DOWNIEVILLE — After the call to order and Pledge of Allegiance, the first meeting of the Sierra County Board of Supervisors in 2024 began with the passing of the gavel from former Board Chair Sharon Dryden to the new Chair, Paul Roen. Supervisor Adams was named Vice-Chair to comply with a long-standing annual rotation. Roen marked the occasion by gifting Dryden the gavel used to call 2023 meetings to order. In a small speech by Dryden, she described herself as passing the gavel with “great honor” and stated that during her time as chair, she had witnessed impressive dedication and hard work by county employees and beyond. New Vice-Chair Lee Adams praised Dryden by stating she did a wonderful job as chair. Adams also commended the camaraderie of the Board and made clear that although there are differences of opinion between Board members, those differences don‘t extend to a personal level. The holiday week made for a relatively short and quiet meeting, but not without some developments. Bryan Davey reported that a meeting with Congressman Kevin Kiley last month, which attempted to convince the Congressman’s office to support funding for Gold Lake Highway work, had been a success — the form such support may take remains unclear. Yuba River District Ranger Tom Parrack had little to report, having been on leave, but he hopes burn piles over 600 acres near Camptonville will soon be lit as part of the Trapper Forest Health Restoration Project. Parrack noted that those burns may heavily impact Highway 49. In other Board news… In response to a query by Supervisor Lila Heuer, Yuba River District Ranger Tom Parrack explained that funding had been designated for the restoration and re-signage of the Sardine Lake Campground Nature Walk. The funding comes from the Great American Outdoors Act, signed in August 2020. The Golden State Finance Authority, associated with Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), will offer down payment assistance and other finance programs to Sierra County residents and homebuyers. Introducing the item, Supervisor Adams noted that there would be no cost to Sierra County and the benefit of having additional financing options available in the county. Supervisor Dryden thanked RCRC for including Sierra County in the program. Sierra County will soon develop a “Zero Emission Vehicle infrastructure readiness plan,” which will determine suitable locations for electric vehicle charging stations. The plan is expected to cost around $350k, but the county will work with RCRC and Nevada County to secure a grant covering most of the cost. Planning Director Brandon Pangman expects a General Fund impact of around $10k but notes it could be as high as $40k. Although the plan itself will not build any charging stations, it may make the county eligible for state and federal funding via grants. According to Brandon Pangman, Sierra County’s Building Department has relied on clipboards and Excel spreadsheets to track the county’s building permits. The system is set to change with their acquisition of permit tracking software from Cloudpermit Inc., which should allow for a considerably more efficient permitting process. Permit applicants will be able to apply, submit, check the status of permits, and pay fees online. Supervisor Dryden noted that not having to drive to Downieville to handle the various steps associated with permitting is a particularly enticing prospect for Sierra County residents. The software has a first-year cost, which includes set-up, of $18,500, which will be transferred from leftover funds from wages & salaries with no effect on the general fund. An annual cost of $12,500 is expected to be pulled from the general fund starting next year. Pangman noted after looking at many different solutions the Cloudpermit software offered an admirable set of “bells and whistles” for a price well below its competitors.
Chairman Roen gifts the 2023 gavel to Supervisor DrydenSardine Lake Campground Nature Walk to be Restored
Sierra County Gains Golden State Finance Authority Programs
EV Charging Station Plans
Permit Tracking Software for the Building Department