Kings County supervisors approve budget limit, fees, contracts and an appointment in a series of votes

The Kings County Board of Supervisors approved a series of routine and contractual items on June 25, 2025, including the county's annual appropriation limit, a jail booking-fee ordinance, construction and grant agreements, a tribal mitigation amendment and the confirmation of an Assistant County Administrative Officer.

The measures were presented by department staff and voted on individually. Key outcomes included adoption of the county appropriation limit (Gann limit), an ordinance establishing the jail booking-fee rate for fiscal year 2025'026, approval of a public-works construction contract for an access driveway at Fire Station No. 4, execution of a $100,000 agreement with the Central Valley Community Foundation to support regional California Jobs First participation, approval of a second amendment to the intergovernmental agreement with the Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi‑Yokut Tribe to continue historical law-enforcement mitigation payments, and confirmation of Michael Powers as Assistant County Administrative Officer.

Highlights of each action:

- County appropriation limit (Gann limit): Rob Knudson, assistant finance director, asked the board to adopt the annual appropriation limit pursuant to Government Code section 7910 and Article XIII B of the California Constitution. Knudson said the limit for 2025'026 increases by 8.56% (a 1.98% local population increase and a 6.44% increase in statewide personal income as provided by the state). He reported the county's appropriations were about $132 million below the limit and that taxpayers would only receive refunds if appropriations exceeded the limit. The board adopted the resolution. Vote recorded by roll call: Joe Neves, yes; Doug Verboom, yes; Rusty Robinson, yes; Robert Thayer, yes; one absent.

- Jail booking-fee ordinance: Knudson returned on an ordinance establishing the booking fee at $204 per booking for FY 2025'026, a $19 increase from the prior year. He explained the county must set the rate annually in case state funding is eliminated; current law prevents the county from charging the fee now. The board adopted the ordinance and waived further reading. Vote recorded by roll call: Joe Neves, yes; Doug Verboom, yes; Rusty Robinson, yes; Robert Thayer, yes; one absent.

- Proclamation: The board adopted a resolution proclaiming June 2025 as Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month on recommendation of Rosemary Rand of the Department of Public Health. Vote recorded by roll call: Joe Neves, yes; Doug Verboom, yes; Rusty Robinson, yes; Robert Thayer, yes; one absent.

- Public Works construction agreement: Patrice Villegas, Public Works engineer, requested approval of a construction agreement with JT2 (dba Stock Companies) to build an access driveway at Fire Station No. 4 to maintain access if California High-Speed Rail work closes Houston Avenue. Villegas said the contract is for $150,000 and construction should take roughly three to four weeks; funding will come from amounts secured from the High-Speed Rail project to mitigate impacts to the fire station. The board approved the agreement. Vote recorded by roll call: Joe Neves, yes; Doug Verboom, yes; Rusty Robinson, yes; Robert Thayer, yes; one absent.

- Central Valley Community Foundation agreement: Alex Walker, administrative analyst, presented a one-time payment of $100,000 from the Central Valley Community Foundation to Kings County to support participation in the Sierra San Joaquin Jobs Initiative under the California Jobs First regional effort. The deliverables include participation in a work group examining regional energy infrastructure and providing technical input on local governance and energy needs; the agreement is retroactive to April 1, 2025 through January 31, 2026 and allows two separate payments. The board approved the agreement on a 3'to—1 vote: Joe Neves, yes; Doug Verboom, no; Rusty Robinson, yes; Robert Thayer, yes; one absent.

- Santa Rosa Rancheria amendment (law-enforcement mitigation): Walker presented a proposed second amendment to the intergovernmental agreement with the Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi‑Yokut Tribe (owner/operator of the Palace Indian Gaming facility) to continue annual law-enforcement mitigation payments at $200,000. He said historical mitigation payments had been $200,000 annually but a sunset provision in the existing agreement would have reduced annual payments to $70,000 if not renewed. The amendment preserves the $200,000 annual payment to the sheriff's office; the county will forward the amendment to the tribe for ratification after board approval. The board approved the amendment. Vote recorded by roll call: Joe Neves, yes; Doug Verboom, yes; Rusty Robinson, yes; Robert Thayer, yes; one absent.

- Appointment: Kyria Martinez, county administrative officer, asked the board to confirm the appointment of Michael Powers as Assistant County Administrative Officer, effective July 8, with a recommended compensation of $15,000 per month plus management benefits. The board confirmed the appointment by roll call vote: Joe Neves, yes; Doug Verboom, yes; Rusty Robinson, yes; Robert Thayer, yes; one absent.

- Consent calendar: The board approved the consent calendar by a single motion after pulling item G5 for separate consideration; the consent calendar motion passed with one member absent.

Several other routine items and reports were presented in staff reports and board-member comments. Most votes were unanimous; the only recorded "no" vote during the meeting was Doug Verboom's vote on the Central Valley Community Foundation agreement.