Chair Vanderpool says ‘state of the county is strong,’ outlines fiscal discipline, infrastructure and public‑safety investments

Chairman Pete Vanderpool delivered the Tulare County 2025 State of the County address and described a year of fiscal discipline, operational modernization and public‑safety investments.

“The state of Tulare County is strong,” Vanderpool said as he opened the address, praising county departments for service delivery across roads, building permits, public safety and permitting. He told the board that the county’s property assessment roll grew to nearly $50,000,000,000—an 8.4% increase over the prior year—and that the board paid off more than $22,000,000 in millennium bond debt during the previous year.

Vanderpool outlined several program and infrastructure highlights: upgrades to human resources systems, a transition to a cloud‑based human capital management platform, initiatives to limit the employee share of rising health insurance costs to 5% (down from a proposed 12%), and a new county website scheduled for launch in May. He noted the county has prioritized efficiency through digitization and process improvements.

On public safety and emergency response, Vanderpool said the fire department placed seven new apparatus into service and expects full fleet completion by spring 2025; the county hired 38 extra‑help firefighters and reclassified 15 positions to strengthen 24/7 coverage at several stations. The sheriff’s office will begin construction on an 8,000‑square‑foot forensic building estimated at $5,000,000 to modernize toxicology and other forensic services, he said.

Infrastructure projects highlighted in the address included a $5,300,000 federal PROTECT grant for Avenue 56 in the Alpaugh area to reduce flooding risk, and completion of 75 miles of chip seal and 4.5 miles of overlay to maintain county roads. The parks division added picnic tables, grills and arbors at nearly every county park in 2024, and library renovations for Cutler and Alpaugh branches are slated for completion in 2025 along with a new Springville library project.

Agriculture remains a county economic anchor: Vanderpool cited a gross agricultural production value of about $7,900,000,000 and recognized the county’s ranking among the nation’s top producers. He also noted a pesticide container recycling event that diverted 32,900 pounds of hazardous material from landfills.

Vanderpool closed by saying Tulare County will continue prioritizing modernization, prudent spending and investments in public services. “We are committed to serving our residents with effectiveness, efficiency and a focus on innovation,” he said.

The address contained multiple department‑level highlights the chairman said were submitted by county staff; no formal board action was required on the address itself.