Siskiyou County authorizes notice to withdraw from Siskiyou Transportation Agency; dissolution window set for May 18, 2026

Siskiyou County supervisors on the dais authorized county staff to notify the Siskiyou Transportation Agency (STA) that the county will voluntarily withdraw, a step that will begin a dissolution process the board set to take effect on May 18, 2026.

County Administrator Angela Davis opened the public hearing by explaining the legal mechanics: “This public hearing is to consider the county's voluntary withdrawal from the Siskiyou Transportation Agency, which would then activate a dissolution of the Siskiyou Transportation Agency,” and she noted Article 12 of the Joint Powers Agreement provides a 120‑day notice period but transition could take longer, prompting staff to propose a six‑month effective date.

Representatives of municipal partners urged caution. Matthew Bryan, a Dunsmuir city council member and the city’s representative to the local transportation commission and the STA, asked the board to consider waiting for information from partner cities and the agency’s scheduled information item, saying, “I respectfully ask that you guys maybe wait and engage with your partners in this and come up with what the best best solution is in transportation.” Cliff Munson, a county transportation committee member serving as a city representative, likewise urged the board to study alternatives and learn more about how the JPA operates before dissolving it.

Board discussion focused on the JPA’s performance and administration. One supervisor argued the joint powers arrangement had duplicated administrative roles and costs, saying the agency had been budgeting for additional executive and counsel positions and that “we were spending, almost a quarter of $1,000,000, a year for those 2 positions.” Several supervisors described the JPA experiment as failing to produce the anticipated efficiencies and said withdrawal would allow the county to ‘reset’ while preserving the option to revisit arrangements later.

A supervisor moved to authorize county staff to issue the notice of withdrawal with an effective date of May 18, 2026; the board voted unanimously. The clerk recorded affirmative votes from Supervisors Valenzuela, Helpp, Harris, Kopsa and Ochre.

The withdrawal notice will be sent pursuant to Article 12 of the STA Joint Powers Agreement. Staff and agency officials will need to work through operational, legal and financial transition steps during the dissolution window. The board did not specify a package of transition actions at the meeting; staff indicated there is time during the dissolution period to work out details.