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Board sets principles, directs staff to develop priorities for using Plumas County’s Dixie Fire PG&E settlement
Summary
The Board of Supervisors agreed on high‑level principles — restoring county capacity, avoiding duplication, valuing readiness, leveraging funds and ensuring transparency — to guide use of the county’s $7.8 million PG&E Dixie Fire public-entity settlement and directed staff to form an ad hoc committee and draft a formal resolution.
Plumas County supervisors on April 15 discussed principles and priorities to guide the county’s use of $7.8 million received in a PG&E Dixie Fire public‑entity settlement and directed staff to form an ad hoc committee to develop a formal allocation framework.
Principles adopted for discussion: Board members and staff circulated proposed guideposts and the board agreed, by voice consensus, to general principles intended to focus future spending: (1) restore county stability and capacity lost to the Dixie Fire and related stressors; (2) avoid duplication of funding where other grants already target the need; (3) value readiness — prioritize projects with a high likelihood of near-term success; (4) optimize and leverage other funding sources; and (5) ensure high transparency and accountability for any awards or county spending.
Priorities discussed: Supervisors and staff discussed using funds to restore county operations, invest in county-owned capital that can generate ongoing economic return (for example fairgrounds or airport facilities), support civic infrastructure in the most impacted communities (for example Burnt Ranch/Indian Valley) and support housing recovery and development in areas affected by the Dixie Fire. Board members asked staff to consider the separate $17 million DA-administered awards to local organizations when deciding where county settlement funds should and should not be used.
Direction to staff and next steps: The board voted to form an ad hoc committee and directed county staff and counsel to draft a resolution formalizing the principles and priorities; the intent is to present a resolution for consideration ahead of the FY 2025–26 budget cycle. Supervisors said they want to prioritize projects that are “ready to go,” that leverage other grants and that produce durable benefits for the burned communities.
Why it matters: The county’s public-entity settlement is a one-time pot of funds that could be spent on infrastructure, staffing, recovery coordination or community awards. Supervisors emphasized the need to guard against one-time spending that duplicates other available funding or fails to produce measurable, transparent outcomes.
Ending: Staff will return with a draft resolution and proposed process for competitive grants or allocations; supervisors signaled interest in helping shape criteria and vetting potential recipients through a short ad hoc process.
