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Residents press board on road repairs, FEMA reimbursements and local DOT staffing
Summary
Public commenters during the Sept. 2 Trinity County meeting criticized past road-repair spending, asked where FEMA funds went, and urged reopening a local DOT yard and adding local crews to lower per-mile costs.
Multiple members of the public used the Sept. 2 public-comment period to press the Trinity County Board of Supervisors on road maintenance, FEMA reimbursements and local Department of Transportation staffing.
Dan Harper of Kettenholm said he had requested an agenda discussion about Xenia Lake Mountain Road and described being refused public comment earlier in a meeting appearance; he criticized the board and DOT for approving a $2.1 million repair to 800 feet of road and asked where FEMA public-assistance funds promised after the August Complex fire went. "What was the board and the DOT director thinking when they approved $2,100,000 to fix 800 feet of road?" Harper asked, saying he believed drainage maintenance earlier could have avoided the expensive repair.
Ben Kellogg of Weaverville also criticized the board’s treatment of a fellow supervisor and urged that thanks to volunteers be backed by funding; he voiced frustration that the county approves some equipment but leaves volunteer services underfunded.
Speakers urged reopening the local Xenia yard with a three-person crew to perform routine maintenance locally rather than relying on remote crews; Harper estimated per-mile costs that differ widely among yards and argued local crews would reduce long-term costs.
In response during reports, County Administrative Officer Tuttle and county staff explained the constraints around FEMA reimbursement, noting that reimbursement applies to specific projects and that the federal process is lengthy and documentation-intensive. Tuttle said some public comments had assumed funds were guaranteed and clarified that project-specific reimbursement requests require engineering and detailed submittals; as an example, he said the county would either perform a $2.1 million project to obtain $2.1 million of reimbursement for that particular section or not do the project and not receive the dollars.
The board did not take immediate action on the public requests; staff described ongoing efforts to maintain and document county roads, a backlog of needed repairs, and potential software/platform upgrades to track requests and permitting in the future. Supervisors discussed the county’s interest in better public reporting of road requests and the tradeoff between administrative time and direct road crew funding.
Ending: Commenters pressed for clearer accounting of disaster funds, more local DOT staffing and faster repairs; staff reiterated FEMA rules limit reimbursement to well-documented, project-specific work and said the county is evaluating permitting and tracking platforms.
