WATER SYSTEMS in Sierra City were discussed during the Sierra County Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Tuesday, March 2nd through WebEx. Planning Director Tim Beals said there are rumors about water consolidation in Sierra City, as a number of water systems are for sale. He stated there are about 15 water systems in Sierra City and felt there probably has never been a better time to consider consolidation and was concerned with water quality, and infrastructure issues. Beals said this would be a special district that would be formed or reactivated and could be a LAFCo issue. Board Chair Lee Adams asked if this item should be agendized to see if residents want to form a special district, to hear the pros and cons and how to move forward. He said Downieville went through this in the 1960’s. Beals stated a lot of effort is being put forth by five water systems looking at consolidating and felt this was sufficient interest to talk to the State about options for funding. Adams didn’t want to see the County get into the water business. Beals stated they would just be assisting the community with a critical service of potable water.
SIERRA COUNTY SHERIFF MIKE FISHER reported on the Sheriff’s office radio system during the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Tuesday, March 2nd. He told the Board they have been having major issues with the dispatch console as it is running on old XP computers. He has started looking at some quotes to up grade equipment to Windows 10 and stated it will cost about $12,000-$15,000 to upgrade to Windows 10 boxes and the department is looking at $20,000-$23,000 for an updated radio console. Fisher said they are also looking at doing a study of the whole radio system top to bottom by hiring an engineer who will give a physical list of what they have and what condition it’s in. They would prioritize what immediately needs to be replaced and/or repaired. Fisher stated the engineer they would use just did this for Modoc County, who was happy with the work. Fisher stated the Sheriff’s Office contracts with OES for radio repairs, but the contract doesn’t include engineers. Fisher is hoping to use money through the Homeland Security Grant and COVID funding. He said they are also looking at possibly adding a repeater and clearing some trees to improve radio communication.
Planning Director Tim Beals stated they have been notified that they received 2020-2021 Homeland Security Grants, which can be used for law enforcement purposes. He felt it would be a prudent move for the Board to establish a reserve for one or two years of these grants to cover what might be costs for radio improvements.
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