Sharing Information | Encouraging Engagement
The first BOS meeting of December included a number of important updates, discussions, and decisions. This was a lengthy board meeting so this is a pretty lengthy update. Items covered include the Canyon Creek slide, multi-family dwelling plans in Weaverville, and suspension of some taxes on commercial cannabis.
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
- Building and Development Services
- Jim Santiago was honored for his 23 years of service to Trinity County.
- USFS – Tara Jones
- Public Meetings were rescheduled due to conflicts with other meetings. Tara will post an updated meeting schedule soon. She anticipates meetings taking place in late-January.
- Continuing with burning of piles from thinning efforts
- Fuels crews will start the first of the year – more work planned than in past years
- Timber Sales underway – revenues go to trust fund that is used for projects within this region
- McFarland Timber Sale is currently advertised.
- Pettijohn near Lewiston will go out in the second quarter
- Plans for additional 4,000 acres of fuels management in the Weaverville Community Forest
- Financial Update:
- Trinity County RAC thanked for working through 15 new proposals. They made recommendations to program approximately $610,000.
- Investments or planned investments for local partners of disaster supplemental funds exceed 5.5 million dollars.
- Hiring more staff in Hayfork and Weaverville District Offices.
- Draft of Master Good Neighbor Authority agreement sent to the county for review.
- New Ad hoc committee being formed to work on this initiative
- Trinity County Office of Education
- Update on Data Report on Children and Students
- Noted that there was an article by Josh Cozine in last week’s Trinity Journal
- Student enrollment had dwindled in past years – though we now have a large kindergarten enrollment
- Foster and Homeless Youth
- We follow/track youth who are placed in other counties
- Special Needs Youth
- We saw an increase as COVID closed schools in other districts
- School Readiness
- Currently doing a needs assessment – capturing data from our communities
- Mental Health
- Grant writing underway to increase resources available in this area
- Suspension & Expulsion
- These had been dropping, recently have gone up
- Some key positions are funded by a grant that is expiring soon. Efforts underway to ensure these resources stay in place
Public Comment
- Canyon Creek Road Closure
- Thanks provided for snow removal efforts during the last snow storm
- Concerns raised regarding ongoing impact to residents behind the slide and the uncertainty regarding timeframes for repairs.
- Feedback provided by Junction City schools system representative and resident
- Concerns raised regarding lack of effective/timely communication regarding this matter
- Concern raised due to information that snow removal service will not be available until more road repairs make the road safe to pass.
Departmental Reports
- Sheriff
- Jail opened on 11.16
- 44 inmates transferred without incident to the new jail
- New dispatch system is working well
- The new jail project is officially complete – this is the first project of this kind completed in the state
- Five year grant application submitted to provide ongoing support for school-related resources. Will learn about application success within 5 months or so.
- Ken Langston (previous Trinity County Under Sheriff) was recognized after his recent passing
- Transportation
- Canyon Creek Update
- $3.95 million contract in place with Dyer Construction
- The road becomes the responsibility of the construction company during their work – road signs in place are posted by the contractor
- DOT services (such as snow removal) are available if the contractor approves it
- Requests have been made for the State to waive County responsibility for the 25% match
- If we do have to provide the matching funds it will use approximately 1/2 of available funds
- Jeremy Brown was called by a resident who was notified their insurance was cancelled due to the slide
- The slide is still active – more debris fell over the weekend
- Slide show provided images showing progress/status
- We are down 3 snow plows at this time which prohibits us from leaving equipment behind the slide
- Suggestion made to ask neighboring counties if additional equipment is available for our use during this time
- Suggestion made to work with a private entity to provide this service
- The current plan is that we will provide snow clearing services if the construction company indicates that it is safe to do so.
- Completion of the project (including “permanent” safety measures) is estimated to be in the May/June timeframe
- Request made for construction company representative to be present at the next board meeting
- Canyon Creek Update
- Cannabis
- 398 Appendix C documents received
- 99 noticed in the paper
- 52 active licenses issued
- Plan to seek approval for adjusting the budget to use grant funding to maintain momentum regarding application reviews
- Equity Grant application should be submitted by end of next week
- Suggestion to ask Senator McGuire for expansion of grant funding
- Concern raised by Keith Groves that we will not reach the 350 approved licenses in time to generate the tax revenues counted on in budget plans/projections
- Estimate that we have spent $10,000 to $20,000 per project on review of environmental documents, etc. Expect this will be more like $3,000 to $4,000 in the future
- Retail License application issued – two applicants received to-date
CAO Report
- Letty Garza (our interim CAO) is now also covering the office of Human Resources & Risk Management. This position is currently vacant.
- Working with Audit Office & HR to ensure that we remain in compliance with increases in minimum wage
- Application submitted for broadband services to underserved communities
- Solid Waste will accept Christmas trees free of charge (with no decorations) through 1.14.23
- District Attorney Office
- Question raised regarding plans to provide assistance for this seriously under-staffed department
- Wages are being reviewed, Looking at contracts with other entities to help with urgent cases
- Considering reducing from three to two positions to support higher wages for the remaining two positions.
- Other departments are providing support to help cover urgent HR matters
Supervisor Reports
- Jill Cox
- Met with USFS Supervisor – boat ramp planning/preparation is proceeding. Increased costs will require support from other parties involved in this initiative
- Opportunity for Trinity County representation on important legislative committees
- Economic Development – efforts underway to leverage some portion of $5 million in funding that is available within the north state region to plan initiatives. The ultimate goal is to gain access to a portion of $500 million that will be available for implementation of selected initiatives
- Keith Groves
- CSAC
- 12 supervisors (of 58) will be leaving legislative committee positions in the coming year
- Homelessness is the Governors priority for 2023… unsure how funding/resources for this will benefit Trinity County
- Electric Vehicle Charging
- it appears that we will be moving toward a mileage tax that could benefit rural counties
- Concern that we won’t have flexibility in how this is handled within the county as it relates to availability of power, etc.
- Cannabis – there was a lot of interest from other counties in how far Trinity County has progressed. This is becoming more urgent for some counties as provisional licenses expiring next year.
- Emphasized the value of building relationships with other county supervisors as we share similar challenges.
- Forest Matters
- Acknowledged that we have moved forward a great deal from 5 years ago
- Herbicides – acknowledged that these are used within Trinity County
- Presented photos showing examples of brush in areas where herbicides have (and have not) been used – USFS land vs Timber Company land
- TPUD – will be asking about the use of herbicides as they work to manage their expanded right of way
- CSAC
Ad Hoc Committee Report
- The committee’s last meeting will be held this Thursday
Consent Calendar
- Public Comment – concerns raised regarding the number of precincts going down as the number of residents goes up – and a potential error in the wording regarding election-related items
- A number of items were pulled from the consent calendar (3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.10, 3.11). See notes below.
- All remaining items were approved
- 3.2 – Funding of Audits and Reports
- Jill Cox suggested that funding for the unplanned audit $20,000 come out of a designated fund vs. the contingency fund.
- Decision made to postpone decision on this to allow more time to review this matter.
- 3.3 – Letter supporting opposition to the Delta Tunnel Project
- Keith Groves raised concerns regarding the wording in the proposed letter.
- Decision made to remove the content of concern prior to approving for signature.
- 3.4 – Letter supporting Trinity High School’s request for funding an all-weather track.
- Public comment supporting this matter (all weather track). Keith Groves raised concerns regarding spelling and grammatical errors.
- Decision made to approve amended letter.
- 3.10 – Acknowledge receipt of the Certification of election results.
- Keith Groves asked that our County Counsel explain this “acknowledgement” of the election results. Her explanation included – this is not approval or certification… it is acknowledgment… with makes it part of our minutes/record.
- Decision made to approve this matter.
- 3.11 – Approve agreement related to allocation and use of funds to promote and advertise Trinity County as a tourism destination.
- Public comment supporting this matter.
- Some encouragement for more effective collaboration amongst the entities who receive these funds.
- Some encouragement of future additions to entities (Trinity County Chamber) are included.
- Suggestion to consider a designated entity to make decisions on the use of these funds.
- Jill Cox proposed that future conversations regarding this matter clarify the allocation of funding and enhance collaboration.
- Keith Groves provided historical perspective and proposed changes to how this is handled moving forward. He also proposed that the BOS receive updates regarding the use of funds.
- Decision made to approve this matter with guidance that the CAO ensure renegotiations regarding who is awarded funding and how the funding is put to use.
- Public comment supporting this matter.
Public Hearings
- Electric Vehicle Charging Station Permit
- Legislation calls for streamlining/expediting of the permit process for these charging stations
- Concerns raised about:
- This being overreach by the State
- This not following the same adherence to CEQA requirements that is required of others
- There was discussion about rejecting this and the potential impact from State response to not complying with their direction
- Discussed the need for discussions with RCRC and with the State by County Counsel
- Decided to postpone decision on this matter until the next board meeting when we will have information gathered from RCRC and the State
- Community Development Block Grant – Trinity Center Fire Department Initiative
- This program is now complete. There is a requirement to provide the public the opportunity to comment upon completion of the project. There was no public comment
- Community Development Block Grant – Public Facility Project (ADA for HRN in Hayfork)
- There is a requirement at this time to provide the public the opportunity to comment. No public comment.
Planning & Zoning
- Rezoning of a parcel in Weaverville from single family/low density to multi family/high density
- Comprehensive update from the planning department (Skylar Fisher)
- Based on plans to build apartments in this area
- Public Comment
- Concern raised regarding the ability to maintain an existing right of way/easement
- Concern raised regarding pedestrian traffic – potential need for sidewalks
- Concern raised regarding vehicle traffic and availability of parking
- Opposition voiced to high density development in this area
- Concern raised by the Sheriff regarding public safety requirements and the anticipated increase in demand for services related to a development of this nature.
- The need for this to come back to the Planning Commission was questioned
- Property Owner Comments
- Provided response to some of the concerns raised, including easement, etc.
- Lost $20 million funding and contractor due to the 5 year delay in getting this project approved
- Stated his desire to help with our housing challenges.
- Decision to approve the rezoning with an understanding that specific plans for use of the property would come back to the Planning Commission.
- Mad River Road Naming
- Through previous decisions… one parcel is becoming three parcels
- This request is to approve road names associated with plans for this area
- Decision to approve the road naming requests
County Matters
- Commercial Cannabis Tax
- Proposal to temporarily reduce the commercial cannabis tax
- Adrien Keys presented the measure to the board
- Noted that other counties have taken similar actions
- Noted the significant challenges facing the industry at this time
- “We ask that the cannabis flower tax “full rate” be reduced by 50% to $7.72/lb, the cannabis leaf tax be eliminated, and the fresh cannabis plant tax “full rate” be reduced by 50% to $1.08/lb with a sunset period of 2 years for the tax rate reduction.”
- Noted that due to federal status of cannabis, this industry does not have access to funding sources available to other small businesses
- Referenced estimate that 50% of existing cannabis businesses in CA will not exist a year from now.
- Staff Report from County Counsel
- Confirmed that the county does have the authority to reduce temporarily (including with a sunset clause)
- This would only require a majority vote – vs 4/5 vote for increasing/putting forward a new tax rate
- Public Comment
- Examples given to better illustrate current conditions.
- 90% reduction from prior year for one business
- Unable to access bank funding due to federal status
- Unable to be profitable under current conditions
- Some approved licenses not being “picked up” because the operator can not afford to operate in current conditions
- Retail prices of $1,000+/lb when tax was introduced, now closer to $400/lb
- Retail Price for “trim” of $4.00 vs $4.00+ tax on the same product
- Retail Price Comparisons from one operator
- 2017 to 2020 – $900/lb
- 2021 – $0
- 2022 – $475
- Cost of production is $200/lb (doesn’t mean you can sell all of your crop)
- All employees at one operation let go during this challenging period
- Reference to economic development initiatives that offer incentives to attract/support new businesses
- Reference to this short-term reduction being a decision that can protect/support a long term source of tax revenue for Trinity County.
- Reference the value of property taxes associated with operations that are able to continue (vs. dismantling and re-assessing property value)
- Acknowledgement of other positive movements (ordinances, equity grant, etc.)
- Support for this measure voiced by all who spoke
- Call for a level playing field (higher costs in Trinity County than in others)
- Examples given to better illustrate current conditions.
- Board decision to have County Counsel draft language that reflects this proposal in the best format for implementation and approval. This will involve suspending portions of some taxes and all of other taxes.
- Board Response to Grand Jury Report
- Discussion about concerns/questions related to the response letter
- Discussion about the need for enhanced communication between Grand Jury and BOS
- Board decision to approve letter as written
- Hiring Exception
- Board decision to approve hiring exception as presented.
- Note – BOS must approve hiring at pay rate levels above standard/normal entry rates.
- This individual has extensive experience in his field.
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
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