Grass Valley Measure B committee confirms midyear expenditure plan, prioritizes firefighters and fuel-reduction projects

The Measure B Committee of the City of Grass Valley on April 7 confirmed that the city's proposed midyear expenditure plan for Measure B funds is consistent with the voter-approved measure and discussed priorities for the remainder of the fiscal year, including fully funding firefighter staffing and a major vegetation fuel-reduction project on city-owned parcels at Loma Rica.

Tim (city staff) told the committee the committee's earlier projections have been revised based on a third-party forecast and staff recommendations. "This will be our big year looking at our expenditure plan Measure B," Tim said, summarizing the midyear adjustments and noting staff had reduced some line items after receiving updated revenue projections.

Why it matters: Measure B is the city's dedicated local tax measure funding wildfire resiliency and response. Committee members discussed the balance between spending on resiliency (staffing and response) and vegetation mitigation (fuel reduction and home-hardening grants), emphasizing that both approaches reduce wildfire risk but act on different time horizons.

Key decisions and budget changes

- Firefighter staffing: The committee prioritized fully funding seven firefighter positions. Staff explained the $530,000 figure in the packet covers salaries, PERS, health…