QUINCY - The Plumas County Board of Supervisors meeting in Quincy on April 4, 2023, began with an opportunity for public comments. Pastor George Tarleton led off with a prayer for the Sheriff's Department, safety for the county, the supervisors, and the nation. Next, Robert Zurnich invited the Board, County staff, and the public to attend Memorial Day celebrations at 10:00 a.m. on May 30 at Dame Shirley Plaza in Quincy. Then, Becky Grand, a Dispatch Operator for the Plumas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO), spoke about staffing issues in the Sheriff's office. Grand said, "With what appears to be no outside support, should I even worry about this? What are we uereven doing here? What are our priorities? I'm sorry, but it appears public safety and 911 aren't high on that list." Grand reported the PCSO is down to three full-time dispatchers for 24-hour shifts. And she asked the Board to address staffing shortages, low wages, retention of existing staff, and hiring new employees. Grand also spoke about losing potential employees because it takes several months to hire anyone and stated the process needs to be streamlined. Finally, Phil Derby, an In-Home Support Services (IHSS) provider, commented on the need to raise the wages for IHHS workers.

During the Department Manager Reports section of the agenda, Sheriff Todd Johns also commented about staffing, saying a PCSO correctional officer with 12 years of experience recently resigned after being offered $6 more an hour at an entry-level job with no previous experience. "We are literally killing ourselves at the jail." Johns also said, "If this continues, by this summer, I won't have a patrol deputy covering the county's streets. I have to continue to tell you, the stress of the Sheriff's Office is overwhelming, by being understaffed, having to shift deputies into the jail, having people working where they shouldn't be working, or they should be covering the streets instead of working the jail. I have employees that are doing four of five different jobs right now. The stressors are through the roof."

Next, Martee Graham, the Auditor/Controller, reported about the audit being completed by June 30 and the steps needed to receive federal funding. Graham also said the department lost an employee who moved to another county and, due to being short-staffed, she needed to allow extra-help employees to work more than 29 hours a week to prevent the loss of federal funds.

Tracy Ferguson, County Planning Director, announced the second round of community meetings for the Wildfire Long Term Recovery Plan would begin on April 15 in Greenville at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. in Taylorsville. On April 18, 19, 20, the second round of community meetings will occur at 6 p.m. in Chester, Vinton, and Quincy, respectively.

The Feather River Tourism Association (FRTA) reported on their operations, history, and the challenges they have gone through and requested a bridge loan of $24,000 since late payments of transient occupancy taxes had caused a budget shortfall. However, following a report by the County's Tax Collector on what funds have, or have not, been distributed to support the FRTA, the organization withdrew their request.

Willo Vieira, Commissioner for Agricultural Weights and Measures, presented a resolution approving the execution of an Agreement between Plumas County Agricultural Department and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to reimburse the county with $7,857 for Exotic Pest Detection Trapping work. Vieria also acquired approval to adjust the Agricultural Weights and Measurement Technician's work schedule to ten hours per day, and a four-day workweek.

Next, Neal Caiazzo from the Dept. of Social Services sought approval for an Access to Technology grant of $157,462 from the California Department of Aging. These funds would provide local IHSS workers and low-income or disabled seniors with iPads and be trained to use them. The motion to accept the grant was approved unanimously by the Board.

Following this action, Nancy Selvage, Director of Human Resources, requested and received approval for revising the Employee Background Investigation Policy to once every five years as opposed to the ten-year period, per the IRS requirements. The Board's discussion of Selvage's proposal to raise the base wage rate for the Undersheriff was rescheduled for their May 2 meeting.

Next, Tracy Ferguson, Planning Director for Plumas County, updated the Board on the recently released Guidelines and Application for the Plumas County/City of Portola Economic Development. A discussion on American Rescue Plan funding opportunities was followed by an explanation of how the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) program offers 100% forgivable loans of up to $50,000 to eligible micros-businesses. Applications will be available soon, and the period will be open until May 31. All applications will be on a first-come, first-serve basis and will be posted to the county website. Michael Baker and Associates will partner for the process.

Debra Lucero of the County Administrative Office sought and received unanimous approval from the Board for an agreement between the County and the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS) for Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) trail maintenance for an amount not to exceed $215,722.

Lucero also presented the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) proposal to use 1% of the Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund (LATCF) allocated to Plumas County for funding the start-up of the National Center for Public Lands. Following a discussion of what the funds are used for, the initial amount proposed, $20,000, a motion was made to reduce this sum to $7,500 was passed by a 5-0 vote.

Before Closed Session, by consensus, the Board agreed to seek out interested applicants needed to make the Museum Commission a viable organization.