Chamise Cubbison’s Remarks To The Supervisors

“I returned to my office on Wednesday, February 26, having been out of the office for nearly 17 months. First let me express my appreciation for the hard work that the staff in the Auditor’s office the Tax Collector’s office have done to continue many of the tasks we had begun prior to my absence, and other projects initiated without me. I recognize that the last couple of years have been very stressful and often challenging. I appreciate the patience and support of the board, other county department heads, county employees, and the public as I endeavor to learn about what has been done in my absence. This includes changes already implemented, changes that are in process and operations that may need to be on the list for further evaluation and change. It is my sincere hope that my staff, with the cooperation of other county departments, will be able to continue moving these things forward without losing momentum. In the last two weeks, I’ve been working with IT to reestablish my access to county systems, and technology equipment. I’ve met individually with some of my staff. I attended the Northern Area Regional State Association Of County Auditors meeting in Colusa last week and submitted next year’s department proposed budget, largely relying on information provided by Sara Pierce and other department employees. In the coming days I will be reviewing the report prepared by Regional Government Services, meeting with RGS and Chandler Asset Management, the treasury pool asset management consulting firm. My aim is that we continue to make positive progress on the various ongoing improvement projects. To ensure that we have the resources to make that happen I plan to bring forward an amendment to the Regional Government Services agreement to extend that agreement through December of 2026. In addition, I ask that the Board fund budget appropriation requests that are deemed to be necessary to continue the important work of the Auditor’s office and the revenue collection efforts of the Treasurer-Tax Collector offices. Also, in order to avoid delays or any need to pause many tasks while I research and revisit all of the areas evaluated while I was out of the office, we could use the help of other departments. It would be especially helpful if the Chief Executive Officer continues to provide access to essential CEO staff, including Sara Pierce so that my staff can obtain necessary transition information and efficiently continue our work. It would be a shame for some of that to be lost, or for the county to have to pay for the services again, or to lose out entirely on the information gained. I look forward to working with one or two board members where we can discuss any concerns or requests of the board. I also look forward to a productive relationship between myself and the board in the future. My staff and I are dedicated to moving forward in order to continue serving the public with fiscal leadership and financial integrity. I will have more to report in the coming weeks. Thank you."

Mark Scaramella notes: The entire response from Supervisors was Board Chair John Haschak’s muttering of a perfunctory, “Thank you.” No, Welcome back. No confirmation from CEO Darcy Antle on cooperation by her or her staff or other department heads. Nothing about agreement that other departments or staff will cooperate. Nothing about the office’s current budget or pending budget requests. Nothing about the RGS contract extension. Nothing even acknowledging Cubbison’s requests. Just the usual rude silence. Even the two new Supervisors were mute. Overall, the only person in the room being professional and courteous was Ms. Cubbison. Other than Ms. Cubbison, bygones do not appear to be bygones. As Mendo hurtles into another serious financial crisis, the Supervisors and the CEO are stonewalling the elected Auditor-Controller/Treasurer Tax Collector out of petty spite.