Plumas Supes Approve Labor Agreements, Wildlife Contract; Clarify Strategic Planning

QUINCY — At their scheduled meeting on August 19, the Plumas County Board of Supervisors approved an update to the county’s pay schedule for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and ratified agreements with bargaining units representing employees in the Public Works and Probation departments.

The Supervisors also authorized Agriculture Commissioner Willo Vieira to contract with US Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to maintain a program that manages damage from wildlife. The $61 thousand cost of the program will be shared by Plumas and Sierra Counties, and a portion will be offset by user fees. For that amount, Commissioner Vieira reported, the Department of Agriculture will provide two trained wildlife specialists, with vehicles and equipment, who will provide education services and help the community prevent and respond to depredations and other problems caused by predators and various other wild animals. To illustrate the nature of specialists’ work, she produced a toy stuffed skunk to emphasize that, although much attention is focused on wolves, bears, and mountain lions, the majority of wildlife incidents in the area involve skunks and raccoons.

During the departmental announcements portion of the meeting, Zachary Gately of the County Administrative Office clarified that the main purpose of the upcoming public meetings on the county’s strategic plan is to gather input on proposed statements of mission, vision, and values for Plumas County government, rather than to air general concerns. He explained that the meetings will cover the same questions as an electronic survey available through the county’s strategic planning web page so that county residents and employees who want to comment can choose either to attend a meeting or complete the survey. Gately said the county aims to collect at least 1000 responses to the survey and encouraged people to participate.