Board of Supervisors Meeting | 3.17.2026

by | Mar 24, 2026 | Economic Development, Get Involved, Stay Informed, Trinity Resources, Your Opinion Matters | 0 comments

Sharing Information  |  Encouraging Engagement

The presentations during this board meeting were delivered toward the end, in the County Matters section of the agenda. Updates were provided by our Sheriff, CAO, each member of the Board of Supervisors, and the Tourism Funding Ad Hoc Committee.

One item was pulled from the Consent Calendar for discussion. All items on the Consent Calendar were approved. Under County Matters, the board received two presentations and conducted a Public Hearing regarding Solid Waste fees. The first presentation was regarding alternative septic systems and the steps required to make them an option here in Trinity County. The second presentation was focused on the county’s work on a new Zoning Ordinance. There was no Closed Session.

 

A. PUBLIC COMMENT
  • Transportation – concerns shared regarding the timing of transit pick up and drop off times that can cause people to be left without transportation for long periods of time.
  • Community Function – shared information about efforts by local community organizations.

 

B. REPORTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS

B.1. Report from Department Heads

  • Sheriff Saxon
    • Personnel Update – one candidate in the academy. One is going through field training. One is in the background check process. Ongoing testing for new applicants.
    • Equipment Update – Enterprise has four vehicles that are being equipped for use by April. These will replace older vehicles. Another five will be coming later in the year, also to replace older equipment.
    • Emergency Communications System – Day Wireless submitted a quote that will address surge protection. This is the first step of work planned for the Oregon repeater site. Antennae and cabling may be next in line.

B.2. Report from County Administrative Officer

  • CAO | Trent Tuthill
    • Behavioral Health Funding – $1.3 million grant for facilities enhancement.
    • Congressional Directed Spending Application – submitted an application for $1.6 million to support upgrades to the Emergency Communications System. The total cost is estimated to be just over $2 million. We’ll need matching funds to fill the gap.
    • Ready Trinity – a new campaign begins this week and next to encourage residents to register for notifications and review their contact information.
      • 5,000+ were ported over from the old (Code Red) system. There are concerns about the completeness and quality of this data.
      • 1,000 registered with Ready Trinity
    • Secure Rural Schools Funding – still awaiting these funds. DOT has a long list of plans for these funds.

B.3. Reports from Members of the Board of Supervisors

  • District 1 | Ric Leutwyler
    • Sierra Nevada Conservancy – traveled to Chico to participate in the board meeting and tour. SNC staff are in county this week to research lodging, dining, and meeting spaces. They will also be finalizing plans for the 1/2 day tour that is always part of SNC board meetings.
    • NoRTEC – visited the NoRTEC office in Chico before heading home from SNC meeting.
    • Fire Chiefs Association – participated in the monthly meeting. Shared a brief update regarding work on the Emergency Communications System.
    • PSA2 | Area Agency for Aging – participated in board meeting.
  • District 2 | Jill Cox
    • No out of county travel
    • PSA2
      • Nancy Ogren (Siskiyou County) took on the Chair role, Matt Plummer (Shasta County) took over the Vice Chair role.
      • Dignity Health Connected Living – a key provider of services in several counties covered by PSA2, including here in Trinity County.
    • Minersville Boat Ramp – NEPA team assembled, work on permits is underway, CEQA work must be completed for permit approval. The 90% design plan should be completed this week. The final design plan should be completed during May.
      • The Collaborative will be reviewing 90% plans this week. One key area of focus is the distance people will have to cover to reach parking when water levels are low.
      • Tuli Potts (SNC) mentioned funding opportunities for State Parks. Supervisor Cox will follow up on this.
    • Congressional Visit – continue to work on schedule.
  • District 3 | Liam Gogan
    • No out of county travel
    • Hayfork & Douglass City – working to clean up from and prepare for homeless activities
  • District 4 | Heidi Carpenter-Harris
    • No out of county travel
    • NACO discussions ongoing
    • Landlines – ongoing concerns regarding this subject. Collecting information.
    • PUD – met with General Manager regarding plans, priorities, etc. May schedule a board presentation.
  • District 5 | Julia Brownfield
    • Community Input – ongoing discussions with residents. Following up on feedback with CAO and staff. Roads, taxes, cannabis site cleanup, and fire recovery are on the list.

B.4. Reports from Ad Hocs

• Tourism Funding – first session with Two Six Digital (tourism marketing agency) completed. Recording shared with staff for hosting on the county’s website. The next meeting is scheduled for April 6th at noon. The Trinity County Chamber of Commerce will publicize the meeting once the details are finalized.

C. CONSENT CALENDAR

Public Comment – None

C.11 – Pulled for discussion

The board approved all other items on the Consent Calendar as presented.

C.11. Human Resources – Approve the Departmental Allocation Listing effective March 17, 2026. No fiscal impact.

  • Clarification – this action does not reduce the number of staff planned for the DOT. It more accurately reflects planned staffing levels
  • The board approved this matter as presented.
D. PUBLIC HEARINGS

D.1. Solid Waste – Conduct a public hearing to consider adopting a resolution that establishes the schedule of fees for solid waste disposal and provides for appropriate exemptions and credits for the 2026-2027 annual solid waste parcel fee billing. No impact to the General Fund; estimated revenue in the amount of $960,000 to the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund.

  • Diane Rader | Deputy Director of Solid Waste – presented this matter
    • No increase in fees
    • Adjustment to seniors income level to qualify for discounted fees – based on the federal poverty level (increased by 200%)
    • Vacant properties pay a $30 fee vs. $100 full fee.
    • Landfill-related costs should reduce over time. The State calls for funding over a 30 year period.
  • Public Comment
    • None
  • Board discussion regarding the resolution to support the proposed schedule of fees
    • Supervisor Brownfield
      • Suggested a higher threshold for senior’s discount
      • Suggested lesser/no fees for vacant property under construction
      • Concerns raised regarding the volume of site closures
    • Determined that a separate resolution would be needed to support changes of this nature, and that there is insufficient time to accomplish this before the start of the new fiscal year.
  • The board approved the motion as presented

E. COUNTY MATTERS

E.1. Agriculture – Introduce, waive the reading of, and enact an urgency ordinance temporarily prohibiting industrial hemp. No fiscal impact.

  • Angela Blanchard | Agricultural Commissioner – presented this matter
    • This action ensures no gap in coverage
    • This matter will be before the board in April
  • Public Comment – none
  • The board approved this matter as presented.

E.2. Community Development – Environmental Health – Receive a presentation from Environmental Health Division Director Kristy Anderson, on available sewage disposal options in Trinity County. Unknown fiscal impact.

  • Kristy Anderson | Environmental Health – presented this matter
    • Current Program Overview
      • Three centralized sewage disposal locations in Trinity County – Weaverville, Hayfork, and Lewiston
      • District 1 has more challenges than most.
    • OWTS Policy – adopted 2012, amended 2023
    • Standard Systems
      • Leach Field limitations – setbacks, etc.
    • LAMP – North Coast Region – only 2 of 10 counties have LAMP
      • Steps to create are extensive.
    • Tier 2 projections
      • The permit would be annual due to the need for inspections, etc.
      • Average implementation costs are double or triple that of Tier 1
      • High failure rate
    • Fully Denied Septic Systems
      • 2 in District 1, both in the Lewiston Sewer District
        • $150,000+ given as example of cost to connect to district services in some instances.
    • Examples of challenges presented in several areas of the county
      • Setbacks and geology are primary
  • Board Questions
    • Timeline and costs could be minimized by working with other jurisdictions in the area who have been successful.
    • Some funding available to help cover costs
  • Public Comment
    • Construction Input – description of working with property owners to install, repair, or replace standard systems. Noted multiple challenges due to geologic and setback limits. Feels that we should move forward to better understand what it would take to assess the timeline and costs associated with establishing a LAMP for Trinity County.
    • Construction Input – recognized Kristy’s efforts to help find solutions. Feels that it’s important to pursue the LAMP so we have more options. They deal with 3 to 4 failures per year.
    • Lewiston Input – requested copies of the presentation. Emphasized the importance of providing alternative solutions. Supports the board moving forward to investigate the LAMP
    • Real Estate Input – emphasized the importance of having more options for meeting waste management to develop and/or resell property. Considers the LAMP and investment in the future of the county.
  • Board Discussion & Direction
    • Direction to staff to research this further, bringing information back to the board for consideration within the next 60 days. This should include gathering data from the regional water board, other counties who have pursued establishing a LAMP, talking to potential engineers, consultants, etc. The report should include estimated timing and cost for pursuing a LAMP for Trinity County. Initial time investment limited to 10 hours.

E.3. Community Development – Planning – Receive an update on the progress of the current Zoning Code revisions. Unknown fiscal impact.

  • Michale Gibbons | Mintier Harnish – presented this matter
  • See materials included in the agenda backup material for more detail
  • Trinity County Zoning Ordinances have not been fully updated in more that two decades.
  • This is a very iterative process:
    • Community Plan Meetings, Zoning-specific Stakeholder Interviews, Zoning Ordinance Workshops in Hayfork and Weaverville, Zoning Seminar with PC and BOS, Five sessions with the PC
  • We are currently working with the administrative draft, moving close to completion of the public review draft.
  • Additional steps
    • Public Review Draft
    • Community Workshops
    • CEQA Evaluation
    • Revised Public Review Draft
    • Adoption – rezones to occur within 2 years of adoption.
  • Board Discussion
    • Q: Is there a streamlined process for property owners during the transition process?
    • A: Not now, but will research.
    • Q: Will the language regarding wireless/cellular facilities, etc. address concerns raised during public comment.
    • A: Will confirm detail, but believes it does.
    • Q: Does language regarding EV bring us into compliance with State expectations?
    • A: No. This is focused on identifying related State requirements.
    • Q: Variances – does this keep us away from the historical mis-use of cannabis-related variances?
    • A: Yes.
  • New Ordinance is organized into seven parts to better group related provisions, removed duplicative or conflicting sections, etc.
  • New Directors Use Permit – in between a use which is allowed by-right and a user which requires PC approval.
    • Director is decision-maker.
    • Public notice to abutting property owners.
    • Hearing on appeal or if Director refers items to the PC
  • Modifications – allowed as specified in code, up to 10%
  • Public Review Draft Zoning Ordinance – April 2026
  • Zoning Ordinance Community Workshops OR Study Sessions in Mid-May.
  • The PC completed sessions. They requested one more session on some outstanding Cannabis-related items.
  • More PC sessions will be held after receipt of public input.
  • Request made to streamline public input – eliminating the need for hearing the same input over and over again.
  • Acknowledgement that Supervisors can host community-based meetings to supplement the more centralized opportunities for engagement/input.

Public Comment

  • Community Engagement – suggests that the PC lead most of the public engagement, also consider live editing.
  • Focus – the focus should be on avoiding conflict. Feels that the current draft is too restrictive – with a bias toward more Urban areas rather than a rural county like ours.
  • Cannabis – the study session on the cannabis section was too short. Feels there is still much more discussion needed regarding this subject/content. Raised concerns regarding potential action to eliminate opt-outs in Trinity Center and Coffee Creek areas.
  • Cannabis – agrees with comments about the plan being too urban-focused. Feels we will need to allow a great deal of time for public input during meetings. Feels that the document does not reflect the full breadth of input received during community input sessions.
  • Focus – suggests asking staff/consultants to revisit the document to ensure that the urban focus is removed/addressed. Raised question regarding legal standing for cannabis opt-outs, suggesting a related ballot measure.
  • Publicizing Engagement – encourages staff/consultants to go above and beyond to build awareness and engagement.

Board Direction:

  • Conduct joint PC/BOS session with the opportunity for public engagement. Work closely with our PIO to effectively communicate the importance of, and opportunities to provide input. Provide the board with a timeline that illustrates all remaining milestones – Community Engagement Sessions, PC Sessions, BOS Sessions, Final Approval of all outstanding items by end of 2026.

Previous Closed Session Report provided

ADJOURN

 

Sharing Information  |  Encouraging Engagement

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