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Board directs tourism and public‑safety fund reallocations; staff to formalize TOT and Prop 172 transfers
Summary
Supervisors gave staff direction to reallocate TOT revenue (350k to the visitors bureau, 50k to the Chamber) and to pay the county dispatch contract from TOT; staff also discussed Prop 172 constraints and a proposed $300,000 transfer into the District Attorney budget.
The Calaveras County Board of Supervisors on June 10 gave staff direction to reallocate portions of the county’s hotel-occupancy (TOT) funds and to formalize transfers from Prop 172 public-safety dollars.
Denise, the budget lead, walked the board through a TOT summary of roughly $2.65 million in expected revenue. She said the pre-budget presented $662,500 historically to fire, and $400,000 to the Calaveras Visitors Bureau (CVB) though in recent years $50,000 of that has been dedicated to the Chamber of Commerce, effectively reducing CVB’s net to about $350,000.
Board members directed staff to proceed with a working allocation of $350,000 to the CVB and $50,000 to the Chamber of Commerce, with a formal motion to appear on the next agenda. "So the board direction from the three of you is that 350,000 to the visitors bureau and 50,000 to the chamber of commerce from TOT," Denise summarized.
The board also debated using TOT to pay the county’s fire dispatch contract rather than covering it from the general fund. Staff cited a dispatch contract figure of $449,784 and indicated $367,435 had been budgeted from general fund lines; moving that expense to TOT would free general-fund dollars for other uses, creating what staff described as a discretionary "pot." Supervisors discussed using the freed funds for public-safety equipment and winter preparedness.
On Prop 172 — the state half-cent sales tax designated for public safety — staff read the legislative guidance and cautioned that court-related costs are specifically excluded from allowable uses. The working split shown to the board allocated roughly 90% to the sheriff (about $2.7 million) and 10% to fire (about $300,000). During the meeting, one supervisor moved to transfer $300,000 (the 10% share) to the District Attorney’s budget to cover certain needs; staff will return with the formal transfer language and technical adjustments.
Why it matters: TOT and Prop 172 are ongoing local revenue streams used by counties to fund tourism promotion, road and public-safety services. Shifting how those funds are used changes which services are supported by constrained ongoing revenue and which must rely on one-time capital dollars.
Next steps: Staff will prepare formal budget adjustments and the transfer item for the June 23 meeting and will show the specific ledger moves to move the dispatch contract out of general-fund expense if the board confirms the direction in its June 23 action packet.
