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County staff warns of likely midyear ask to support Natural Resources program tied to Good Neighbor Authority work
Summary
County staff and partners told supervisors the Natural Resources program will likely need a midyear contingency appropriation (estimates up to $80,000) to cover contracted project-support and specialist time for multiple partner projects; the board directed staff to return with a detailed rolling forecast and deliverables at the midyear review.
Trinity County staff and partner representatives told the board on Dec. 3 that the county's Natural Resources position and associated contract work may require additional county funding later in the fiscal year to support partner-led environmental compliance and project delivery.
Chief Administrative Officer Trent Tuthill said the county had previously used contingency funds to support the division and that staff would continue to refine project forecasts and funding sources. The county expects work across multiple partners: the Watershed Center, the Resource Conservation District (RCD), and Forest Service-related Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) projects. Partner representatives told the board they anticipate multiple multi-year projects and recommended retaining a full-time Natural Resources position to coordinate NEPA/CE-level environmental compliance and to serve as an ID-team lead for partner projects.
Kelly Sheen, Trinity County RCD district manager, described existing stewardship and grant commitments and said the RCD and Watershed Center can contribute funds toward a shared coordinator role; she said combined local partner funding and GNA/project revenue should provide multi-year work but timing of invoicing and federal releases has at times created gaps. David Kolbeck (TRP) and TRP colleagues also described planned CE-level and implementation work on priority landscape efforts, the need for technical staffing to keep projects moving and the efficiency of local partnership coordination.
The board voted to follow staff's recommendation to maintain a full-time Natural Resources allocation at present and to return with a specific midyear contingency request and a detailed rolling 12-month forecast of expected billable hours, project timelines, and proposed deliverables. Staff said the high-end contingency estimate could be roughly $80,000 depending on how partner contracts and invoicing proceed; staff committed to bringing more detailed numbers to the midyear review.
