The Plumas County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold a special meeting at 10 a.m. June 30 to adopt a preliminary budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which starts July 1. It is the last day they can legally do so.
Prepared by Plumas County Auditor-Controller Marett Nieman, the total recommended budget is $168.5 million. It includes a general fund of $54.76 million. This is the county’s primary operating fund, supporting services ranging from law enforcement to the library.
The preliminary budget is an initial spending plan that outlines allocations for each of the county’s 27 departments. It will guide financial decisions through the next several months until the board of supervisors adopts a final budget before the Oct. 1 deadline.
Changes for 2025-26
Including a full $4 million more than the 2024-25 budget, the plan reflects slight changes in numerous department requests. The board of supervisors budget includes $10,000 in professional services that were not allocated for the current fiscal year. Overall, however, the supervisors’ projected expenses are around $700,000 less than in 2024-25.
The preliminary budget shows little change in the requested allocations for the county administrative officer and the human resources department. The position of department head is currently vacant in both of these departments.
The sheriff’s department has requested $2 million more than for the current year. The primary increase is for capital improvements at the jail. The treasurer-tax collector, assessor and county fair’s expenses are only slightly more than in the 2024-25 budget.
This year the county budget process used OpenGov software, designed for city, county and special district governments for accounting, planning and budgeting. Introduced to county department heads May 19, the process gave departments three weeks to submit their budget requests. The website tracking their proposals shows revenue and expenses for each department in a format that includes graphs as well as budget details line by line.
A smooth process
Unlike the process a year ago, the current budget process has involved no major public controversy. Unlike the previous year’s plan, which initially recommended cutting 15 staff positions, the 2025-26 budget includes no staff cuts, said Supervisor Mimi Hall.
As the supervisors and department heads finalize budget details over the next several months, she anticipates changes. Hall said one of them may involve the county’s debt service for the $10.8 million comprehensive energy plan, which the supervisors adopted with Engie Services U.S.
Under an agreement with Engie, county officials have already made changes in the number of generators and heating/air conditioning units planned for installation in county-owned facilities. They have addressed but not finalized additional changes in the county’s complicated $10.9 million funding packet to finance the Engie project. Paying for the Engie project remains “a big unknown,” Hall said. If nothing is done, Plumas County will be paying $2 million a year “for a very long time,” she added.
The supervisors have directed County Counsel Joshua Brechtel to review the Engie contract and explore legal options. The June 30 budget hearing is open to the public for comment and will be livestreamed via Zoom.