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Supervisors direct staff to craft nonprofit funding‑transparency policy
Summary
The board unanimously directed staff to develop a policy by July requiring recent Form 990s, up‑to‑date financials and checks of conflict‑of‑interest and whistleblower policies for nonprofits seeking significant county funding; supervisors debated whether one or three years of filings are needed.
The Shasta County Board of Supervisors voted 5–0 on May 5 to direct staff to draft a county policy for vetting nonprofits that receive county funding.
Supervisor Plummer presented recommended elements: require recent Form 990s (with an initial proposal of three years), the last 12 months of financial statements for requests over $50,000, confirm conflict‑of‑interest and whistleblower policies, disclose board independence, and review administrative overhead rates. Plummer proposed bringing a draft policy to the board in July; CEO Dave Rickert and staff said they would consult with finance and support‑services teams to develop practical, implementable language.
Discussion among supervisors focused on balancing transparency and administrative burden. CEO Rickert suggested requiring a recent Form 990 no older than two years to minimize paperwork and still provide key information; Plummer and others noted that multi‑year filings give a more complete picture for organizations with cyclical grant funding. Supervisor Long emphasized that the items listed were considerations for staff to evaluate, not mandatory components of the final policy.
The board asked staff to explore staged implementation options (for example, applying the requirement first to opioid settlement spending) and to return with recommendations on scope, thresholds and a feasible timeline. The motion passed unanimously.
What’s next: Staff will consult with county finance and support services and return a policy proposal for board consideration, with July suggested as a target date.
