
communities of Berry Creek, Brush Creek, Mountain House, Lake Madrone and surrounding
area to the north and east of Lake Oroville. The school district is approximately 129 square miles
in area and operates Berry Creek Elementary School and Bald Rock Community School.
Berry Creek Elementary School had an ADA of 154 students in grades K-8 during the 2001-
2002 school year. Following eighth grade, Pioneer students attend school in the Oroville Union
High School District. The Berry Creek Elementary School reached a peak enrollment of 203
students in the 1992-93 school year, but ADA has declined in the following years.
In 2002, a county-operated State Preschool was established on the site of Berry Creek
Elementary School. The district provides administrative services for the adjoining Feather Falls
Union Elementary School District.
Thermalito Union Elementary School District
[Note: the district did not respond to repeated information requests to update this information.
The text is from the August 1998 draft of the Butte County General Plan Technical Background
Report. Enrollment information was updated to 2002-03 with California Department of
Education “Dataquest” information.]
The Thermalito Union Elementary School District provides elementary education to the
community of Thermalito and surrounding County areas to the west of Oroville. The school
district is approximately 44 square miles in area and operates two elementary schools (Poplar
Avenue, K-2, and Sierra Avenue, 3-5), and a combined elementary/middle school (Nelson
Avenue, 5-8 ).
The combined enrollment of these three schools was 1,566 students in 2002-03. The district has
a large population of students who do not speak English as a first language and operates a
number of special programs to serve the needs of these students. Following eighth grade,
Thermalito students attend school in the Oroville Union High School District. The district is
projecting that growth will continue, with an enrollment projection of approximately 1,746
students by the year 2007-08. The district has accommodated increasing enrollment by the
addition of 31 portable classroom facilities. The district has also acquired land to be utilized for a
new school in the future, which no estimates yet available when construction will begin. The
district has not considered implementing multi track year-round schedules.
7.6 BUTTE COUNTY LIBRARY
Organization
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The Butte County Library is a chartered library system that was established in 1913. Since its
founding, the library has been an important cultural and educational resource for county
residents. During the 1930s and 1940s, the demand for library services was so great that the
library established numerous local branches throughout the county, many of which were set up in
general stores or in the homes of community residents. These satellite branches were replaced in
1957 by a bookmobile program, one of the first of its type in the nation. The bookmobile
successful brought the resources of the library to county residents and was a very popular
program until it was curtailed in the early 1980’s. In 1997 the bookmobile resumed service on a
limited basis. In 2003 it services the more rural areas of the county in addition to a number of
senior citizen mobile home parks and assisted living facilities. During the 1960’s and 1970’s, the
city libraries consolidated with the county library branches, forming one system that serves the
entire county.
In 2003 the Butte County Library system has over 280,000 volumes and operates in six
communities, with branches located in the cities of Chico, Oroville, Gridley, Biggs, the Town of
Paradise, and the unincorporated community of Durham. The three largest branches are Chico,
Paradise, and Oroville, making up over 90 percent of the circulation within the system. Although
Oroville is the smallest of the three main branches, it serves as the headquarters of the County
Library.
Services
The library system offers programs for children, interlibrary loan service, reference assistance,
and limited adult programming. A lack of funding restricts more extensive public outreach
services. However, with the assistance of a grant from the Gates Foundation that funded 22
computers countywide, the library is able to provide free public access to the Internet, Microsoft
Office, and a variety of educational programs. For many county residents this is their only access
to computers, and the workstations are in constant use. The current fiscal situation does not allow
for the replacement of worn out or obsolete equipment, so the future options are to secure new
grant funding or reduce public computer access. The library catalog is available online from the
library as well as from any computer with Internet access. Library patrons are able to place holds
and access their accounts from their homes and offices. A limited number of databases are also
available through membership in various library consortia.
In addition to these services, the library operates a literacy program that consists of the Adult
Reading Program, Families for Literacy, and Bilingual Families for Literacy. The Adult Reading
Program provides volunteer tutors who work with students 18 and older on a one-to-one basis.
The Families for Literacy programs strive to break the cycle of intergenerational illiteracy. A
Literacy Lab van, funded through a grant from the Butte County Families and Children
Commission, will be placed into service in the spring of 2003. This van will provide literacy and
other support services to eligible families, particularly in the rural areas of the county. These
programs are primarily grant funded.
The library has a full time equivalent staff of 28 and literacy has 3.25 full-time staff, supported
by a volunteer staff of over 200 county residents. Volunteers play an important role in the
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operation of the library system, shelving books, processing new books, and assisting at the
circulation desk. Additionally, they assist as tutors for the Literacy program.