By Brenda Starkey
Chronicle staff

     OROVILLE – The city council asked Clerk Kathy Jones to find out about information in a letter from North Valley Hospital saying the city would start being charged for any services given to a prisoner or person in custody who is seen at the hospital.
     It has been the custom to “unarrest” the person being seen and then re-arrest so the suspect can be charged for any services rendered, Jones said.
     In certain cases, treatment could end up financially devastating a small community and the hospital may be eligible for federal or state funds for indigent care that the city isn’t, council members said.
     In other business, the council:
     - Heard that 115 Oroville students were involved in a Big World of Flight event at the airport. The program involves a field trip to the airport and introduces students to airplane, flight planning and airport operation, and showcases the local airport.
     The airport field trip is followed up with classroom activities and helps students make a link between the real world and school, according to the Big World of Flight Web site.
     Program workers came in from Republic then went on to Tonasket and Okanogan to give students there an opportunity to see what their airport does on a daily basis, airport Service Manager Steve Johnston said.
     - Learned that new federal security regulations require planes to clear customs when they enter or leave the country.
     Until May, planes were required to clear customs only when they entered the country, but new Transportation Security Administration procedures require customs officials to inspect planes going both ways, Johnston said.
     There are problems with the new system and some aircraft stay at the airport for a longer time, frequently overnight, he said.
     The system is extremely frustrating to many people, he said. Paperwork has to be filed on the Internet and there is no computer terminal at the airport.
     Tie-down spaces, rented for $5 a night or $25 a month, are full, he said.