Board adopts revised tourism advisory bylaws, approves two budget adjustments and directs community plan workshops

The Trinity County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday adopted revised bylaws for the Tourism Development Advisory Board, approved two routine budget adjustments and directed staff to proceed with a set of community plan workshops to gather input on local vision statements and land‑use priorities.

At‑a‑glance: The board adopted revised bylaws for the tourism advisory body after staff recommended two changes: adding two county staff members to the advisory board and removing the board's authority to make final funding allocations for transient occupancy tax (TOT) proceeds, a role staff said created conflicts because advisory members include recipients of tourism funds. The change places allocation decisions with an ad hoc committee that will include staff and two board members and aims to reduce conflicts in the grant‑allocation process.

Why it matters: The change addresses two longstanding issues: (1) transparency and conflicts when advisory members have direct financial interest in TOT distributions, and (2) staff participation on advisory bodies so county revenue and permitting staff can advise the panel. Several members of the public urged the board to take a different approach, particularly vacation‑rental owners who cautioned…