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Tuolumne County adopts countywide ADA self‑evaluation and 15‑year transition plan
Summary
The Board of Supervisors adopted a countywide Americans with Disabilities Act self‑evaluation and transition plan that audits 99 county facilities and roughly 26.7 miles of sidewalks and phases barrier removal; staff and consultants said the comprehensive estimate of pedestrian and facility remediation could total in the tens of millions and will be prioritized and coordinated with cities and state agencies.
Tuolumne County’s Board of Supervisors on May 12 unanimously approved a countywide Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) self‑evaluation and transition plan that inventories accessibility barriers at county buildings, parks and pedestrian facilities and lays out a phased remediation schedule.
Human Resources risk analyst Sarah Olsen and consultant Justin Vang of Bureau Veritas presented the assessment, which reviewed 99 county‑owned buildings and parks and mapped roughly 26.7 miles of sidewalks and curb ramps. Justin Vang said the team used county GIS and a public outreach survey in English and Spanish to prioritize improvements and that earlier phases will target high‑use facilities such as the county administrative building and Sonora Library.
"This is intended to be a living document," Vang said, describing a phased approach that assigns an access grade to sidewalk segments and schedules barrier removal across about a 15‑year window. He said the plan includes suggested corrective actions, estimated time frames and order‑of‑magnitude cost estimates to support long‑term planning.
County staff and the consultant told supervisors that the preliminary facility remediation estimate in the presentation combined with pedestrian improvements produces a multi‑million‑dollar number countywide; staff emphasized the adoption does not obligate immediate funding for the full estimate. "The intent is to show what the assessment reflected and then prioritize what we do first," Sarah Olsen said. "We will coordinate with cities, Caltrans and state parks to determine responsibilities and align projects with capital improvements."
Supervisors asked how much of the estimated work would be a county responsibility versus work on city or state‑owned right‑of‑way. Vang said the GIS data include sidewalks within city jurisdictions and that the next step is to attach ownership attributes to each segment so the county can quantify the county‑share of costs. County staff said that coordination with partner agencies and potential grant funding will be parts of the implementation strategy.
The board adopted the self‑evaluation and transition plan by motion. County counsel and staff noted that formal adoption and periodic progress reporting strengthen the county’s compliance position and make the county eligible for federal and state grants tied to ADA improvements.
What’s next: staff will return with priority recommendations and a plan to tag GIS segments with ownership responsibilities, then integrate near‑term barrier removals into future budget and capital improvement planning.
