STONYFORD, CA (MPG) – New District 4 Supervisor Randy Wilson last week held his first Town Hall meeting since being sworn in three months ago.
Wilson, who lives in Maxwell, replaced Gary Evans, of Stonyford, who served as supervisor for 24 years.
Wilson met with a large group of mountain constituents inside the Stonyford Community Center, bringing with him Colusa County’s new Community Development Director Xzandrea Fowler, new Interim Public Works Director Scott Lanphier, and Assistant Sheriff Mike Bradwell.
Roads, water, and public safety dominated the conversation.
Before entering politics, Wilson built a successful career in the private sector, where he developed management and leadership skills. His background equips him with a practical understanding of local government, but his first town hall meeting allowed him to hear directly from the community about pressing concerns in the western foothills.
Wilson’s district includes all of Maxwell, north Williams and its outskirts, and the mountain communities of Leesville, Lodoga, and Stonyford. Although the five supervisorial districts have near equal populations, District 4 is the largest district geographically.
While Stonyford has unique challenges, the poor conditions of Colusa County roads are a universal complaint and primary concern of almost everyone.
“When I was out campaigning and talking to potential voters, roads were number one,” Wilson said. “It’s number one in the valley too.”
Wilson said he found it eye-opening to see how California funds roads through gas taxes, with a significant portion going to urban areas.
“The problem is that we have a lot of gas purchased here that collects a tax, but that money goes to Sacramento and then it gets redistributed (around the state) based on population,” Wilson said.
Lanphier, who served as Colusa County Public Works Director from 2013 to 2019, was hired as interim director in February to serve until the Board of Supervisors hires a new director to replace Mike Azevedo, who recently retired.
Meanwhile, Wilson said he hopes Lanphier will put his abilities to beneficial use in Colusa County, bringing the road department up to full staff, and help the county capture more regional, state, and federal funding.
Lanphier said he wants to develop a new method where the county can get the best bang for their buck when it comes to road repair.
While Colusa County has multiple funding sources that amount to about $2.9 million annually for road improvements, the total funding needed is $24 million (short term) to $140 million (long-term), Lanphier said. Colusa County keeps about 761 miles of roadway, of which 40 percent are considered good continuation; 30 percent are fair; and 30 percent are poor.
“Historically, the department has typically taken a look at how much money we’ve got coming in and the worst roads that we’ve got,” Lanphier said. “And by default, we usually go with the roads with the highest volume (of traffic).”
Another issue top of mind for foothill residents was the lack of water, which has prevented the construction of new homes in Century Ranch and the lack of available water for fighting fire.
“There are still hydrants in Century Ranch that we are not allowed to touch as a fire department to test them because the last guy that was in charge wouldn’t let us do it,” said Indian Valley/Bear Valley Fire Chief Sandy Corbin. “We would like to test them to see if they are working. We need to blow the rust out and get them functioning.”
Corbin said the fire department needs to test all hydrants for functionality, “so in an emergency, you know which ones you can tap into and which ones you can’t.”
In just over one hour, Wilson, Fowler, and Lanphier took in a lot of information.
Residents also received information on zoning changes that may allow them more affordable avenues to add accessory dwellings. Wilson also alerted residents of a pending sewer rate study necessary for a possible rate increase. He said he was also learning about all the special districts and would like to see vacant positions filled.
Bradwell heard complaints he heard before, such as speeding vehicles and the use of drones to capture images or video of private activities, including those inside a home, which is illegal in California without permission.
While county officials could not promise Stonyford residents, they will ever see the return of a resident deputy, they said they will work to address their concerns with what money they have.
Wilson and the visiting county department heads said residents with concerns could reach out to them directly.
“I welcome that,” Wison said. “And I can say this, hopefully this is going to be an annual event, and we will work this all out together.”