DOWNIEVILLE — Over the last few meetings, animosity from the Board toward the State of California has grown as the County gets closer to its required general plan and zoning code update. In a recent change, the “housing element” of the plan requires the County to prepare a costly document outlining prospective locations for low-income housing. The number of sites needed is based on a model of population growth in the County, where more growth means more sites. Sierra County currently has a declining population, but the state will not accept a negative value, so the County must come up with two affordable housing units in the lowest income categories denoted by the state.

The paperwork, of course, does not provide any undeniably needed housing in the County. As Supervisor Adams described, the document does nothing more than “push paper” without incentivizing developers to build on the land. Adams noted that he would be happier buying a couple of used trailers to have some tangible benefit. Adams hopes to bring the issue to the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), believing the rules unfairly target Sierra County in particular. Unfortunately, not complying would likely disqualify the County from performing its normal duties.

Because the City of Loyalton will also be required to complete a housing element update, Planning Director Brandon Pangman suggested the County and city should collaborate on the update to bring costs down. Pangman estimates that with such a strategy, the cost of the document would be around $50,000. A quote from contractor Mintier Harnish placed a price of around $200k should the County handle the update independently.

In other news…

Roof Repairs for Community Hall

Payment was authorized to Home Hardening Solutions, Inc. for $14,880 to repair the roof of the Downieville Community Hall. The entire roof will be re-screwed, and any cracks or damage to the underlayment will be fixed. The repair will not be done as part of the Downieville Remodel Project, instead taking funds directly from the Parks and Recreation budget. Bryan Davey of Public Works gave his vote of confidence to the contractor, assuring the Board that the repairs would be substantial and sufficient.

Tahoe Forest Fire Restrictions Lifted

Fire restrictions for the Tahoe National Forest ended on Monday, October 2nd. The forest service cited above-average fuel moisture levels and favorable weather for the change. Sierraville District Ranger Rachel Hutchinson also noted that fire activity has been quiet recently.

Health and Human Services Water Leak

Bryan Davey updated the Board on a water leak in the health and human services building, for which personnel had been evacuated. Davey also mentioned that there was a possibility of a public utility pole falling on the building. Repairs were underway on Tuesday, with no further water leakage.

Tax Collector Collects Taxes

Jenny Varn, Assistant Treasurer-Tax Collector, updated the Board on a settlement between the County and Steve Cassel settling unpaid transient occupancy taxes. After a long process of attempting to contact the landowner, an injunction was filed, which caught the owner’s attention. Eventually, the County was granted access to rental website accounts, through which the owed tax was calculated. Ultimately, $53,000 was collected, and liens on the property were released.

Downieville Library Lease Agreement

A lease agreement was made between the Sierra County Arts Council and the County for the Downieville Library. The space will cost the County $315 monthly and an additional $25 monthly to cover fixed utility costs. The County will still pay for the building’s water, gas, heat, light, power, and other utilities.

Confusion Over Ambulance Replacement Fund

Frank Lang, Downieville Fire Protection District Chairman, addressed the Board to clarify details about existing ambulance replacement funds of around $150,000, to which $20,000 will be added this year. The Board decided the funds would still be primarily used for ambulance replacement but could be redirected in an emergency. In future meetings, further discussion will be held regarding how the County will handle ambulance services, possibly modifying or removing services currently provided to the Pliocene Ridge area.