Board keeps chamber-run film office, directs staff to draft ordinance and MOU after hours of testimony

El Dorado County supervisors on June 24 approved staff'recommended steps to formalize and continue the county's film office after extensive public testimony praising the current film commissioner and warning against bringing the program fully in-house.

The board voted to "prepare a county film ordinance based on the state's recommended model filming ordinance," submit that draft to the California Film Commission, prepare a memorandum of understanding with the El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce on behalf of El Dorado Tahoe Film & Media, draft a film permit fee schedule, and return to the board for final approval. The board also authorized continuing payments to the existing film office contract so services would continue July 1.

Why it matters: County staff said the film office is an economic development tool that can bring crews, spending and transient-occupancy-tax revenue to El Dorado County. Supporters pointed to a recently announced $27 million production that will shoot in El Dorado, Placer and Sacramento as the type of business a formalized, well-staffed film office can recruit and manage.

Planning and Building Director Karen Garner framed staff'recommendations as a way to modernize the county's approach: "I'm recommending that we adopt more or less the statewide model film ordinance," she told the board, adding that the county would use a separate MOU with the chamber to spell out day-to-day roles and data collection. Garner said fees collected through permits would be the main fund source for the position and related work.

Film Commissioner Kathleen Dodge described the production pipeline and recent wins. "If you look very carefully ... the highest budget project is shooting in El Dorado County," she said, and added that from a $27,000,000 budget "the percentage of ROI would be 17,000%." Dodge and several business and industry speakers urged the board not to dismantle the existing local-office model and to preserve the local relationships she has built.

Public comment was strongly in favor of retaining the current model and the chamber contract. Michael Ranalli, president of the Farm Bureau, called Dodge "a consummate professional in a very, very competitive field." Jennifer West, film commissioner for the City of Sacramento, said the three-county cooperation "significantly increased the region's visibility" and praised Dodge's work. Local hoteliers and crew members described direct local spending and job opportunities created by productions that filmed in the county.

Board debate focused on two points: whether county employment policies and procurement rules would allow an in-house model to match the flexibility and responsiveness of the chamber contract, and whether the county should take more direct control of data and succession planning. Supervisor Parlin argued for bringing the work in-house; other supervisors said the county lacked the necessary administrative flexibility to match the chamber model without significant policy changes.

The motion to adopt staff recommendations passed 3-2. The board recorded that Supervisors Turnbull and Parlin voted no. The minutes show the board will return with the ordinance, a draft MOU, a fee schedule and an analysis of an in-house model for future consideration.

What's next: Staff will draft the ordinance and MOU, submit the ordinance to the California Film Commission for review, and return to the board with a fee schedule and a comparative analysis of in-house versus contracted models. The board approved continuing contract payments to avoid an operational gap starting July 1.

Ending: Supporters and industry representatives who spoke at the meeting said they would continue to work with the county on data collection and local hiring; supervisors asked staff to tighten reporting so the board can evaluate the return on investment in future budget cycles.