Board of Supervisors Meeting | 1.18.23

by | Jan 22, 2023 | Get Involved, Stay Informed, Your Opinion Matters

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The second BOS meeting of January included a number of important items, including updates regarding extensive road damage in several parts of the county.  Here are the notes I took during the meeting. Please understand that this is not meant to be a comprehensive documentation of discussions and decisions that took place.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

  • Concerns were raised regarding access to the veterinarian clinic (and residences) that are on the road in Hyampon that was washed out by the river during recent storms
  • Interest was voiced in the outcome of work done by the ad hoc committee focused on Cannabis Department financials
  • Request for an update regarding the phone/internet outages in the North Lake area that has been ongoing for two weeks
    • OES (Office of Emergency Services) Response
      • In touch with CalOES – they have escalated to the 911 branch  of CalOES
      • Working with TDS to resolve the outage
      • Title 19 – TDS is required to respond to outages according to this set of regulations
      • Update – installation of a temporary 911 solution was installed Friday evening (1.20.23)
      • Trinity County OES continues to work with TDS, PUC (public utility commission), and CalOES to find solutions.  Updates are being posted on its website and on its Facebook page
    • Supervisor Carpenter-Harris noted that Down River areas have been without service for several days as well.

REPORTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

  • Department Heads
    • Transportation | Panos Kokkas
      • Regarding the road damage in Hyanpom – a request to use private property for a road by-pass before the road was damaged by the flood was refused
      • The property owners have now built a temporary road
      • Conducting a title search to determine if the County has an easement in this area
      • It’s important to note that transportation funds are only provided for roads with existing easements
      • Presentation delivered showing extensive damage to roads in several areas of the county
      • Federal Emergency support brings in additional funding… also causes delays.  Examples referenced years… not months for completion of projects.
      • Even without Federal support… we are looking at many months if not years to address some of these situations.
      • The request was made for DOT to work on preventative plans that will help us avoid situations like this (where damage can be predicted/prevented)
      • It was noted that “emergency response” to damage can allow work to be done to prevent additional damage.
      • CAO was asked to work with OES (and any other relevant departments/organizations) to develop plans for supporting residents and businesses impacted.
      • EWPP – Heidi Carpenter-Harris noted that this program can provide immediate funding/support to address erosion on private agricultural land.  She will provide information to our DOT Director.
    • Cannabis | Drew Plebanis
      • 403 Appendix C’s received
      • 111 Noticed in the paper
      • 69 Picked up and active
      • The pace of application processing should be picking up again soon (after the holiday lull)

 

  • CAO
    • Requested an ad hoc committee to work on the implementation of the strategic plan and Placemaking plan.  Chair Cox assigned Ric Leutwyler and herself to this committee.
    • Contract Routing – meeting held with department heads (and other members of staff) to identify process improvement opportunities.  This will lead to recommendations for changes in the approval levels and related processes.
    • Opioid Settlement
      • In 2017 we received a presentation regarding the ability for Trinity County to participate in this suit.
      • $114,000 received so far this fiscal year
      • Additional amounts are anticipated as more settlement agreements are reached.
  • Supervisors
    • Ric Leutwyler
      • Confirmed that the following appointees will continue in their roles
        • Carol Fall – Planning Commissioner
        • Marjie Watkins – County Fair Board
        • Lyn Scott – Airport Advisory Committee
      • Shared updates regarding committee assignments and recent meetings
    • Jill Cox
      • Shared an update regarding the Economic Forecast Conference.
      • She is arranging for a Sites Reservoir presentation based on contacts made at the conference
      •  Provided an update on the last closed session of the board
    • Liam Gogan
      • Two committee meetings last week
    • Heidi Carpenter-Harris
      • Toured the Canyon Creek slide area
      • Encouraged the sharing of information regarding updates and plans – including suggesting a public meeting to meet with residents in this area.
      • Participated in prescribed burn program discussions
    • Dan Frasier
      • No committee meetings
      • Two committee meetings later this month
  • Ad Hoc Committees
    • Good Neighbor Authority
      • Jill Cox provided an update
      • We made significant requests that are being considered
      • A meeting is scheduled for 1.23.23 to continue discussions.
    • Cannabis Budget
      • Ric Leutwyler provided an update
      • Additional time is required to complete the evaluation and develop a forecast
      • Chair Cox ended the ad hoc committee and assigned Ric Leutwyler as Board Liaison to work with a Staff Committee
        • This will end when the matter is completed.
        • Staff will include Ed Prestley, Drew Plebanis, Suzie Hawkins, Tracy Delgado

CONSENT CALENDAR

  • Items Removed – none
  • All remaining items approved by the BOS

COUNTY MATTERS

  • Strategic Plan
    • Ric Leutwyler presented information regarding plans for the completion of the Trinity County Strategic Plan
    • Five department heads have volunteered to lead staff efforts
    • Completion of the process will include the creation of specific action plans with start and end dates, and the establishment of success criteria and goals for each department.
    • The goal is to complete this process no later than June 1st.
  • ARP Funding
    • Trinity County Resource Conservation District | Kelly Sheen provided information regarding the request for funding
      • This special district does not receive any funding via taxes and a very small amount through service fees
      • Formed in 1956 – the way it was formed precluded the receipt of funding via taxes
      • The scope of projects and grant funding has grown substantially over the years
      • The district was unable to receive pandemic-related payroll funding, etc.
      • There are some long-term impacts from project delays (that drive reimbursement) and other financial impacts of the pandemic – including taking on debt.
      • Highlighted examples of the positive impact this special district has across Trinity County
      • Highlighted collaborative support this special district provides to county initiatives.
      • Noted that millions of dollars come into the county through their grant-supported initiatives
    • Public Comment
      • Question about the number of people employed by TCRCD.  The answer – 40 employees and approximately 20 to 30 contracted team members
  • The board approved the allocation of up to $200,000 of remaining ARP (American Rescue Plan) Act funds to the TCRCD (Trinity County Resource Conservation District). 
  • County Fees
    • Public Comment
      • Sheriff Saxon raised concerns regarding some fees associated with the Animal Shelter.
    • The board approved the second reading of the new County Fees with a slight modification to (temporarily) address concerns raised by the Sheriff.
      • This will lead to the following:
        • This matter will come back before the board for a second reading
        • The Sheriff will be bringing back additional changes for consideration
    • Some departments are still working through the process of submitting updates to their fee schedules.  The CAO was asked to establish estimated dates for receipt of proposed fee schedules for the remaining departments.
  • Brown Act Update
    • County Counsel – Margaret Long presented information regarding updates/changes to the Brown Act.
    • Notable changes include:
      • Remote participation by Supervisors in meetings (a maximum of two times per year) is allowed in limited “just cause” situations – without this having to be publicly noticed.
      • Emergency circumstances could also allow for remote participation – but requires public notice, etc. This could be done for up to 3 consecutive months or 20% of regular meetings.
      • Supplemental materials – documents received less than 72 hours before a meeting must be posted online and then where normally posted.
      • Disruptive conduct – new guidance was provided for handling these situations… which includes the individual being removed from the meeting.
      • Social Media – guidelines and limitations were shared regarding use of social media.  Supervisors are not to respond (like, or comment) to county-related content posted by another Supervisor.
      • Campaign Contributions – supervisors cannot participate in an agenda item if they have received a contribution (12 months before) of $250 or more from someone that is a party to an item coming before the board.
  • Building Inspector
    • The board approved the hiring of a recently-retired employee in the role of Extra Help Building Inspector III.
      • This will help us clear a backlog while we look for a full time replacement.
  • Snow Maintenance for Volunteer Fire Departments
    • Presentation delivered by Panos Kokkas | DOT
      • included information regarding the equipment used for snow maintenance and limitations of each.
    • Comments delivered by Phillip Simi |OES
      • Highlighted previous efforts to address the  situation through funding of equipment to assist VFD to remove the snow (blades for vehicles, snow blowers)
        • Limits of current funding sources means OES can not fund the equipment needed for this purpose
    • Public Comment
      • CCVFD Chief clarified that it is only the egress aprons that they are asking to be cleared.  He also noted that there are no obstacles in this space.
      • Emphasis was placed on the importance of not leaving a berm in front of the apron when plowing the adjacent road
    • There was extensive discussion about challenges and potential solutions that would allow for the clearing of these areas.
    • A motion made to approve general funds to cover the cost of DOT clearing these areas was removed due to concerns (of negative impact on the volunteer fire departments) raised during the discussion.
    • DOT agreed to make special efforts to ensure no berm is left on the fire department apron (egress area) when clearing adjacent county roads.
    • The board agreed to address this matter again at the first meeting of March – with a focus on the possibility of establishing a county easement that includes fire department egress areas that connect with county roads.
  • Addendum
    • The board approved funding for the Sheriff’s Office related to legally required services.

CLOSED SESSION

I hope these notes are helpful in your efforts to stay informed about county matters.  For a more comprehensive understanding of what took place…

 

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