Will Shasta County supervisors buck tradition again in electing new board chair?

Traditionally, the vice chair of the Shasta County Board of Supervisors ascends to become the chair.

But in recent years, supervisors have bucked tradition as politics and in-fighting have turned what used to be ho-hum into an emotional vote, sparking more tension on the board.

On Tuesday, supervisors will be asked to elect a new chair and vice chair for 2024.

As vice chair, District 2 Supervisor Tim Garman is in line to succeed District 4 Supervisor Patrick Jones as the chair.

But Garman has often butted heads with Jones, and Supervisors Chris Kelstrom and Kevin Crye, who make up the board’s majority.

For example, at a June 7, 2023, supervisors meeting, Garman wore a “Recall Kevin Crye” T-shirt. The decision to recall Crye will be on the March 5, 2024 ballot.

Recently, Garman Joined Supervisor Mary Rickert to vote no on whether a measure for Shasta County to become a charter county should be on the ballot.

So, Garman’s ascension to the chair seat is anything but certain come Tuesday.

Meanwhile, two years ago, a supervisor fighting a recall was elected chair. The board voted 3-2 to seat then District 2 Supervisor Leonard Moty as chair, passing over then-District 5 Supervisor Les Baugh, who as vice chair was in line to become chairman.

Jones and Baugh voted not to elect Moty as chair. Both Jones and Baugh supported the Moty recall. Moty was recalled less than a month later and Baugh became the chair after Moty's ouster.

The supervisor who sits in the chair seat is largely responsible for what items get on meeting agendas, though the chair will often put something on the agenda that a fellow supervisor has requested.

Before Jones was elected chair last January, he told the Record Searchlight that one of his top priorities was to build a new jail in Shasta County, pushing for an expansion of the current jail downtown.

But supervisors this year have spent little time in public meetings discussing details of how much a jail expansion would cost, what services and facilities — beyond jail beds — a new jail would include and how the county would pay for a jail expansion.

It’s been estimated that a 256-bed expansion downtown would cost the county $125 million.

One issue Jones did not mention before becoming chairman was his plan to terminate the county’s contract with Dominion Voting Systems, a move that has cost the county more than $1.5 million as it worked on developing a system to count all ballots by hand.

More: Shasta sheriff's office reopens jail's third floor, increasing capacity by 80 inmates

For now, the decision is moot, as California passed a bill that became law in October that bans the manually tally of votes in all but the tiniest towns.

Shasta County used the new Hart InterCivic machines it purchased in April to count ballots for the Nov. 7 special election.

Raise for CEO David Rickert on agenda

Six months after taking over as county Chief Executive Officer, David Rickert could get a 5% raise and a new three-year contract that would extend through Dec. 31, 2026.

Sponsored by Supervisor Crye, the board on Tuesday will consider raising Rickert’s annual salary from $258,600 to $271,524.

The staff report stated: "This agreement would establish a new three-year term beginning December 5, 2023, would provide a five percent (5%) step increase, establishing his compensation at the D-step of the salary range for the position, $130.541 per hour/$25,627 per month."

But that would be $307,524 a year, a 19% raise from Rickert's current salary of $258,600.

The Record Searchlight emailed Support Services Director Monica Fugitt to double-check those figures.

"This is unfortunately a typographical error, the report should have read $22,627 ($271,524 annually), not $25,627. The agreement correctly references the “D” step of the salary range; the corrected monthly amount will be verbally called out in tomorrow’s presentation," Fugitt said.

Supervisors appointed Rickert as CEO on May 30. He was chief financial officer in Winnebago County, Illinois, before coming to Shasta County.

Rickert is no relation to Shasta County Supervisor Mary Rickert.

Getting ready for the March ballot

Supervisors will be asked to approve the arguments for Measures C and D that will appear on the March 5, 2024, ballot.

Measure C supports establishing term limits for supervisors.

Supervisor Kelstrom campaigned on the issue before he was elected and supervisors approved putting it on the ballot after he became a supervisor.

Measure D supports Shasta County becoming a charter county.

Supervisor Crye has been lobbying the last few months for Shasta to become a charter county. On Oct. 31, Crye, Jones and Kelstrom voted to put the issue on the March ballot, while board members Garman and Rickert voted against it.

The charter would include only one provision ― that the Board of Supervisors appoints a replacement to vacant positions on the board, which is timely as Crye faces a recall on the same March ballot.

Crye has said that the charter contains no other provisions, such as reducing the number of elected county officials.

David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on X, formerly Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta County supervisors primed to elect new board chair