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Authority approves Humane Society cleanup on county dog pound after conflict concerns
Summary
After legal counsel advised a recusal could be appropriate, the Del Norte County Solid Waste Management Authority approved a dumpster allocation and support for a community cleanup at the county dog pound (July 5–12), with the board voting unanimously to proceed.
The Del Norte County Solid Waste Management Authority voted to approve a community cleanup at the county dog pound, allocating dumpsters and support for the Humane Society’s July 5–12 event after commissioners discussed potential conflicts of interest.
A commissioner asked whether approving disposal support for a cleanup on county-owned property where the Humane Society operates as a nonprofit might create a conflict for county supervisors. Legal counsel Ruben Cruz told the board he could not give a definitive opinion on the spot and suggested that a member who was concerned could recuse themselves from the vote: "If you are concerned about it then … you could potentially just recuse yourself from this particular vote," Cruz said.
Other board members and staff described the cleanup as consistent with Joint Powers Authority practices of supporting member agencies and nonprofit community events. The authority director noted that the JPA has in the past provided bins and waived charges for community events and that the operation is set up so the authority owns allocated equipment.
With no members of the public requesting to speak on the item, a motion to approve the cleanup support (item 2.2) was made and seconded. The roll call vote recorded Commissioners (as spoken in the meeting) Nepha/Na, Wright, Short, Borges and Chair Greeno voting yes and the motion passing.
The board did not adopt a formal written legal opinion at the meeting. Staff and counsel said they would follow up if additional legal concerns were identified; one commissioner suggested that if a subsequent legal review determined the action inappropriate, the board could make restitution to the county.
The approval allows the Humane Society to host the announced community cleanup using authority-allocated dumpsters for the specified week; details about whether disposal fees would ultimately be waived by the transfer station operator were left dependent on that vendor’s decision.
The authority adjourned to its next meeting scheduled for July 21 at 4:00 p.m.
