How much money have Plumas County departments paid in fees and penalties for not adhering to state or federal regulations?
In a letter he read during the Sept. 3 Plumas County Board of Supervisors’ public comment period, Richard Foster, a longtime Quincy resident, asked the board to provide that information. He specifically asked for documentation of amounts over $1,000 paid within the last five years.
Foster, who frequently attends the supervisors’ meetings, said he recently became aware of a $30,000 fee assessed on Feather River College because “the tax collector’s office” did not meet “requirements on financial investments,” his letter stated. FRC is part of an investment pool managed by Plumas County Treasurer-Tax Collector Julie White. The investment pool includes cemetery, water and school districts as well as the Feather River Tourism Association. FRC’s investments represent 17% of the pool, President Kevin Trutna said.
Foster first became concerned about fees and penalties several years ago, when he was told that the county assessor’s office returned $250,000 to Sierra Pacific Industries after the department failed to meet a deadline. The county could not recover the money, he said in his letter.
Foster asked the supervisors to investigate that allegation specifically. He also asked for a response from each county department and the supervisors to address the issue in a public meeting.
“If the county is giving that much money away it begins to add up fairly quickly,” he told The Plumas Sun in a telephone interview. “If it happens on a regular basis, someone is not doing what they were elected or hired to do.”
Foster, who served on two recent Plumas County grand juries, was careful to say that none of the information he presented in his letter “came into my possession while I was a member of the grand jury.”
Second request
His public comment Sept. 3 was the second time Foster had raised the issue of county penalties for failure to comply with regulations. He delivered his July 11 letter to County Administrative Officer Debra Lucero, requesting that it be addressed by the supervisors at “the next public meeting possible.”
Lucero told him to give the letter to Board Clerk Allen Hiskey, Foster said. Supervisor Greg Hagwood, chair of the board, read the letter into the public record July 16. It was not placed on a board agenda in August, so Foster returned Sept. 3 and read his letter again.
Hagwood told Foster “efforts are underway” and “information is being compiled.” Supervisor Tom McGowan asked for a definitive date for the discussion Foster was requesting. Hagwood said it would come before the board Sept. 17. “If our information is not complete then, we will explain why,” he said.
Investment issues raised previously
The county’s investment processes have come before the supervisors several times in 2024. At a Jan. 2 meeting, Trutna and representatives of the Feather River Tourism Association complained that the treasurer-tax collector’s office has delayed its interest payments, costing them penalties and causing financial disruptions.
Trutna reported that Feather River College had experienced delays in an estimated $691,587.54 in interest payments. He blamed a lack of timely interest reports over the last six quarters. The college was unable to close its books for 2023, resulting in an annual audit material finding — a statement by an auditor indicating deviations from standard accounting practice, Trutna said.
On Jan. 16 Hagwood reported that the board was making “measurable progress” in resolving the issues causing controversy over the treasurer’s office. Foster said he was asking for information about all fees and penalties paid by all county departments as a result of failures to comply with regulations.
White, the county treasurer, has admitted delays in interest payments, citing software that was incorrectly set up and other issues involving technology. In her response to the 2023-2024 Plumas County Grand Jury Final Report, she said her department is now using Sympro, an investment software program, and is making significant progress to ensure interest payments are paid promptly.
At the supervisors’ Sept. 2 meeting, Hagwood agreed with Foster that the public needs to be aware of the county’s financial issues. “The supervisors need to be aware of this. … We have elected officials who answer to us, the public,” he said.
Foster’s request for financial information is tentatively scheduled for the supervisors’ Sept. 17 meeting.
