What Happens When A Company Town Scales Back Public Services?

In Scotia, California, Pacific Lumber announced that it would sell almost all of its 275 houses to the employees who rent them. In addition, Pacific Lumber will no longer be providing security, sewage treatment, water, power, maintenance, and free firewood in the winter. Scotia's 800 residents must decide whether to govern themselves or merge with the 3,174 residents of Rio Dell, located across the river.

"For the townspeople of Scotia â€" which, on its surface, has more in common with the 19th century than the 21st â€" there is the worry that some of the modern problems of Rio Dell might migrate to their town. Rio Dell, which was hit hard by a recent slump in the lumber industry, ranks well below national averages in household income, property value and educational level. The unemployment rate for Humboldt County, the tree-rich region where Scotia and Rio Dell sit, is above California state averages." Kirk Gothier, a county planning director, points out that Scotia is not without problems of its own: "While the town looks nice, the infrastructure is not as nice. It's tough to keep up the streets with lumber trucks running around."