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Residents urge Board to restore separate elected Auditor‑Controller and Treasurer‑Tax Collector offices
Summary
Multiple public commenters and community groups urged the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors to restore the offices of auditor‑controller and treasurer‑tax collector to two separately elected positions and to reverse prior consolidation; speakers cited concerns about accountability and transparency.
During the public comment period, several residents and representatives of community groups asked the Board of Supervisors to reverse the recent consolidation that combined the auditor‑controller and treasurer‑tax collector functions into a single elected office during a prior transition.
Adam Gaska, representing the Mendocino County Farm Bureau, said his group and several allied organizations are cosponsoring a petition urging the board to restore the offices to two independent, elected positions. Gaska said the petition is hosted on change.org and cited community opposition to the earlier consolidation. He argued that separating the offices would provide checks and balances on county finances and restore direct voter accountability.
Estelle Clifton, a registered forester from Redwood Valley, urged the board to separate the offices because the functions differ and require focused duties. Clifton recounted prior events around the 2021 appointment of a person to the office and said that the consolidation moved rapidly afterward; she urged the board to ensure each office has sufficient resources now that the elected officeholder has returned.
Ted Stevens (online) urged the board to “put the offices back the way they were,” calling the consolidation “an absolute tragedy” and saying the county needs direct accountability through separate elected officers.
Other public speakers, including a behavioral health advisory board member and community advocates, framed their remarks around transparency, trust and the need for support to the auditor’s office following the recent absence of the elected official.
Why it matters: commenters tied the issue to county fiscal oversight, transparency and voter accountability. Board members and staff later noted they are working with the auditor‑controller’s office to improve transparency and staff access to financial information.
Ending No formal board action or vote to restore the offices occurred at the meeting; speakers asked the board to consider the petition and to support the auditor’s office with needed resources.
