Community
Shasta County weighs CAL FIRE costs, opioid funding and mobile home rent relief
Fire service funding, opioid settlement applications and a temporary mobile home rent delay drew attention at the Shasta County supervisors meeting. The agenda also included a $417,000 landfill settlement.
Shasta County California- How Shasta County pays for services and directs public money remained a focus Tuesday, November 10th, as supervisors met in Redding. A proposed opioid settlement funding process returned to the board, while the agenda also included a substantial landfill settlement and other financial matters.
According to KRCR’s reporting on the meeting, Kevin Crye urged an affordable CAL FIRE agreement, describing the existing terms favorably and continued partnership as the county’s only practical option.
The county’s relationship with CAL FIRE reaches beyond wildfire season. Shasta LAFCO’s service review explains that County Service Area No. 1 contracts with the state agency to administer the Shasta County Fire Department. That arrangement provides personnel for additional engines and support for volunteer fire companies, with state funded CAL FIRE stations also responding when available.
For residents in the county’s fire service area, the contract discussion concerns the organization and funding of local emergency response. The materials reviewed for this story do not establish a newly approved contract price or renewal term.
The opioid funding item, sponsored by Supervisor Matt Plummer, called for a request for proposals to allocate up to $1.5 million in settlement money and a panel to evaluate applications. The proposed staff reviewers were Deputy County Executive Officer Erin Bertain, Chief Probation Officer Tracie Neal and Health and Human Services Agency Branch Director Cindy Lane.
The committee selection passed 4 to 1, with Crye opposed. Allen Long cited two decades with Redding police, saying treatment expertise beyond his law enforcement background made independent review valuable.
The proposal had been delayed in September while county officials finished reviewing financial figures from the previous fiscal year. At that meeting, Plummer said the additional information would help determine how much settlement funding could go to community organizations versus county expenses. County Executive Officer David Rickert said he had requested the delay.
An agreement announced with Harmony Communities delays a $300 monthly rent increase until at least March 1st, 2027. A resident questioned why homeowners and their representatives were excluded from negotiations affecting their homes.
The announcement follows weeks of concerns from mobile home residents about rising space rents. Many own their homes but lease the ground underneath them, leaving their housing costs tied to park rent decisions. The announced delay does not, by itself, establish a permanent county rent cap.
Another financial item on Tuesday’s agenda concerned West Central Landfill. Supervisors were asked to ratify the Public Works director’s signature on a $417,000 settlement with the California Air Resources Board over methane emissions violations. The item also requested related budget amendments, including an appropriation increase supported by retained earnings. The agenda identifies the requested action; it does not alone establish the final vote.
Source reporting: KRCR’s November 10th report and Shasta County’s meeting agenda.