County Board · Alder County, CA · Aug 4, 2026
Alder County Board of Supervisors
Supervisors adopted a countywide development impact fee, awarded a $4.2M no-bid consulting contract, and approved a settlement whose amount is redacted from the public packet.
Packet
356 pp
7 minute read here
Resolutions
31
Adopted this meeting
Dollars moved
$24,600,000
Transparency
35/100
Public access to material terms
Flagged actions
What this costs you
Ordinance 2026-11 — Countywide development impact fee
In plain English
Building anything new — including a granny flat or rebuilding a home you lost — now carries a five-figure county fee before you pull a permit.
How it was buried
ADU applicability appears only in the fee study's footnote 22.
Impact: $14,800 per new dwelling unit; applies to ADUs and rebuilds after fire loss
$4.2M sole-source consulting award — Meridian Civic Partners
In plain English
The county skipped competition by declaring the firm uniquely qualified, but the file contains no analysis supporting that claim.
How it was buried
Item 18, added by supplemental agenda 26 hours before the meeting.
Impact: No competitive bid; findings of 'unique expertise' not documented in the record
Sole-Source Review Team — 97 residents affected by this same item are organizing. Next step: Public records request for all task orders and change orders.Closed-session settlement — amount redacted from public record
In plain English
The board settled a case with taxpayer money and did not tell taxpayers the number.
How it was buried
Reported as 'direction given to counsel'.
Impact: Settlement amounts are generally required to be reported out publicly
Open Meeting Defense — 156 residents affected by this same item are organizing. Next step: Demand separate roll-call votes on items over $250K.Financial watch
Spending anomalies
Professional services · +320% vs. prior period
Same vendor also holds contracts in 2 neighboring agencies tracked here
Your follow-up plan
- 1.Request the sole-source justification memo and any conflict-of-interest disclosures
- 2.Check Form 700 filings for supervisors who voted yes
- 3.Cross-reference vendor payments across all three agencies in the network
Operations · +705% vs. prior period
Lump-sum line with no project detail; grew from $180K in FY24
Your follow-up plan
- 1.Request the general ledger detail behind the lump-sum line
- 2.Ask the auditor-controller whether this line was flagged in the last single audit
Communications · +96% vs. prior period
New position count doubled in the same cycle public comment was shortened
Your follow-up plan
- 1.Request the position control roster before and after the budget amendment
- 2.Ask what portion of the PIO budget supports ballot-measure communications
Equity check
Who got the floor
Minutes of public comment versus board discussion, per agenda item.
Impact fee ordinance
Sole-source award
Closed session report-out
Ceremonial items