photo credit: Marc Albert/KRCB
The county admin bldg. and others badly need repair.

Not quite a retreat, Sonoma County's elected officials met off-site at the county fairgrounds for an annual summit this week.

The informal setting of the SaraLee and Richard's Barn at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds enabled rotating discussions between county departments heads and each supervisor individually.

They were there to set priorities for the year ahead yet needs appear larger than the financial resources available.

Officials are vowing to double down on equity, provide more for the underserved, and fast-track roadway changes to promote walking and biking.

Major expenses are also looming though, the county's dump is close to full and deferred repairs to the county office complex is producing comic results.

Nearly every department head told supervisors that they face challenges both recruiting and retaining staffers.

What once were considered solid salaries, no longer measure up.

Leaders of other departments said high workloads due to vacancies are causing stress and burnout.

Long differed maintenance on the physical plant is also impacting morale.

Tennis Wick, the county planning director, described the county's mid-century office complex, as "decrepit," relaying to elected leaders that sewage was bubbling through a wall in the planning office, one of four active wastewater leaks.

He says another building, scheduled for demolition nearly two decades ago, has a half a dozen. Wick says carpets were removed after E.coli was detected in them.

Meanwhile, among members of the public in attendance were activists from the North Bay Organizing Project, who called out what they perceive as hypocrisy.

They said despite county leadership's vocal commitment to diversity, aid and services for immigrants, they accuse the county's sheriff's office of increasing cooperation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

"Collaboration between the Sheriff's Office and ICE creates fear for our community members and deters victims from reporting crime, affects their health and limits access to resources, said, Kelsey Vero, with the North Bay Organizing Project.

"It goes against our community values as stated in the county immigration initiative while costing the county a great deal of money and resources to do federal work," she added.

The board elected supervisors David Rabbitt and Lynda Hopkins as chair and vice chair for the coming year.