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- Property and Transfer Taxes
- Property taxes are continuing to grow in the current Fiscal Year.
- However, transfer taxes have historically been indicative of future trends in property tax revenues.
- Transfer taxes have been softening over the last couple of years.
- This is in part due to an unprecedented increase in transfer activities in FY 20-21, presumably a result primarily of COVID-19 pandemic driven market activity, which was anomalous and unlikely to continue.
- FY 22-23 transfer taxes YTD are outperforming FY 19-20 (pre-pandemic spike) but are still less than the previous two Fiscal Years through the same reporting period.
- Sales Tax
- Sales tax revenues appear to be softening, though will likely perform relatively flat as compared to FY 21-22.
- Business Activity
- Building fees are on track to perform relatively flat as compared to FY 21-22.
- Recording fees are down as compared to previous years and on track to underperform as compared to adopted budget.
- Similar to transfer taxes, these fees experienced an unprecedented increase coincident with the COVID-19 pandemic.
- However, the revenue projections indicate reduced activity even as compared to pre-pandemic years.
- Gas Tax
- Gas tax revenues are relatively strong in the current FY and on track to exceed previous years.
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- Continue to monitor key revenue streams.
- Develop response plans if/when necessary.
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- In FY 21-22, most major operating funds performed better than adopted budget
- As part of the budget development process, departments have been preparing estimates for FY 22-23
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- Evaluate final department estimates against adopted budget for FY 22-23
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- A 5-year plan was presented at the January 2023 Board Workshop, including:
- Modeling to project General Fund revenue and expense increases / decreases
- Known and anticipated projects with anticipated costs
- Funding sources for each project
- Roads Capital Improvement Plan presented to Board of Supervisors
- 2023-2025 Information Systems Strategic Plan completed
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- Leverage 5-year plan to facilitate the implementation of identified projects
- Implement projects identified in the 2021-2026 Capital Facilities Master Plan
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- County staff have entered budget proposals for FY 23/24
- CEO staff are reviewing and fine-tuning proposals
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- Budget Subcommittee will hear all budgets in detail during Q2
- Final Budget proposal and public hearing in June
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| The County Road Maintenance Division conducted seasonally appropriate vegetation abatement and tree removal to ensure safe ingress and egress on County roads.
Highlights from Q1 (January-March 2023) include:
- County Road Maintenance Division completed 6 miles of vegetation management and 0 miles of weed abatement spraying. Winter weather conditions are not conducive to spraying. The Road Maintenance Division’s goal is to complete 22 miles of vegetation management for calendar year 2023.
- The vendor for the CAL FIRE Grant (5GA21115), JW Bamford, cleared 123 trees, for a total of 378 trees removed since November 28, 2022, with 17 trees remaining on the contract.
| The County Road Maintenance Division will continue vegetation abatement and tree removal to ensure safe ingress and egress on County roads, in particular in the aftermath of the 2023 Winter Storm.
Plans for Q2 (April-June 2023) include:
- Continue to seek funding and use existing funding to reduce roadside vegetation to continue making evacuation routes safer during this year’s fire season.
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| The Office of Emergency Services (OES) continued to actively seek and secure grant funding and to implement grant funded projects that support wildfire mitigation.
Highlights from Q1 (January-March 2023) include:
- In partnership with Fire Safe Council of Nevada County, began work on the South County Shaded Fuel Break Project, a 339-acre, 150-foot-wide roadway shaded fuel break funded by CAL FIRE.
- In partnership with Fire Safe Council of Nevada County, completed work on two Phase 1 FEMA Access and Functional Needs (AFN) Defensible Space Projects totaling $1.3 million dollars.
- Was awarded $256,039 in FEMA funds for Phase 1 (planning) of the Ponderosa West Grass Valley Extension Project.
- Was awarded $214,666 in Sierra Nevada Conservancy funds for Phase 1 (planning) of the South Yuba Rim Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project.
- Was awarded $250,000 in Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) funding for the Nevada County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Update Project.
- Submitted a $3.9 million proposal to CAL FIRE for the Woodpecker Ravine Shaded Fuel Break Phase 2 Project, a 726-acre project that will leverage and extend the Woodpecker Ravine Phase 1 Shaded Fuel Break Project.
- Supported Truckee Fire Protection District in submitting a $5 million proposal to CAL FIRE for the multi-jurisdictional Nevada and Placer County Cooperative Landscape Resilience Project.
- Collaborated with local NGO Sierra Streams Institute in submitting a $2.4 million grant to the Wildlife Conservation Board for the Jones Bar Forest Resilience Project.
- Released RFPs for the Nevada County Community Wildfire Protection Plan Update (funded by CWDG), the Evacuation Study (funded by CAL FIRE), and the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Update (funded by FEMA)
The Nevada County Defensible Space (DSI) Program continued to support residents of Nevada County in meeting defensible space objectives on private property with more education than ever because the Access and Functional Needs (AFN) Defensible Space Project is education-based.
Highlights from Q1 (January-March 2023) include:
- Opened 32 cases.
- Supported compliance with defensible space objectives: 5 cases came into compliance on the first visit, 17 came into compliance after the notice to abate was sent, 5 came into compliance after a warning letter was sent, 0 after the first citation, 3 after the second citation and 3 after the third citation. 14 cases were complaint driven and 12 were proactive cases.
- Saw a 55% compliance rate.
- Saw a 24% education rate. *Educational Rate: The percent of complaint based and pro-active cases with hazardous vegetation violations that achieve compliance with the Nevada County Hazardous Vegetation Ordinance prior to being issued an administrative citation. The goal is 80%.
- Referred 0 cases to the Code Compliance Department.
- In partnership with Fire Safe Council of Nevada County, worked to meet Access and Functional Needs (AFN) Defensible Space Project goals by completing 64 pre- and post-inspections for Phase I and qualifying over 460 property owners for Phase 2 under two FEMA grants (4344 and 4353).
- Conducted 365 pre-inspections for Phase 2 of the Access and Functional Needs (AFN) Defensible Space Project.
- Completed an estimated total of 553 inspections between the two FEMA grants and cases (several inspections that have yet to be entered into Accela).
- Conducted an online survey and sought stakeholder feedback for potential alterations to the Hazardous Vegetation Ordinance. The information gathered was summarized and culminated in a presentation to the Board of Supervisors where recommendations were made in December 2022. The Defensible Space team was scheduled to present the revised Hazardous Vegetation Ordinance to the Board of Supervisors on February 28, 2023, however the presentation was moved to March 28, 2023 as the presenters were engaged in the EOC for the 2023 Winter Storm.
The Office of Emergency Services (OES) worked to provide vital Green Waste Programming to County residents.
Highlights from Q1 (January-March 2023) include:
- Partnered with Fire Safe Council of Nevada County to identify dates and coordinate necessary permitting to hold free community Green Waste Events in April, May, and June, supporting residents in recovering from the Winter Storm of 2023 and simultaneously preparing for wildfire season by removing down vegetation from their land.
| The Office of Emergency Services (OES) will actively seek and secure grant funding and implement grant funded projects that support wildfire mitigation.
Plans for Q2 (April-June 2023) include:
- Contract with consultants to complete the Nevada County Community Wildfire Protection Plan Update, the Evacuation Study, and the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Update. *This process was delayed in Q1 2023 due to a delay in closure of the RFP as a result of the 2023 Winter Storm.
Release a Request for Qualifications (contracting requirement) for a consultant to satisfy environmental compliance for the Ponderosa West Grass Valley Extension Project (this was delayed due to FEMA funds being awarded for this project, allowing for the scope to double in acreage).
- Identify an appropriate project to submit to the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program NOI that has been issued due to a Disaster Relief number (DR#) being assigned to the Winter Storm of 2023.
- Write a grant to the United States Forest Services to allow the funds awarded for the FY23 Congressionally Directed Spending Request for the Ponderosa West Grass Valley Defense Zone Phase 1 Maintenance Project to be administered.
- Submit a $950,000 direct funding proposal to CAL FIRE for the Winter Storm Hazardous Vegetation Clean-Up Project.
The Nevada County Defensible Space (DSI) Program will support residents of Nevada County in meeting defensible space objectives on private property.
Plans for Q2 (April-June 2023) include:
- In partnership with Fire Safe Council of Nevada County, continue to qualify property owners for Phase 2 of the Access and Functional Needs (AFN) Defensible Space Project under two FEMA grants (4344 and 4353) as permitted by FEMA.
The Office of Emergency Services (OES) will provide vital Green Waste Programming to County residents.
Plans for Q2 (April-June 2023) include:
Support the community and Fire Safe Council of Nevada County in the implementation of 12 days of no-cost green waste programming between April and June 2023. |
 RecoveryOffice of Emergency Services 2022 | The Office of Emergency Services (OES) supported all-hazards community recovery from both winter storms and wildfire.
Highlights from Q1 (January-March 2023) include:
- Finalized collection of invoices and accounting for the December 2021 Winter Storm.
- Brought the Jones Fire state and federal reimbursement to the County Board of Supervisors for acceptance and rescinded the Local Emergency Proclamation.
- Continued to submit the paperwork required for the state reimbursement of costs associated with the December 2021 Winter Storm.
- Began the information gathering process for state and federal cost recovery claims stemming from the January and late February 2023 Winter Storms.
- Responded to requests for information related to the cost recovery efforts associated with the River Fire of August 2021.
| The Office of Emergency Services (OES) will continue efforts to support community resilience through efficient recovery from natural disasters.
Plans for Q2 (April-June 2023) include:
- Complete the submission of the December 2021 Winter Storm project paperwork.
- Work to complete the final cost recovery submission for the River Fire of August 2021 .
- Work with FEMA & Cal OES staff to establish recovery projects for costs and damages related to the January and late February 2023 Winter Storms.
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| Highlights from Q1 (January through March 2023) includes:
Tourism:
- Gonevadacounty.com and social media top performance visits included the community calendar, festivals and special events, hiking, fishing and gold panning. Articles supporting local business highlighted breweries, ski rental shops, and art galleries.
- Staff collaborated with Visit California and influencer and blogger Michelle Halpern, winter sports, local shops, restaurants, wineries and more were highlighted resulting in 102 posts and 204,589 impressions about Nevada County.
Agriculture:
- Staff further supported the expansion of certified farmer's markets, staff collaborated with and issued two new farmer's market licenses.
- The Agricultural Division engaged with farmers interested in selling of their agricultural products resulting in 10 new Certified Producers Certificates.
Cannabis:
- The Board of Supervisors adopted Ordinance 2516 allowing additional cannabis square foot allowance with additional acreage for cultivators to be more competitive in the marketplace while staying in compliance with CEQA.
| Plans for Q2 (January through March 2023) includes:
Tourism:
- Encourage visitor engagement with local business by adding a shopping section to the gonevadacounty.com site.
- Collaborate with the Cannabis Alliance to begin discussion on cannabis tourism options for Nevada County.
Agriculture:
- Support and co-host the Nevada County Ag Tour in May 2023 focused on the beneficial use of raw water at farms, ranches and vineyards.
- Participate with a local workgroup to evaluate if there is a high enough demand by local ranchers to support a meat process facility either locally or regionally.
Cannabis:
- Submit the Cannabis Local Jurisdiction Retail Access grant to the California Department of Cannabis Control to fund the planning process that will assess and develop an ordinance to allow retail store front sales dispensaries and mobile retail sales delivery in commercial and industrial districts in unincorporated Nevada County.
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| Highlights from Q1 (January through March 2023) includes:
- Collaborated with the Economic Resource Council and Valley Vision, the regional convener for the Community Economic Resiliency Fund (CERF) to offer presentations to the business community and Board of Supervisors on the rollout of the planning state of CERF.
- Submitted a funding request on behalf of Public Work's roundabout project at the intersection of Rough and Ready Highway and Ridge Road.
- Coordinated with the county's grant coordinator to identify potential funding for projects. Shared potential grant opportunities with external partners including economic partners, major project leads, small businesses, and nonprofits.
| Plans for Q2 (April through June 2023) include:
- Begin the process to develop a comprehensive and collaborative economic development action plan.
- Determine if the county wants to proceed with the Community Choice Aggregation program through Pioneer Energy and what next steps and timeline should be.
- Continue to focus on grant and funding opportunities for county projects and local partners and businesses.
- More fully engage in the Community Economic Resiliency Fund (CERF) project as Valley Vision rolls out next steps.
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| Highlights from Q1 (January through March 2023) includes:
- The North San Juan Fire Suppression project focused on negotiating a public utility easement and working on the environmental studies needed to move the project forward.
- Construction on a 20,000 square foot county building to house storage and offices for elections, agriculture and public health has started.
- Staff in the Office of Emergency Services and the Economic Development office developed a business survey in response to the devasting snowstorms in February and March to collect data and information on infrastructure damage.
- Staff incorporated the Donner Summit Visitor Center project into the Recreation and Resiliency Master Plan in collaboration with the Donner Summit Association, Stantec Consulting Services and Placer County.
| Plans for Q2 (April through June 2023) include:
- Continue to build out process improvement flow charts for permitting departments as a way to improve efficiency and customer service.
- Complete design of customer satisfaction survey for finished projects and test online options, phone contact, and in-person meetings.
- Reach out to new businesses beginning the permitting process to help answer questions and guide them to resources.
- Continue work on the North San Juan Fire Suppression project including:
- Finalize all easements for the project, including securing approval for them from the Board of Supervisors.
- Complete the environmental document.
- Seek Board of Supervisors’ approval to apply for Community Development Block Grant funding.
- Update project costs and submit draft engineering report to USDA.
- Re-connect with major infrastructure projects regarding their current status for moving forward and provide guidance to linking them to resources.
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| Highlights from Q1 (January through March 2023) includes:
- Staff submitted the RAISE grant under Public Works to convert the existing intersection at Rough and Ready Highway and Adams Road into a single roundabout with pedestrian and bicycle improvements.
- The Board of Supervisor staff participated in the Mountain Housing Council Advocacy Day to advocate on behalf of eastern county for an exemption of the average median income for affordable housing in eastern county.
- Staff worked with Sierra Business Council, Nevada County, Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) to secure $250,000 in order to update the CWPP, thereby providing a scientifically defensible and locally endorsed road map articulating the severity of the hazards that exist and the priority actions that must be taken to mitigate the risk for all communities in Nevada County, CA.
- Staff participated in the planning stages of the statewide Community Economic Resiliency Fund (CERF) with eight county convener Valley Vision to:
- Support efforts to plan and implement inclusive and low carbon economic growth strategies.
- Focus on the creation of high-quality jobs and inclusive pathways into those jobs, as well as strategies that will support the transition to a carbon-neutral future.
- Seek planning and implementation processes that focus on those who have often been left out of traditional economic development strategies.
- Sierra Business Council's Climate and Energy team assisted with submission of the Adaptation Planning grant in partnership with the Town of Truckee and North Lake Tahoe to expand the Climate Transformation Alliance.
| Plans for Q2 (April through June 2023) include:
- In collaboration with the Sierra Business Council, staff will identify funding opportunities from agencies such as the Strategic Growth Council, the California Air Resources Board, and the Natural Resource Agency for projects.
- Staff will participate in the Economic Resource Council tour and collaborate with local business owners.
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| Highlights from Q1 (January through March 2023) includes:
- Direct assistance was provided by Sierra Business Council to 134 unique Nevada County businesses of which 52 were new businesses.
- Staff coordinated with local economic partners to get resource information out to businesses, agencies, and nonprofits struggling after the storm.
- Staff began discussions with educational partners (Sierra College, Nevada Joint Unified School District (NJUSD) and others) on workforce challenges and needs for youth and will soon begin actively participating on the NJUSD Continuing Technical Education committee.
- Fifteen organizations have completed their funded work through the Community Resiliency grant program.
- Nevada County Economic Resource Center continues its work to connect with fictious name registrants with 19 recent connections providing on average 20 hours of no cost technical assistance.
| Plans for Q2 (April through June 2023) include:
- Staff will re-activate the Nevada County Relief Fund committee to plan for fire season and finalize written guidelines.
- Staff will launch phase one of the economic development website on the mynevadacounty.com site.
- Staff will launch a monthly e-newsletter highlighting funding opportunities, vacancies, workforce needs, etc.
- Through outreach and one-on-one meetings, staff will expand its efforts in connecting businesses to resources with the Small Business Development Center, Economic Resource Council and Sierra Commons Incubator program.
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| The final broadband environmental impact report was certified at the 2/28/23 BOS meeting. | County and Sierra Business Council (SBC) staff are working toward the creation of a one-page flow chart and a broadband permitting webpage, which will provide high-level guidance and summarize the steps in applying for a permit(s) specific to broadband infrastructure projects. |
| Highlights from the past quarter (January through March 2023) include:
- Nevada County Fiber completed four fiber connections under the Nevada County Grant, and 8 connections under the State CASF grant on Banner Mountain.
- Northern Sierra Broadband is meeting with Nevada County to discuss an extension to their Last-Mile Grant Agreement with the County. Adjustments to the budget and project scope are being determined following a meeting with homeowners in the project area (Buck Mountain).
- Oasis Broadband formally withdrew from their grant agreement due to unexpected and significant project costs related to a 96-foot cell tower that was not thought to be needed in the original project scope. Oasis will reapply under a subsequent Last-Mile Grant round with a revised project budget.
- Generally, we are seeing that internet service providers (ISPs) in our Last-Mile Grant Program face long timelines in equipment acquisition and increasing costs, such that -- in some cases -- our original grant agreements are no longer sufficient to allow projects to be financially feasible. We will explore ways to rectify this challenge in future Last-Mile Grant rounds.
- A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was finalized on March 31st and released for solicitation on April 4th. The RFQ will be used to vet ISPs, recommend competitive state and federally funded grants,
identify each ISP's area(s) of interest, and request future proposals for the County-funded Last-Mile grant program. The County looks forward to vetting and partnering with new ISPs from neighboring counties and continuing to work with existing ISPs. Vetted ISPs will receive free planning and consulting services.
- Nevada County is working with Nevada County Fiber to explore a micro-trenching pilot project. In compliance with SB 378, the County is in the early inquiry phase of supporting a local internet service provider’s pursuit of a state-funded micro-trenching project in Nevada County, if County compliance can be achieved.
- Supported internet service providers (ISPs), responded to inquiries, and met with ISPs regarding priority areas in Nevada County and state grant opportunities.
- The County worked with Golden State Connect Authority (GSCA) to outline preliminary areas for high-level engineering under the Local Agency Technical Assistance Grant (LATA) for future fiber to the home connections.
| Plans for Q2 (April through June 2023) include:
- Review, score, and interview request for qualifications (RFQ) applicants.
- Continue to support ISPs who are applying to the California Advanced Services Fund Broadband Infrastructure application and federal funded last-mile applications.
- The County will continue to work with Golden State Connect Authority to move from high-level to low-level engineering designs for last-mile fiber-to-the-home projects and analyze them from the perspective of Federal Funding Account (FFA) dollars that have been allocated to Nevada County.
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| Highlights from Q1 (January through March 2023) include:
In Q4 2022, a final draft of this document was issued to the Broadband Working Group for their comments. No action was taken on this in the first quarter of 2023. | Plans for Q2 (April through June 2023) include:
Make the updated strategy available to the general public and disseminate it through County communications channels. |
| Highlight from Q1 (January through March 2023):
This program was implemented in December 2020. One application for “dig once” funds was submitted in Q1 2023 however, it overlapped with areas already served and was therefore not needed. | Plans for Q2 (April through June 2023) include:
- Review and respond to any applications for Dig Once funds, if they are submitted.
Provide information on the County website about the Dig Once policy.
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| Highlights from Q1 (January through March 2023) include:
- Promoted the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a federal subsidy for eligible households seeking financial assistance for broadband service. Statistics indicate that enrollment in this program is fairly low compared to the number of households who are eligible, although the statistics do not take into account internet availability. The County reached out to all schools and Health and Human Services departments in East and West Nevada County to promote and support the Affordable Connectivity program. Updated ACP materials were distributed and continue to be distributed through Sierra Business Council. The County continues to partner with Sierra Business Council (SBC) in promoting outreach through partner channels.
- The County supported the California Department of Technology, the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC), and SBC in preparing and planning for two major events upcoming in Q2; (1) collecting public feedback and informing the State Digital Equity Plan (SDEP) the Broadband, Access, Equity, and deployment Plan (BEAD). These plans are critical to understanding how future funding will be disbursed from the state to sub-grantees, such as local government agencies.
| Plans for Q2 (April through June 2023) include:
- The County will continue to partner with SBC to promote and participate in both the SDEP and BEAD workshop, and the ACP enrollment event, scheduled for May 12th. At the Grass Valley Veterans Hall.
- Inform Nevada County residents about the CPUC’s public hearings on voice service standards in California. (Their inquiry will eventually include broadband customers, too.)
- Announce the release of Nevada County’s Request for Qualifications, a tool to build relationships and engagement with internet service providers seeking to serve Nevada County through new partnerships.
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| Highlight from Q1 (January through March 2023):
Attended a webinar about the USDA’s Community Connect Grant Program, a funding program to connect rural communities to broadband service. | Plans for Q2 (April through June 2023) include:
Provide public comment to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in their hearings on voice service standards (which will eventually extend to broadband service). |
| Highlight from Q1 (January through March 2023):
Met with a local internet service provider about a project for which they are seeking Nevada County’s support. | Plans for Q2 (April through June 2023) include:
Support local broadband projects with advocacy from Nevada County leaders. |
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| Q1 Updates:
- Drafts for affordable housing master plans have been finalized and completed in coordination with collaborating jurisdictions, including revisions for the 2022 CA Building Codes. Plans have been released and are listed on the Nevada County Building Department webpage.
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| Q1 updates:
- The Landlord Liaison Program is under contract with AMI. The program successfully used marketing and messaging to get landlords to rent to veterans. Currently two housing navigators work with the Housing Resource Team (HRT) to coordinate acquiring subsidies and connecting subsidies to landlords. The program needs work on mediation and the rapid response process for landlords.
- All 30 Housing Choice Vouchers have been utilized. Many went to Empire Mine Courtyard and prevented homelessness.
- AMI and our CalWORKs Team have utilized vouchers whenever possible.
- Partnering with Regional Housing Authority (RHA) and the Continuum of Care (CoC) to preserve vouchers within the community has been highly successful. Nevada County maintains high performance across the region and in the state for preserving vouchers in the community.
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- Devleop a mediation and rapid response process for landlords participting in the Landlord Liaison Program.
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| Q1 updates:
- Behavioral Health Community Infrastructure Program funds were awarded to purchase a property on Sutton Way to be used as a day center and navigation center. Escrow closed on the property on September 15 and staff are currently working to pull down grant funding and begin renovations.
- Construction on Cashin's Field is complete and residents are moved in.
- Empire Mine Courtyards acquired through Homekey funds is being converted into permanent affordable housing. Units are complete and residents are being selected for move in. Four of the units have been occupied by veterans. Five more units are in the selection process.
- Community Care Expansion (CCE) in the amount of $2,700,000 has been awarded to complete construction of the Ranch House. Approval for septic and zoning changes are complete; building permits are in process and should be complete in April, 2023. Approval to go out for bid on construction will go to the Board in April.
- Pacific Crest Commons will provide 10 supportive housing units in Truckee. Round 4 No Place Like Home funding has been awarded and the project has also secured $2M in local soft financing for development costs.
- Lone Oak Phase II is in planning for 31 units of low income senior housing.
- The Affordable Workforce and Housing Team meets monthly and is a collaboration between the Community Development Agency and Health and Human Services to advance development of affordable and workforce housing through coordination on projects and policies.
- Round 3 PLHA allocations in the amount of $928,837 were awarded in November. Awarded funds will be used for the Local Housing Trust Fund (LHTF) match application along with $500,000 in local funds and $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Application for LHTF is due May 17, 2023.
- A Request for Proposal (RFP) was released through the Western Nevada County Regional Housing Trust Fund for 60% AMI or below affordable rental housing in January. A contractor has been selected and will be presented to the Board for approval in May. An RFP for owner occupied construction will be released in May.
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- Continue Affordable and Workforce Housing Team monthly meetings.
- Develop Request for Proposal for owner occupied construction to be released in May.
- Continue to consider possible Homekey projects.
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| Q1 updates:
- The CDBG CV1 Subsistence Program began distributing rental, mortgage, and utility assistance to individuals financially affected by the pandemic in November. Through March, 27 people had been served with a total of $129,718 in assistance. People with past due rents or mortgages were prioritized for funding.
- Rental Assistance through the CalWORKS Housing Support Program (HSP) is dispersed through a contract with AMI since FY 21/22. AMI has leveraged HSP funds with other available housing funds through the Continuum of Care (CoC) and other sources. CalWORKS continues to contract with Connecting Point to leverage the Family Stabilization Program funds.
- FY 23/24 contract with coordinated entry service provider will include additional support for identifying low vulnerability individuals new to coordinated entry to be contacted quickly for assistance. HCS staff and the HMIS administrator developed a process for a "prevention by-name list" that identifies individuals at risk of homelessness.
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- Develop a process to to identify low vulnerability individuals quickly to prevent homelessness.
- Develop a process to process individuals at risk of homelessness on the prevention by-name list.
- Administer Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) once the state releases the funds.
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| Q1 updates:
- A youth specific Point in Time (PIT) was conducted for 2022 and is planned for 2023.
- The CoC Youth Committee met and outlined activities to benefit homeless youth. The CoC and the County are collaborating to disburse youth set aside funding allocated to the County through the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) program; projects selected will be in line with goals for youth outlined in the Homeless Action Plan.
- The Early Psychosis Intervention (EPI) Program with UC Davis has launched; referrals from current clients will continue to increase in the next few months.
- The Rapid Response Team (RRT) meets daily with Child Welfare Services (CWS) Emergency Response team to decide the pathway of CWS referrals. Over 82% of families who successfully close with RRT do not have a repeat investigation in a year or more following referral.
- Increased percentage of children aged 0-5 receiving behavioral health services by 38.5% since FY 20/21.
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| Q1 updates:
- Purchased and opened a new permanent supportive house supported by 24/7 full service partnership staffing and services. We have 7 clients housed at this location. We have received $1,000,000 grant to implement a post housing support team.
- Established Policies and Procedures, and have defined roles and responsibilities. We now have a project type in the HMIS system to manage referrals and eligibility for the program. Meeting weekly with all partners to discuss supportive housing and strategies for filling vacancies and coordinate entry into the program. Working on developing training resources that will help partners to get housing choice vouchers.
- Brunswick commons has been completed providing 12 units of permanent supportive housing (PSH), empire mine courtyard was completed and added 6 units of PSH, the 24/7 BH supportive housing was completed and is providing 7 units of PSH. Pacific Crest Commons is still in the planning phases but will provide 10 units of PSH once completed.
- Behavioral Health is in receipt of a grant award to provide broader post housing support. This grant will provide new staffing and resources to post housing supports.
- A recently awarded grant will provide a dedicated staff position to be embedded in recovery residency programs with the sole role of working to navigate recovery residence stayers into permanent housing. This position is part of the post housing support team . Ongoing work is needed to train, build capacity, and expand locations and services provided for permanent supportive housing.
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| Q1 updates:
- Continued to contract with Hospitality House and Sierra Roots for emergency and low barrier sheltering. Contract is in place for Sierra Guest Home, providing 20-25 beds of interim sheltering, expanding capacity in the shelter. Ongoing work is being done with Hospitality House to best use expanded capacity and limit amount of time in shelter.
- Contracts to support the Truckee warming center and the North San Juan warming center for the 22/23 FY are in progress.
- Continued to provide family housing and shelter options through the CalWORKS Housing Support Program and domestic violence shelter services through Community Beyond Violence.
- The CoC Youth Committee met and outlined activities to benefit homeless youth. The CoC and the County are collaborating to disburse youth set aside funding allocated to the County through the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) program; projects selected will be in line with goals for youth outlined in the Homeless Action Plan.
- The County of Nevada, Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, AMI Housing, and the USFS continue to make progress in opening the Hobart Mills location as a seasonal workforce Housing Pilot in the coming months.
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- Continue conversations with Hospitality House on how to best reduce time spent in the shelter for a successful moving on strategy.
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| Q1 updates:
- Implemented contract with Hospitality House to provide non-congregate sheltering to reduce unsheltered homelessness among veterans, families, and chronically homeless individuals at Sierra Guest Home. Capacity in the shelter has been created through the opening of Brunswick Commons and the support of 20 bed units at Sierra Guest House. We continue to support the use of hotel rooms for medically vulnerable people in the community. Conversations continue towards the goal of maximizing all beds in the homeless response system for emergency shelter, interim housing, and then permanent housing.
- All providers are currently using the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to track all hotel/motel stayers. All contracted providers are required to capture data on anyone entering the homeless response system.
- Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) competitive grant awarded $1,000,000 to develop the Housing Support Team to actively engage individuals with substance use disorders receive assistance with securing permanent housing upon entry into treatment. The Housing Support Team will be active spring 2023.
- Actively working with the Housing Resource Teams (HRT) and coordinated entry to refine, update, and ensure accuracy of all people on the By-Name List. We have achieved the quality data marker and the Built for Zero Data portal is real-time.
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- Work with Connecting Point and HMIS administrator to develop a process to quickly identify newly homeless people and connect them to services.
- Continue to explore additional options to expand non-congregate interim shelter to reduce unsheltered homelessness.
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| Q1 updates:
- Homeless Action Plan was created in collaboration with County and CoC and outlines shared goals and priorities through 2024. The Plan identifies disparities and measurable goals to address disparities among subpopulations found through HMIS and the coordinated entry system. The plan was accepted by the state.
- Built for Zero reports are available through the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and ClearPoint graphs are available for reporting. A reporting mechanism as a function of the CoC is in consideration.
- The 2023 PIT count was conducted, and preliminary numbers were released by Homeless Resource Council of the Sierras (HRCS).
- An executive director for the CoC was hired.
- Data quality standards are implemented into all service provider and data provider contracts. Achieved quality By-Name data and can track Built for Zero metrics.
- The Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) subcommittee is actively working to address recommendations outlined in the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) technical assistance for improvements to the coordinated entry system. The CoC score given by HUD score has increased but is still slightly below median. The score affects the CoC's ability to compete for federal funding. HRCS implemented a method of engaging service providers on the application questionnaire.
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| Q1 Updates:
- Multiple Housing Resource Teams (HRT) spanning Truckee, Veterans, Families, and Chronic Homeless have been implemented. Information is tracked through the coordinated entry system and all Housing Resource Teams have access. The Built for Zero dashboard is accurate according to the By-Name list and reflects subpopulation for chronic and veterans.
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| Q1 updates:
- Critical Time Intervention (CTI) training completed for ECM HOME Team in October. CTI is being used as the case management framework by the newly developed NCBH ECM Team. For 2023 Q1 we anticipate 121 clients with care management plans.
The position of Forensic Liaison has been filled and is fully operational providing clients leaving incarceration with resources and housing support upon re-entry into the community. The team continues to conduct Justice and Mental Health Collaboration meetings, including the support of the Enhanced Case Management team to support vulnerable individuals who are justice involved. - ECM Team has enrolled 115 participants since implementation in the last quarter. We have 5 staff members hired for the team including a clinical consultant, peer support staff member, and lead care managers.
- Nevada County Behavioral Health (NCBH) has hired 2 peers and they are working in the system of care to enhance case management capacity.
- Worked with Hospitality House to establish workflows and roles and responsibilities between existing Hospitality House staff and newly formed Nevada County Behavioral Health Enhanced Care Management staff. We have standing meetings between behavioral health ECM team, hospitality house, and law enforcement .
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| Highlights from Q1 (January - March 2023) include:
- Completed Phase One inventory and asset mapping of countywide recreation conditions, infrastructure and resources;
- Convened first stakeholder working group comprised of County Staff, community partners, businesses and diverse recreation interests to inform the public survey and engagement process;
- Completed first round interviews and focus groups with over 90 organizations represented; and
- Launched the first public engagement window with a suite of communication tools to educate the public about master plan objectives, timelines and ways to participate; the first public survey solicited feedback on current recreation resources and uses.
- Note: visit www.nevadacountyrecreation.com/plan to view the story map and sign up for notifications
| Plans for Q2 (April - June 2023) include:
- Complete Draft Conditions report for inclusion in Master Plan document;
- Plan outreach events and public workshops for second engagement window, taking place June through July; and
- Share survey findings and begin development of project matrix.
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| Highlights from Q1 (January - March 2023) include:
- Announced Outdoor Visitor Safety Fund (OVSF) round two request for applications, with $434,000 available for eligible projects; first round OVSF recipients made progress on parking, trail development and toilet installs ahead of peak season;
- Established South Yuba River Public Safety Cohort 2023 priorities and launched dedicated webpage at www.NevadaCountyCA.gov/Recreation; the group previewed and provided feedback on the Wild and Scenic River corridor mile marker trail project;
- Began process to install new emergency call box at South Yuba River State Park Bridgeport location;
- Development of public safety and responsible recreation campaign funded by Sierra Gold Parks Foundation and Nevada County; and
- Convened east county leaders and ski resorts to address traffic and parking impacts through coordinated visitor messaging.
| Plans for Q2 (April - June 2023) include:
- Extend full application invites to Outdoor Visitor Safety Fund second round grant finalists, with Evaluation Panel to select and recommend awards to CEO and Board of Supervisors for approval in July;
- Complete install of call box at Bridgeport (pending any delays from the vendor) and address vandalism damage to Purdon Crossing call box;
- Coordinate Yuba River public safety press event and launch of public safety and responsible recreation campaign prior to Memorial Day; and
- Coordinate life jacket and safety signage at Yuba River crossings with BLM, State Parks, Tahoe National Forest and Cohort partners for May installation.
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| Highlights from Q1 (January - March 2023) include:
- Appointment of county staff to Truckee Destination Stewardship Advisory Council and Sustainable Truckee planning effort;
- Submitted $150,000 grant application to Innovative Finance for National Forests program that would assess outdoor recreation economic impacts and feasibility of a Recreation and Resiliency Investment Fund;
- Submitted $100,000 LSTA grant application to expand the Nevada County Recreation Collection and add Resiliency resources including a tool and seed library, informational kiosks and community workshops, free to the public;
- Continued progress on the Environmental Analysis (EA) for the Pines to Mines Trail by Dudek;
- Meeting with National Park Service to review historic California Trail route and roadside signage throughout Nevada County in support of tourism and recreation;
- Development and beta testing of new Nevada County Trail Finder app; and
- Announced date for annual Heart of Gold Gravel Race as October 7, 2023.
| Plans for Q2 (April - June 2023) include:
- Support completion of EA for Pines to Mines Trail and initiate discussion with community partners on project phasing and funding opportunities;
- Kick off planning efforts for Heart of Gold Gravel Race and festivities with community partners, event producers and City of Nevada City; and
- Proclaim June Celebration of Trails month to include launch of Nevada County Trail Finder app and county-led trail maintenance at Hirschman Trail.
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| Highlights from Q1 (January - March 2023) include:
- Hosted quarterly meeting with Western Nevada County recreation and park districts to establish 2023 priorities and identify target grant opportunities;
- Approved/awarded $100,000 from Nevada County Community Resiliency Fund to Bear River Recreation and Park District for turf field replacement and initiated gap loan request to bridge funds from Prop 68 reimbursable grant; and
- Continued development of Nevada County Recreation Resource Guides for www.NevadaCountyCA.gov/Recreation and GoNevadaCounty.com.
| Plans for Q2 (April - June 2023) include:
- Submit CalTrans Clean California Local Grant Program grant for the Penn Valley Parkway Beautification and Visitor Safety Project;
- Host quarterly meeting with Western Nevada County recreation and park districts and review draft MOU for administrative support from county staff; and
- Plan ribbon cutting for Bear River Recreation and Park District turf field grand opening.
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| Highlights from Q1 (January - March 2023) include:
- Attended Sierra Consortium Lobby Day, meeting with state agencies and legislators to advocate for Nevada County recreation, forest health, climate and resilience projects; successful solicitation to Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) for invite to apply for funding of Independence Trail improvements; and
- Provided letters of support for Western Gateway Bike Park improvements and the BYLT Wildflower Ridge community conservation project.
| Plans for Q2 (April - June 2023) include:
- Identify projects and submit grants to multiple CA State Park funding programs, due in June; and
- Support grant pre-application to WCB for Independence Trail.
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| Highlights from Q1 (January - March 2023) include:
- Convened monthly meetings with South Yuba River Public Safety Cohort and CCC collaboratives;
- Developed Recreation and Resiliency Internship program and began review of candidates; and
- Board of Supervisors established Recreation as Board Objective for a second year; staff developed initiatives, work plan and budget for 2023.
| Plans for Q2 (April - June 2023) include:
- Continue convening monthly collaboratives;
- Facilitate biannual Recreation Coalition meeting on June 1; and
- Hire and onboard Recreation and Resiliency intern.
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- Nevada County's Energy Action Plan (EAP) group convened monthly with County staff support, furthering initiatives including public education and pilot project planning to connect income-eligible residents with energy saving benefits.
- Staff are supporting Nevada City Rotary in developing sustainable models for the Plastic Bag Recycling program.
- Partner in the Truckee Climate Transformation Alliance to develop priority projects and opportunities.
| Plans for Q2 (April - June 2023) include:
- Explore consolidation of the Nevada City, Grass Valley, and Nevada County Energy Action Plan community advisory committees.
- Develop charter for pilot program to enhance access to low-or no-cost energy efficiency resources for income eligible Nevada County residents through partnership with Project GO.
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| The plan has not yet begun. Staff submitted the Adaptation Planning Grant which would fund policy and planning gaps.
We were awarded a Civic Spark fellow, to begin in September 2023, who will support this initiative. | Grant funding notification in June. If this grant is not funded, staff will implement an alternate strategy. |
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- Nevada County Public Works submitted RAISE grant application to fund 1.4 million of the construction costs for the Rough and Ready/Ridge Rd/Adam Ave Intersection Improvement project infrastructure projects to improve safety, environmental sustainability through reduced pollutants/emissions, and quality of life.
- Solid Waste staff created the SB1383 Procurement Workgroup to: a) advance development of the County’s SB1383 procurement program; b) provide education and coordination between internal County departments/divisions as procurement targets are established for the entire County; and c) serve as a catalyst for developing possible strategies for meeting SB1383 procurement goals, including but not limited to identifying funding sources, identifying short- and long-term procurement opportunities, evaluate future project alternatives, and identifying partners and stakeholders.
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- Assess next Community Choice Aggregation models for Nevada County, and track progress of Pioneer Energy CCA implementation in Nevada City and Grass Valley.
- Develop charter for pilot program to enhance access to low-or no-cost energy efficiency resources for income eligible Nevada County residents through partnership with Project GO, Social Services, and EAP working group.
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- Nevada County Office of Emergency Services submitted a grant to the Wildlife Conservation Board for the Jones Bar Forest
Resilience Project (JBFRP) in an amount of $2,396,000 to improve forest health and reduce catastrophic wildfire risk using climate-smart management practices across multiple private and Federal parcels in Nevada City.
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- Seek grant funding, partnerships, and advocacy opportunities to promote healthy forest management.
- Develop pilot program to assess Nevada County for carbon sequestration to meet CARB goals.
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- As an initial step to build capacity for this initiative, Nevada County submitted an application in February 2023 and was approved for CivicSpark fellow through CivicWell. The CivicSpark Fellow to work full-time on the county’s climate resilience objective starting in September 2024 for an approximate year-long fellowship.
- In collaboration with the Truckee Climate Transformation Alliance (CTA) and Sierra Business Council (SBC), Nevada County submitted a $360,000 Adaptation and Planning Grant proposal to the Governor's Office of Planning and Research Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program. Grant will support plan development and establishment of a climate collaborative in Western Nevada County.
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- Recruit CivicSpark fellow.
- Develop 2023 grants plan.
- Convene planning team and begin proposal development for Regional Climate Collaboratives grant.
- Participate in regional collaborative to apply for US EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program (CPRG) to develop climate plans that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution and associated criteria and toxic air pollution Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District.
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