Cambria board unanimously adopts weed-abatement resolution after public hearing

The Cambria CCSD board unanimously adopted a resolution July 16 authorizing the district to order abatement of hazardous weeds and debris on listed private parcels under its Fire Hazard Fuel Reduction Program (FHFRP), with unpaid abatement costs recoverable through billing and, if necessary, placement on the county tax roll.

At a short public hearing, a written commenter, Crosby, urged the board to add more detail to the draft resolution about what future board actions and yearly procedures would follow. "The draft resolution 32 dash 20 26 before you today is lacking information about what the board about what board action is needed in subsequent years to authorize the district to abate hazardous weeds and rubbish on private property at the owner's expense," Crosby read, urging publication of the annual noncompliant-parcel list, planned steps the district will take, postcards to owners, contractor use and billing procedures.

General Manager McElhaney told the board the district followed statutory procedure and provided operational details during the hearing. "Per the health and safety code requirements, notices to destroy weeds and remove debris were sent to the owners of the 1,901 parcels which were identified and noticed for weed abatement this year," McElhaney said, and added that "we are down to a 117 parcels" that remained noncompliant at the time of the hearing. He told the board the district recovers contractor charges and administrative fees ("100 to $200" depending on payment timing) from property owners and places uncollected costs on the county tax roll for fiscal year 2627.

Legal counsel Hirsch responded to Crosby's request for more procedural text by saying the resolution should not be overloaded with procedural steps because the district is "following a statutory procedure" that includes the annual declaration of nuisance, required notices, a public hearing for objections and authority to contract for abatement and place unpaid costs on tax rolls. Counsel noted attachments such as the APN list that accompany the resolution and pointed to recently adopted local ordinances and the administrative citation program as complementary enforcement tools.

Board members and staff described a multi-year effort that reduced the number of noncompliant parcels from several hundred in 2023 to about 117 this year. The fire chief (addressed in the hearing) credited new mapping and inspection tools and outside funding for faster, more accurate inspections, and staff said the district is working with contracted tree/brush crews to complete abatement work on failed lots.

Director Thomas moved to adopt the resolution with a corrected recital date (to read 07/16/2026); the motion was seconded and the board closed the hearing before voting. Roll call recorded ayes from Judge Gray, Director Scott, Director Thomas, Vice President Dean and President Armour; the motion passed unanimously.

The resolution directs staff to proceed with abatement of the listed noncompliant parcels under the FHFRP and to recover costs from property owners as described. The board did not add the procedural language Crosby requested, and counsel said the statutory process and attachments provide the required steps. The hearing and vote concluded without further action; the board adjourned at the end of the special meeting.

Notes: the staff report and discussion refer to notices sent to 1,901 parcels and to an estimated 117 noncompliant parcels remaining; staff described administrative fees of "100 to $200" and placement of unrecovered charges on the tax roll for fiscal year '2627. The transcript contains inconsistent spellings for the fire chief's name; the article refers to the office (the fire chief) rather than a specific spelling to avoid misidentification.