Measure R advisory committee recommends funding for vehicles, code enforcement and staff positions; flags jail remodel as option

The Measure R Oversight and Advisory Committee reviewed year‑to‑date financials and recommended multiple Measure R funding requests to the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors, including vehicle purchases, equipment rollovers and staff positions for fiscal year 2026–27.

At the start of the meeting, finance staff briefed the committee on current balances and encumbrances. Mr. Shadd said the fund currently shows about $1,300,000 in actuals and $276,000 in encumbrances and that "toward next year you'll see a projected fund balance of 3,900,000," which reflects prior years’ rollovers and projected revenues. He told members the county typically carries a fund balance because allocated positions are not always fully staffed year‑round.

The committee approved a set of recommendations that it will forward to the Board of Supervisors for final approval. Key items the committee recommended included:

- Reallocating an existing Measure R allocation from the administrative services coordinator position to create a new economic development service manager position; the committee voted to recommend that reallocation to the board. The transcript read a dollar figure aloud that was unclear in the packet; staff emphasized the intent was shifting previously approved allocation rather than requesting substantial new ongoing Measure R funding.

- Approving partial funding (not to exceed $25,000) for a mid‑sized truck for the Agriculture Department to support weed abatement and pest detection. An agriculture representative explained the vehicle will help reach off‑road locations to address invasive species such as Tansy ragwort. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," the agriculture representative said, describing the cost‑saving rationale for early detection and eradication.

- Approving a request to fully fund a third full‑time Community Development Department code‑enforcement position (first‑year estimate shown in the packet at about $95,000). Heidi Kunsil, Director of Community Development, said the position has been fully in use only since January 2026 and that code enforcement currently tracks roughly 140 active cases. Staff clarified that roughly $35,000 of the position had been previously funded by DHHS, so the Measure R increase is smaller than the headline $95,000 figure.

- Approving $50,000 to support abandoned vehicle abatement and waste disposal services, with staff noting RVs and trailers can cost $850–$1,000 or more to tow and dispose of. Staff described the process: a 72‑hour tag is issued, then a 15‑day hold, after which unclaimed vehicles may be crushed or otherwise disposed.

- Recommending $130,000 for probation (two vehicles plus an in‑vehicle radio repeater) to improve staff safety and communications; probation staff explained they are standardizing on Dodge Durangos and that in‑vehicle repeaters (about $4,000 each) extend portable radio coverage in county dead zones.

- Recommending sheriff’s office package requests totaling $291,000 for three replacement vehicles, radios, a truck canopy and a Motorola workstation, and recommending a first‑year estimate of roughly $150,000 to fund a newly created deputy/sergeant position as an ongoing expense.

- Approving a $22,000 increase to a previously approved live‑scan booking/photo system rollover and a $22,000 allocation for a horse trailer (the committee deferred an additional, not‑yet‑final $15,000 electric‑gate add‑on pending cost details).

Throughout the meeting, committee members raised questions about ongoing versus one‑time commitments and about preserving capacity for potential capital needs. One member asked whether Measure R funds had been designated for the jail rehabilitation project; staff replied the board had previously identified Measure R as an available option for gap funding but that any actual use of those funds would require a separate appropriation and board action. "We're currently working on external financing for that project, so we don't have to use the one‑time reserve funds," staff said, noting the board would have to appropriate Measure R funds before money could be drawn down.

Committee members agreed to prepare a verbal annual report to the Board of Supervisors at the recommended budget meeting on June 23 and to hold a June meeting to finalize presentation details.

Votes at a glance: each motion below was made and approved by voice vote during the meeting and will be forwarded as recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.

- Motion to table nomination/election of chair (items 3 & 4): moved, seconded, motion carried. - Reallocate admin services coordinator to economic development service manager: recommended to board (motion approved). - Agriculture Department partial funding (≤ $25,000) for mid‑sized truck: recommended to board (motion approved). - CDD: fully fund third code‑enforcement employee (first‑year est. ~$95,000): recommended to board (motion approved). - CDD: $50,000 for abandoned vehicle abatement and waste disposal: recommended to board (motion approved). - Probation: two vehicles + repeater ($130,000): recommended to board (motion approved). - Sheriff: three replacement vehicles and equipment ($291,000): recommended to board (motion approved). - Sheriff: newly funded deputy/sergeant position (first‑year est. ~$150,000): recommended to board (motion approved). - Horse trailer increase to $22,000 (rollover): recommended to board (motion approved). - Live‑scan system price increase to $22,000 (rollover): recommended to board (motion approved). - Standard Measure R request/report forms (per resolution 23036): approved by the committee for use.

The committee emphasized that its approvals are recommendations; the Board of Supervisors has final appropriation authority. Staff repeatedly noted the county maintains a multi‑million dollar Measure R fund balance in part because allocated positions are not always occupied year‑round, and they urged the committee to weigh ongoing staffing commitments against one‑time projects. The committee scheduled a follow‑up meeting in June to prepare a verbal report for the June 23 board meeting.

Quotes used in this article are drawn directly from the meeting transcript and are attributed to speakers identified in the record.