Agenda Preview - Board of Supervisors 10-21-2025

The Shasta County Board of Supervisors meets Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. This agenda features an HHSA finances update with a short-term General Fund loan extension and realignment transfer, a proposed pilot to install two 24/7 naloxone (Narcan) vending machines, and a road-easement vacation hearing in Cottonwood.

R1 — CEO Update and Supervisors’ Reports

The CEO will brief the Board on county operations and legislative matters, followed by reports from each supervisor on recent activities.

R2 — Whiskeytown Environmental School (WES) presentation and support letter

The Board will hear an update from the WES Community Board and consider a letter of support for the rebuild effort. Since the 2018 Carr Fire, WES has been raising funds through its “Grow Back Stronger” campaign (goal: $7.5M). As of mid-2025, the campaign reported about $5.7M raised, with demolition of fire-damaged cabins underway; WES has resumed field trips and day programs, but full overnight operations are still a few years out. This is an advocacy only item, and therefore there are no county funds being spent. A county support letter could amplify fundraising and partner engagement.

R3 — Proclamation: Red Ribbon Week (Oct. 23–31)

Red Ribbon Week is the nation’s long-running drug-prevention campaign, created in 1988 by the National Family Partnership to honor DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena and promote drug-free communities. The observance runs each year from October 23–31.

Locally, prevention partners led by Shasta County Chemical People,a youth and adult-led nonprofit focused on alcohol, tobacco, and other drug prevention, use the week to spotlight education and family engagement.

This year’s slate includes a parent talk hosted by the Shasta County Office of Education with former DEA agent Rocky Herron (Wednesday, 5:30–7:00 p.m., 2985 Innsbruck Dr., Redding), lighting the Sundial Bridge red on Oct. 23 at 7:00 p.m., and a drive-thru drug take-back outside City Hall on Saturday, Oct. 25 (10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.).

While the board’s vote here is ceremonial, the proclamation recognizing Red Ribbon Week serves to elevate the ongoing work of local prevention groups and schools and may boost attendance at this week’s events.

Consent Calendar Highlights

• C6 — Behavioral Health medical staffing (Not to Exceed $4.8M, through June 2028).

  Renews the locum-tenens pipeline for psychiatrists and psychiatric NPs so clinics and crisis programs don’t stall when vacancies hit. Funded via Behavioral Health sources; no new General Fund .

  
  

• C12 — Countywide network security (3 year total: $361,394).

  Keeps the County’s Palo Alto firewalls licensed and supported (threat prevention, URL filtering, malware analysis). Staff emphasizes this is subscriptions/support only, County IT continues to run the gear.

  
  

• C13 — Cottonwood Sewer (CSA # 17) budget adjustment

  Aligns the FY 25–26 utility budget with higher-than-expected operating/project costs and newly eligible reimbursements; county reports remaining $100k is covered by retained earnings, no impact to the General Fund.

  
  

• C16 — Fall River Mills Airport: taxiway/apron rehab (award $510,211; total project est. $684,651).

  Construction award to VSS International. Largely FAA/state-funded with a small non-federal share; staff notes the low bid came in 24% under estimate.

  
  

• C17 — West Central Landfill shop improvements (award $373,999; total est. $485k).

  Interior remodel to separate work/locker/break areas and modernize a 1991 building. Paid from Solid Waste funds (tipping fees),  no impact to the General Fund.

R4 — Public Health: Naloxone (Narcan) vending machines

Public Health is asking to expand overdose-prevention work by installing two all-hours naloxone vending machines, one in the jail lobby and another at an HHSA campus, so families, people newly released from custody, and bystanders can pick up narcan at no cost. The amendment folds purchasing, installation, stocking, and basic outreach into an existing overdose-response program and uses opioid-settlement/grant dollars rather than the General Fund. Locating a unit at the jail lobby targets a well-documented high-risk window immediately after release; the HHSA site adds an in-town option with instructions and links to treatment and support.

Earlier this year, the same concept surfaced but did not move forward after Board discussion; Chair Kevin Crye voiced skepticism at the time. It will be worth watching whether the Board embraces the approach now that similar machines have been operating locally and regionally with reported success.

For context, Shasta’s prevention network has rapidly expanded low-barrier access to naloxone through clinics, partner sites, and vending machines, including two operated by Redding Rancheria’s Tribal Health System, while coordinating targeted distribution using weekly overdose mapping. Local officials and harm-reduction partners credit the broader availability of Narcan with a sharp drop in fentanyl deaths from 58 in 2023 to 33 in 2024, even as overdoses persist.

R5 — HHSA Administration: Fiscal status, cash-flow loan extension, and realignment transfer

Health and Human Services will brief the Board on its midyear finances and ask for two actions to steady cash flow while state and federal reimbursements catch up.

First, HHSA seeks to extend a short-term General Fund loan through December 31, 2025. This is a bridge line, capped at several million dollars, that HHSA draws on and pays back as revenue arrives. Interest is charged back to HHSA at the County’s pooled rate, so the General Fund isn’t effectively subsidizing the department. Staff frames this as a timing tool to avoid service slowdowns while large reimbursements are in transit.

Second, the department proposes a “second 10%” realignment transfer this year, about $1.17 million, moving dollars from Public Health to Social Services Administration to cover higher-than-planned workload (eligibility, benefits administration, and related staffing/overhead). Realignment is state-controlled revenue dedicated to health and human services; shifting it between eligible programs is allowed with Board approval.

Supervisors may press on whether this will be sufficient if reimbursements slip, and whether additional hiring freezes or deferrals are needed to stay on track.

R6 — Public Works: Hearing to vacate a road/utility easement (Cottonwood)

Public Works is asking the Board to formally abandon an unused public utility and road-access easement in the Lone Oak Way/Gas Point Road area of Cottonwood. The County noticed the hearing and checked with affected agencies; the premise is that the strip is no longer needed for public access or utilities.

If approved, the Board will adopt a resolution vacating the easement and direct staff to record it. As part of the clean-up, the County would also accept a dedication of relinquished access rights to clarify how adjacent parcels take access going forward. This is a paperwork-heavy item but important to clear title so owners aren’t tripped up during permitting, financing, or sale. No General Fund impact is indicated

R7 — Closed Session: Existing litigation

Conference with legal counsel regarding Julie Soksoda v. County of Shasta. Details are confidential while negotiations or strategy discussions occur. If the Board takes any reportable action (e.g., a settlement approval), County Counsel will announce it at the close of the meeting.

R8 — Closed Session: Labor negotiations

County negotiators will meet with the following bargaining units: Multiple Teamster units, Deputy Sheriffs’ Association (DSA), Sheriff’s Administrative Association (SAA), and Professional Peace Officers Association (PPOA). No public vote is expected in closed session; any tentative agreements would return for Board action in open session.

Democracy works best when we show up. Whether you attend in person, watch the livestream, or send a comment, your participation helps set priorities, steward public dollars, and keep county government accountable.

And that’s the agenda preview.