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Board approves consent agenda after public criticism of hiring practices and road maintenance funding
Summary
Del Norte County supervisors unanimously approved the consent agenda April 8, including a correction to a personnel item; public commenters and a union leader criticized hiring at mid-level steps and limited public opportunity to review consent items.
The Del Norte County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the consent agenda April 8 after a public speaker and a union representative criticized aspects of county hiring and the consent process.
A member of the public raised concerns during public comment about an ongoing ambulance service RFP, potential county costs of more than $150,000 tied to the procurement, and about the effectiveness of a $50,000 line item for non-maintained roads. The speaker said residents who pay gas taxes are not served by the road maintenance process and questioned continuing short-term repairs.
Union leader Norma Williams, chapter president of DNCEA SEIU Local 1021, addressed consent items 5, 6 and 7 and said the county’s practice of hiring at step C for new hires is an acknowledgment that existing staff are underpaid. "You as a board are acknowledging that you are still underpaying County employees," Williams said. Williams tied the practice to retention and said the union will raise the issue in upcoming negotiations.
During the consent vote board members amended consent item 7 to reflect hiring at Behavioral Specialist 2 (step 2) rather than at step 1, as originally listed. The board approved the consent agenda with that correction; Supervisors Starkey, Howard, Short, Wilson and Chair Borges all voted yes.
Why it matters: public commenters flagged procurement and road-maintenance priorities, and the union’s remarks put the county’s hiring benchmarks and employee retention squarely before the supervisors as they approved multiple administrative contracts and personnel items.
The board then moved to general-government items and later approved separate budget transfers and a recognition for the county administrative officer.
