Voters to choose separating sheriff from being tax collector

This November, voters in Nevada County will get to choose whether or not they’d like to see the Nevada County Sheriff removed as Tax Collector and the office combined with the Nevada County Treasurer’s Office.

By: John Miller
HopePrescott.com

This November voters in Nevada County will get to choose whether or not they’d like to see the Nevada County Sheriff removed as Tax Collector and the office combined with the Nevada County Treasurer’s Office.

This was done at the April meeting of the Nevada County Quorum Court. Treasurer Ricky Ryenga was tasked to do a feasibility study of combining the two offices at the March meeting. The results showed it would be in the best interest of county residents to combine the offices, with the Treasurer/Collector handling the daily management of the office. He said there will be no change to any of the financial obligations from either office and the stipend currently being paid to the sheriff for being collector will be paid to the treasurer instead. This amounts to roughly $2,000 a year.

Ryenga pointed out the sheriff doesn’t want to be the collector, adding other counties in the state have combined the two offices. The issue will be placed on the November ballot, but, if approved by the voters, won’t take effect until 2026.

In other business, Office of Emergency Management Coordinator David Gummeson asked the court to approve subscribing to the TANGO system, which would allow volunteer firemen to communicate with other emergency service personnel via their cell phones instead of radios. The cost is $3,000 a year and would cover the entire county. He told the court there’s a 12-week waiting period to get a new radio for firemen and the radios don’t work in metal buildings or those with composite roofs. He said this could be done as a line item in the OEM budget.

Read more here.