Redding residents discuss Shasta’s strategic plan at community meeting
The meeting held last night at the Redding Veterans Hall was meant to provide county staff with community perspectives about how discretionary funds should be spent.
Around 20 people attended a community meeting held by Shasta County last night to provide their perspectives on a process to develop a five-year strategic plan.
The county hopes to use the strategic plan as a way to set goals for spending and to help guide the use of discretionary funds. Shasta released a survey earlier this month to give the public a chance to indicate how they want the county to prioritize spending as the strategic plan is developed over the coming months.
“Our purpose is really to see what’s working well in the community, what needs attention, and then where specifically should the county be focusing their time, their resources as it relates to the next three to five years,” said Hope Seth, a local business leader and county consultant for the strategic plan project. She ran Thursday night’s meeting.
This was the second community meeting held by the county in an effort to gain more public perspectives. The first was held in the city of Shasta Lake.
The meeting had several activities, including asking individuals to line up in order of how long each person has been in Shasta County, putting stickers on topics that residents want the county to prioritize spending on and writing on posters ideas for how the areas included under those topics could be improved in the county. Residents brought up suggestions related to public safety, mental health, homelessness, roads and infrastructure, economic development and more.
During a group discussion, community member Carolyn Gomes said one of her main priorities was public safety, and that she wants the county to build a jail.
“I lived here my entire life, and I want to feel safer,” she said. “I want to be able to go and let my kids have safe places to play where you don’t feel like you have to have an adult escort you out to your car or something like that.”
At the meeting, Seth said that over 1,600 people have filled out the county’s survey on strategic planning so far. She said the majority of those who took the survey want mental and behavioral health to be prioritized, followed by housing and homeless services and economic development. At the community meeting, most participants favored economic development, while several people mentioned their desire to see more communication between the county and the public.
Another community member said her priority was for the county to have more mental health services, bringing up a personal anecdote about her late husband who struggled with mental illness.
“I experienced firsthand the lack of services that we have here, and I believe perhaps, if he had better services, he may have survived,” she said.
Several county staff members were in attendance at the meeting, including Shasta Supervisors Allen Long and Kevin Crye, CEO David Rickert and Deputy CEO Erin Bertain.
The last two meetings to encourage input into the strategic planning process will be held on Dec. 1 in Anderson and Dec. 3 in Burney/Fall River. You can find more information about the strategic plan process and community meetings here.
Do you have information or a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.
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Shasta Scout never answer the
Question you ask.
Then they want your support.
No way
Hi Ralph: What questions haven’t we answered for you? Would love to be of help.
I just hope the fact keeps getting brought up how the county gave people that made 400k, raises to make 600k, and then turn around and can’t find money to pay the normal employees, or fund things around the county. Not only are they messing with affordability , they are messing with the entire county in almost every category
Looks like Kevin Crye is in a time out!
Yes, he’s on his phone. As usual. Maybe he’s communicating with Mike Lindell.
I recognize a few county employees at the meeting. Always appreciate their dedication and commitment to the county.
I like the expression on that guy’s face in the photo with Chriss Street. Totally not buying the tripe Street’s trying to peddle. Lol!
Kind of like that $40,000 report Crye paid Street for with our tax dollars to recommend we spend millions on a medical school.
Yep, all about ideas to spend MORE money, not reduce spending and fees. Seems to me, we ought to be thinking of ways to reduce the cost of living for our young people. Many just get an education, then “get out of Dodge” because they can’t make a decent living here, unless they work in local government administration and can vote themselves raises, or in the medical profession.
Tanner….I noticed the same thing. Perhaps there was an effort for New California going on?
Wow, 20 people out of how many residents in Shasta County.
Not reporting on it!
I also noticed a few county employees in the crowd. I think people are worn out getting engaged. It’s a waste of time.
Agreed. Have you ever sent an email to a district supervisor? Mine does not even bother to reply. I contacted my son about it, he is an official in the Republican Party down in the Bay Area. He said, “Dad, I am not surprised. It is so “red” up there, your elected officials are guaranteed to get re-elected…” All they really care about is their pet projects, voters’ interests be damned.
Communication to the public definitely should be priority!
Especially when they’re wanting to build a jail right next to a very established, 4 generation neighborhood!
The fact that no one will ever feel safe in their own homes and surely
they haven’t considered the monstrosity of the view looking out the bedrooms and living rooms of these people. Not to mention the noise and lights.
We need the mental health facility at this location. Supporting the operation will create up to 300 good paying jobs. As Supervisor’s Long and Plummer said the state will spend $200 million dollars on this regional facility.
A facility like that will become a magnet. Instead of reducing the mental health issues we face, it will increase them. The money would be far better spent on increasing the ratio of police and sheriff’s officers per thousand of population. Redding currently has an officer/population ratio that is about 1/2 what the ratio is for the State of California.
Why spend this time and money on this failed activity?
Does anyone in this county think that the “wants” of constituents will be reflected in decisions by Crye, Harmon and Kelstrom? Seriously? What have they ever done that reflects the majority opinion of the community?
Oh ..em…gee…
So I noticed among the participants were Chriss Street, Nick Gardner, Carolyn Gomes, and Kevin Crye.
Please people, get involved with this. If you aren’t already aware, the people named above are in it for the best interest of a select few people in our county.
If you are a normal, sane person in Shasta county, please get involved so the county knows what the people REALLY want, and not give in to these people who are trying to serve special interest groups.
Don’t take my word for it, look these people up and see for yourself what they represent, and decide if that’s the community want to live in.