Lassen County voters will have the opportunity to provide their input to the board of supervisors regarding the direction of the Auditor/Controller and Treasurer/Tax Collector’s offices.
In a vote of 4 to 1, with Supervisor Neely casting the sole dissenting vote, the board has approved placing an advisory measure on the March ballot.
CAO Richard Egan says voters will see two questions posed on the ballot.
This measure seeks to gauge the voters’ sentiments regarding the potential combination of these offices into a director of finances and whether they should remain an elected position or become appointed, with the final decision resting with the Supervisors.
Supervisors Ingram and Neely expressed their concerns about removing the ability of voters to elect these positions if they were to become appointed. These positions are combined by default due to a lack of candidates in the last election cycle by Nancy Cardenas. She concurred with the supervisor’s sentiment but urged caution, emphasizing that this decision has a lot of weight. She pointed out that appointing a qualified, knowledgeable, and experienced individual as a Director of Finance could be in the county’s best interest. However, it could also pose a risk to the county’s finances, as the only means to remove such an individual would be through a recall effort.
It’s worth noting that consolidating these offices is a common practice, as confirmed by the county counsel, and is seen as having several advantages.
As March arrives, you will have this opportunity to influence the board’s decision regarding the future structure of the Auditor/Controller and Treasurer/Tax Collector positions.
