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Mono County authorizes county-led Phase 2 debris removal for Pac Fire under CDAA; uninsured owners to assign security
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Summary
The board adopted a resolution enabling a county-run Phase 2 private-property debris removal program for the Pac Fire after receiving CDAA approval; staff will require uninsured property owners to assign security for cleanup costs and pursue additional state reimbursement.
Mono County on March 10 moved forward with Phase 2 private-property debris removal for the Pac Fire after staff reported that the California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA) approved assistance that currently assigns the county a 25% share of costs.
Assistant CAO Bouchard briefed the board that receipt of CDAA approval triggers processes including right-of-entry (ROE) forms for property owners, a state Master Services Agreement and site assessments leading to asbestos, abatement and debris removal work. Staff recommended a county-led program to increase efficiency and rapid contractor deployment.
Staff and county counsel identified two policy decisions for supervisors: whether uninsured property owners must provide security (for example, a repayment agreement or lien) to participate if insurance or other funds would not cover cleanup, and how the county would pursue additional reimbursement from Cal OES given the county’s limited reserves. Finance staff (Stephanie) said for a prior Mountain View fire the county did not place liens; insurance proceeds were remitted to the county and then returned to Cal OES to close out the project.
The board adopted the resolution with language requiring property owners without insurance to assign "something of value" as security to participate; staff will return with specific ROE and MSA documents and pursue a higher state reimbursement percentage through a letter to Cal OES and legislative contacts. The motion passed 5–0.
Staff emphasized the need for individual owner outreach to complete ROEs and said reimbursements will flow biweekly once invoices are submitted under the state process.
