Title
Receive a preliminary analysis report in response to Board Referral No. 2025.04 (Askew) seeking to follow up on Board Referral 2023.19 (Askew) entitled, Monterey County Regional Fire District Board of Directors (MCRFD) Vacancies, and ensure completion of Board of Supervisors direction.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Receive a preliminary analysis report in response to Board Referral No. 2025.04 (Askew) seeking to follow up on Board Referral 2023.19 (Askew) entitled, Monterey County Regional Fire District Board of Directors (MCRFD) Vacancies, and ensure completion of Board of Supervisors direction); and;
1) Direct that staff proceed with completion of referral based on description in this report; or,
2) Direct that staff:
i. Proceed with completion of referral based on modifications by the Board; or,
ii. Return to Board with a more comprehensive analysis of referral and anticipated effort for completion; or,
iii. Rescind referral.
b. Provide further direction, as appropriate.
PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS:
Referral Summary & Background:
In October 2023, Board Referral No. 2023.19 (Askew) entitled “Monterey County Regional Fire District Board of Directors Recruitment and Appointment Policy” was issued, directing the development of a policy to support the Board of Supervisors (Board) in making equitable appointments to the MCRFD Board of Directors. The referral further requested that the policy include guidance on how to determine equitable representation from all supervisorial districts served, notification to the Board regarding upcoming and or pending vacancies, and ensure the Board engages in meaningful recruitment of interested eligible persons from throughout the MCRFD service area.
In February 2024, the Board formally adopted the related process (Board Policy G-20), which is attached to this report and summarized below.
1. Notification by MCRFD, through its Chief or designee, to the Clerk of the Board (COB) of an actual/potential vacancy.
2. The COB would inform the Board of Supervisors (BOS) and the County Administrative Officer (CAO).
3. For vacancies or expiring appointments, the CAO would then implement a process to solicit interest within the territory for a 30-day publication period, including publication in newspapers and posting on County and MCRFD websites.
4. Interested persons, including expiring appointee(s), may self-nominate by applying with a resume and statement of interest (application package) with the COB.
5. Supervisors from Districts 2, 3, 4, and 5 may nominate persons.
6. CAO, a member of the MCRFD Board, and Director of the County’s Department of Emergency Management plus the MCRFD Chief in an advisory-only capacity to review the applications and nominations to confirm residency and determine which district the individual resides in. The Board will consider the applicant's or nominee's supervisorial district with the goal of equitable representation of the supervisorial districts on the MCRFD Board.
In March 2025, the Board was asked to consider making an appointment to the MCRFD Board of directors, which highlighted a failure in the full and consistent implementation of the policy, thereby leading to the issuance of Board Referral No. 2025.04 (Askew) as a follow-up to insure compliance with Board direction given under Referral 2023.19.
Project Description:
This referral directs the full and consistent implementation of Board Policy G-20 as follows:
• Full Board notifications of upcoming or pending vacancies to the MCRFD Board;
• Board engagement in meaningful recruitment of interested, eligible persons from throughout the MCRFD service area; and
• Review, adoption, and implementation of the overall policy regarding appointments to special districts.
Following the issuance of this referral, a meeting consisting of the CAO, COB, and Office of the County Counsel was convened to discuss implementation of the existing policy. The group concluded the following:
• After reviewing the sequence of events, it was determined that notification of the recent vacancy was sent to the Board District Offices' general email by the COB on February 10, 2025. As an additional notification safeguard, staff recommends that the policy be modified to include that vacancy notification be sent to the Chiefs of Staff for each Supervisorial District Office in the notification process.
• Further modifications are warranted to streamline the review process of applications/nominations to confirm residency and determine the Supervisorial District in which the nominee resides.
Upon direction by the Board, staff anticipates bringing forward a revised Policy G-20 and a new general appointment policy for special districts for Board consideration in June 2025.
Estimated Project Cost: There are no additional costs associated with the completion of this referral other than the cost of staff time. Staff costs will be absorbed by the lead and assisting departments (CAO, COB, and County Counsel).
Staffing Level Estimate: It is anticipated that one staff member will be utilized to complete a response to this referral, with review by assisting departments.
Departmental Challenges: The department does not foresee any challenges that would impede its ability to complete this referral by the proposed response date referenced below.
Proposed Response Date: Staff proposes to return to the Board within six weeks (June 24, 2025) from the approval of this preliminary analysis. Additional time may be needed should the Board request additional modifications to this referral.
Prepared by: Karina Bokanovich, Management Analyst
Approved by: Nicholas E. Chiulos, Assistant County Administrative Officer
Susan Blitch, County Counsel
Valerie Ralph, Clerk of the Board
Attachments:
Board Referral No. 2025.04
Board Referral No. 2023.19
Policy G-20