Board of Supervisors Meeting | 12.20.22

by | Dec 29, 2022 | Get Involved, Stay Informed, Your Opinion Matters

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The second BOS meeting of December included a number of important updates, discussions, and decisions.  This was another lengthy board meeting so this is a pretty lengthy update.  Items covered include County Fees, an employment agreement with our new CAO, and the Commercial Cannabis Tax.

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.

Presentations

AirBnB/Vacation Rental Update

  • Keith Groves provided an update
  • No “rules” in place other than the requirement for collection/payment of TOT
  • Shared a comparison table with examples of what other jurisdictions are doing
  • A request was made for information regarding the amount of TOT received through vacation rental properties
  • Some discussion regarding whether Trinity County needs to take action at this time

Transportation Update

  • Dyer Corp Representatives participated via zoom
  • Additional rock fall debris since the contract was signed
  • Due to the earthquake, they would like to take a break through the holidays to “let things sit” and/or “shed”
  • Plan to return to the site on 1.3.23
  • Will send team members back if another slide blocks the road
    • the estimated response is 3 hours
    • Equipment will remain on site
  • Would begin installing mesh at that time
  • There is a passable lane at this time.  A “bench” was installed to help prevent debris from falling into the cleared lane
  • Crews will be there this week to prepare for the break and address any additional material that might fall.

Public Comment

  • Concern raised that a reason should be given for removing items from the consent calendar before discussion
  • Concern raised regarding the potential for increased fees that could limit community development
  • Carol Fall (Trinity Center Volunteer Fire Department) encouraged the county to provide snow removal service in front of the volunteer fire departments in Trinity Center and Coffee Creek
  • Steve Renton (Coffee Creek Volunteer Fire Department) echoed the call for this service
  • Thanks given to Supervisor’s Grove and Brown as the end their terms.
  • Keith Groves asked that the Transportation department respond to the request from the volunteer fire departments
  • Keith Groves then provided public comment focused on the Grand Jury and the most recent report.  He shared concerns with the manner in which this report was handled

Department Updates

  • Elections
    • Thanks were given to Supervisors Groves and Brown
  • Health & Human Services
    • Severely understaffed at this time
    • Thanks provided to Supervisors Groves and Brown for their support
    • OES – Earthquake Update
      • No reports of damage in Trinity County as of this report
      • In touch with all power companies regarding the restoration of power
      • Alerts can be accessed through these options:
        • California “my shake” app
        • FEMA emergency alerts can be activated on your phone
  • Treasurer & Tax Collector
    • Huge volume at this time of year
    • Some phones are not working during the current process of updating the system
    • Thanks provided to Supervisors Groves and Brown
  • Planning
    • The interim Deputy Director reported that he was out with COVID
    • Provided thanks to county staff who have provided so much COVID-related support for the county
    • Thanks provided to Supervisors Groves and Brown
    • Cannabis
      • 399 Appendix C’s received
      • 108 Noticed in the paper
      • 67 Approved
      • Submitted equity grant application
      • Asked that the board appoint someone to handle the review of fire plans
      • Thanks to Supervisors Grove and Brown
      • Special thanks to Supervisor Groves for his support of the Cannabis Division
  • County Counsel
    • Provided an update on closed session items from the last board meeting
  • Ag Commissioner
    • Thanks to Supervisors Groves and Brown
  • CAO Update
    • Retention Incentive Bonuses were issued the previous week
    • Aware of Solid Waste Department issues related to COVID-impact on staff
      • Working on enhanced communications regarding hours of operation
    • 31 vacancies are actively being worked upon
    • Hoping to get assistance on risk management support
    • Thanks to Suzi Kochems for her efforts – not only for housing but for the recent cannabis equity grant application
    • Thanks and appreciation to Supervisors Groves and Brown

Board Updates

  • Keith Groves
    • Sierra Nevada Conservancy – missed the last meeting due to the weather
    • TMC Meeting – the group voted to support the proposed adjustment to winter flows
    • Humboldt County – shared concerns that Trinity’s rights are not represented in decisions regarding this 50,000 acre-feet of water allotment
    • Keith’s daughter is now a voting member of the California Farm Bureau
  • Jill Cox
    • Minersville Boat Ramp – progress made, still waiting for paperwork to allow the process to move forward
    • Good Neighbor Authority – Trinity County edits and additions provided by David Colbeck on 12.14.22
    • Appreciation was given for support from Keith Groves and the creative energy of Jeremy Brown
  • Dan Frasier
    • Nothing to report
  • Liam Gogan
    • TMC Meeting – Hoopa Valley Tribe sued to stop the winter variable flows approved by the TMC
    • Humboldt County – 50,000 acre-feet of water “rights” granted in 1959 but not requested until now.
      • No infrastructure in place for them to store the water
    • Appreciation shared for great work by Department Heads, Letty Garza, and staff
  • Jeremy Brown
    • RCRC Final Quarterly Meeting – attended in Sacramento
      • Trinity County has the opportunity to participate in the ____ project
      • Lithium – Imperial County has a huge opportunity.
      • Wind – Humboldt County will receive income
      • Modoc County – a great source of information on water activism
      • Clean Energy – new requirements coming
    • Assemblyman Woods – provided helpful insight regarding how to get things done
    • There were additional updates not covered in these notes.
  • Cannabis Ad Hoc
    • 12.8.22 was the last/final meeting of this committee
    • Committee representatives feel that the Cannabis Division is operating smoothly at this point
    • Encouraged board to provide ongoing assistance with ordinance writing and revisions

Consent Calendar

  • 3.3, 3.7, 3.12 pulled
  • All other items approved
  • 3.3 – Meeting Minutes
    • Approved revised version
  • 3.7 – Funding for additional consulting support of work on Cannabis Ordinances
    • To address items such as stacking, term of the license, etc
    • Opt-Outs to be addressed through General Plan work… not via this initiative to streamline ordinances, etc.
    • the board approved a revised version of this item
      • changed wording from “regulation” to “ordinance”,
      • added a requirement for contingency funds to be refunded if/when the fees support it.
  • 3.12 – Hiring Authorization
    • Pulled due to applicant rescinding acceptance of the offer

County Fees

  • Craig Goodman (Financial Consultant)
  • Fee studies were completed for some of the departments, but not all
  • Presented content and approach for determining costs that should be covered by related fees
  • Table showing current fees vs proposed fees – https://trinity.novusagenda.com/agendapublic/AttachmentViewer.ashx?AttachmentID=19598&ItemID=6598
  • Enterprise Functions (for example – cemeteries) can make a profit
  • General Fund Functions cannot make a profit
  • When fees don’t cover the identified costs of providing the service the loss hits the county’s general fund
  • Board decided to continue this matter to the next regularly scheduled board meeting due to reports of internet outages that were preventing residents from providing public comments

5.4 – Fire Chief Association Access to Funding for Training

  • Provides the option of using other sources of training (in addition to those from CalFire), travel expenses associated with training, etc.
  • Board approved this matter

Community Choice Aggregate

  • Approximately 1,200 PG&E customers in Trinity County could benefit from this
  • Third-party analysis to evaluate the potential impact of this initiative could be covered by an RCRC-supported grant
  • Could include efforts related to Biomass and Hydrogen Fuels
  • Trinity PUD supports the third-party analysis related to this initiative
  • Board approved moving forward with RCRC on the third-party assessment

New CAO

  • Board approved the employment agreement with Trent C. Tuthill effective 4.19.23
  • A press release will be distributed regarding his qualifications.

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

  • Board continued this matter to the special board meeting on 12.29.22
  • A key point of concern is that could allow commercial charging stations without the requirement for appropriate land use evaluation and planning.

Commercial Cannabis Tax

  • Board approved the proposal to suspend for two years the collection of some parts of commercial cannabis taxes
    • The start date for this change will be 1.1.23

Additional Community Health Position

  • Board approved this additional position
  • There is no financial impact on the Trinity County budget due to funding from a Public Health grant.

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…

You can watch any portion of the meeting on YouTube with this link. 

You can access the board agenda (including links to related documents) with this link.

Sharing Information  |  Encouraging Engagement