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Permit Sonoma asks board to weigh staffing cuts, FEMA/BRIC uncertainty and housing‑element workload
Summary
Permit Sonoma presented a $55.5 million preliminary budget and warned that federal grant shifts — including questions about BRIC/BRIC‑phase replacement funding — and multiple mandated General Plan updates will strain staffing; the department proposed restoring several planning positions.
Permit Sonoma leaders told supervisors Wednesday that the department’s preliminary 2025–26 operating budget is $55.5 million and that funding uncertainty at the federal level and an expanding list of state mandates will cut into policy and permitting capacity unless key positions are restored.
Director Dennis Wicht and his management team outlined the department’s six functional areas — engineering and construction (building, wells and septic), code enforcement, planning, natural resources, fire prevention/hazardous materials and administration — and said the FY25–26 budget rose about 18% from the prior year due mainly to FEMA and BRIC grant activity. The department also said it eliminated 12…
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