Mono County creates standalone Sustainable Recreation division and approves two staffing changes to support trails and visitor services

Assistant County Administrative Officer Christine Bouchard presented a request to reorganize county operations by moving the recreation function out of the Engineering Division to create a standalone Sustainable Recreation division. The board considered three principal items: reclassifying the current recreation manager position to Sustainable Recreation Superintendent, adding a limited-term Sustainable Recreation Coordinator position, and renaming the Trail Steward position to Recreation Steward to better reflect duties.

Bouchard and department staff explained the financial approach: the division is largely supported by geothermal royalties and targeted grant revenues, plus contributions from Community Service Area 1 (CSA 1) and state funds such as the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation program where applicable. The fiscal impact figures presented to the board included an annual full-loaded salary for the proposed superintendent position of approximately $139,151 (about $104,000 base salary + $33,051 benefits) and an annual cost for the proposed coordinator position of approximately $95,820 (about $67,496 salary + $28,324 benefits). The board also heard that the county had a positive fund balance in the program and that the coordinator would be limited-term and reviewed annually to avoid a long-term unfunded obligation.

Supervisor discussion centered on funding sustainability, whether ongoing grant/CSA contributions could be relied upon and whether the change would free engineering staff for other duties. Staff said the reorganization keeps recreation under Public Works administrative oversight but separates budgeting to make program revenues and expenditures transparent. After discussion the board approved the recommended actions by unanimous vote.

The board directed staff to monitor funding annually and return if there are any sustainability concerns.