AN Agreement between the County of Sierra and Rentalscape, Deckard Technologies to provide short-term rental compliance and analytic services to the Treasurer/Tax Collector was approved during the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on November 21st. Tax Collector Van Maddox stated this would greatly reduce the amount of staff time spent researching and finding these rentals and felt the annual cost was easily recoverable
Two mid-management positions were created for the Assistant Director of Public Health and Assistant Director of Social Services and offered to Rhonda Grandi and Lori McGee who have been serving in this capacity since the Director position became vacant over a year ago. Both have accepted the positions and a resolution was passed unanimously at the Sierra County Board of Supervisors’ meeting in Loyalton on November 21st. This has no impact to the General Fund.
SIERRA COUNTY Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector/Risk Manager/Budget Officer Van Maddox’s responsibilities were discussed during the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on November 21st in Loyalton. Maddox had sent a memo to the Board laying out duties he was elected for and those he does for the Board of Supervisors and has never been compensated for or given staff for the functions. He stated the elected office is what he was hired to do and the remaining functions were a courtesy to the Board during time of financial upheaval. Maddox had no problem continuing to do these extra functions but compensation wasn’t being taken care of. In the memo he states in part, “As for my non-elected functions, without fair compensation, I am resigning from them, and the Board can appoint a new Budget Officer and new Risk Manager.” He gave the Board a deadline of December 31st. Board Chair Sharon Dryden very much appreciated the job he does adding it is not taken lightly or for granted. She said they don’t have staff and operate in the confines of a small county and small budget and all have to share responsibilities and duties. Dryden asked what his current salary was. Maddox stated it was $155,000 + benefits but $65,000 less than his predecessor and less benefits. He provided a spreadsheet that showed the County paying long-term department heads $25,000 to $45,000 more than has been asked for, and still short of inflation, Employee COLAS, CalPERS COLAS, and Social Security over the last 17 years. In the memo he stated the $175,000 and $165,000 requested at the Finance meeting were still less percentage increase than the employees had received, and $65,000 less than the last group of retired long-term department heads. Maddox stated he was trying to look after who comes next, all department heads and himself. Supervisor Lee Adams said the role of the board is to try to understand how we get to fair and what we can afford not only now, but in the future. He wanted to make good public policy for good reason and felt ultimatums were a poor way to make decisions. Public Works Director Bryan Davey knows he is new to the department head position but has been a county employee for a long time and liked the idea of having a two-tier department. He recently took on the Solid Waste Administrator duties as Assessor Laura Marshall resigned from the extra responsibilities she wasn’t being paid for. Davey said this transition has been extremely inefficient and created a significant cost to the residents and didn’t make a lot of sense. He has also seen state regulations adding more and more and duties keep expanding, adding there was no easy way to fix it. Dryden said burdens have grown but what has not grown is our budget. Adams wanted the board to consider having the Personnel Department pick half a dozen counties to see what they pay. He also wanted legal opinions on board options for what employees can walk away from, adding he didn’t want an “a la carte menu” when an office has been doing it for 40 years. County Counsel Rhetta Vander Ploeg is also the HR director and sent emails out to department heads on duties. She is also reaching out to neighboring counties for parity to look at a parallel set of data, adding there was no perfect schematic. She stated the government code states what each position does. Adams was hoping to come to a reasonable consensus, adding if we spend a lot of money on this, the taxpayer loses and our comradery loses. Maddox was willing to stretch out his deadline to the end of the first quarter. Supervisor Paul Roen stated they had already started to look at the issue a month and a half ago, adding they have always tried to accommodate. Adams felt it important that this item be on every agenda for updates.
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT James Berardi reported to the Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified School Board on Tuesday, November 14 in Loyalton that Director of Business Services/CBO Nona Griesert has resigned with her last day being December 8th. She has been with the district seven years. Ryland School Business Consulting will fill in Griesert’s place until the position is filled. Berardi stated the firm has worked with many districts and with single, single districts.
Berardi spoke on Differentiated Assistance, and said the State has put out money to assist districts. Sierra County Office of Education will receive $300,000.
They are looking at hiring people to work on curriculum for student success. He felt this would help the kids and district as a whole. District Superintendent Sean Snider stated the funding is for very specific purposes to assist in academic achievement. He called it exciting, and a real opportunity for the district.
The old middle school gym parking lot project was discussed. Berardi said it will have to wait until spring now as the Truckee plant for asphalt has shut down for winter. Wendy Jackson suggested looking at Hat Creek to do the asphalt, since they have a plant in Johnsville. Griesert agreed and stated that they have used Hat Creek before to do asphalt work at the elementary school.
Berardi stated he was asked in his capacity to sit on a superintendent’s advocacy group. He felt he would have a say in things and an opportunity to get the District’s voice out there. He is also going to Washington DC to in the spring to meet with senators for necessary funding for small schools. The goal is to get it permanently established so they have it every year.
Snider reported they have an upcoming meeting with FEMA over last winter’s storm damage to facility roofs, calling it slow but steady progress.
A Resolution authorizing the purchase of an Incident Command Mobile Trailer and necessary equipment utilizing Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) funding to be used for the Sierra County Office of Emergency Services was passed unanimously by the Board of Supervisors at its meeting on November 21st. The trailer will provide a centralized location for incident commanders and key personnel to coordinate and manage emergency response efforts.
Nichole Johnson
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