Tulare County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Tulare County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
FEMA reimbursement for 2023 floods and 2020 fire secured
The county and several special districts are still waiting on FEMA reimbursements from the 2023 storms, with about $13 million owed to the county. Commissioners described months of no communication from FEMA and asked for a detailed status report at the June meeting.
Forcum-Mackey construction contract increases
Two big county building projects cost more than planned: the Goshen Fire Station grew by about $536,000 and the Assessor relocation by about $40,000 due to unforeseen conditions.
SJV Biodiesel assessment appeal settlement
California Dairies settled more than a billion dollars of assessed value across seven appeal calendars by agreement with the Assessor, avoiding contested hearings. Stipulated values lock in the taxable base for those years.
FEMA Disaster Recovery Response
Supervisor Micari slammed FEMA for stalling on roughly $100 million in 2023 flood reimbursements and said he'll bring a blunt protest letter to the board and regional and statewide agencies.
Employee health plan premium increases
The preliminary budget projects $161 million in revenue and a $1.3 million positive balance, but assumes big cost trend increases — 8% on Anthem coverage and 6% on Kaiser. Member counties will use these numbers as they build their own budgets.
IHSS Caregiver Wages
An SEIU Local 2015 home care provider told the Board that more than 8,000 IHSS workers in the county struggle with the cost of living and asked the Board to invest in higher wages when contracts are negotiated.
2027 Assessment Appeals Calendar
The board set the hearing schedule for property assessment appeals next year, with minor changes. These are the dates residents and businesses can contest their property valuations.
Dollar Tree assessment appeals denied
This meeting decided the fate of dozens of property tax assessment appeals — some postponed, some withdrawn, one denied for no-show, and twenty dismissed as duplicates. Property owners with pending appeals should note that missing your hearing means automatic denial.
State legislative developments affecting the county
The commission is tracking five bills, including one that would speed up environmental review for recharge projects and another that could let small communities fix their systems instead of paying state penalties.
FY 2026/27 County Budget Adoption
The preliminary budget projects $187.1 million in revenue and an $8.089 million fiscal year deficit, with claims spend raised dramatically from the prior consultant's estimates. A 50% stop loss premium increase is budgeted conservatively, and the plan will test the market against the captive arrangement.
County 457 deferred compensation plan oversight
With Leanne Malison retiring March 31, the Board set her successor's salary at $186,258.80 plus standard benefits — a required step before the retirement board appoints the new administrator.
RMA technology modernization and Tulare County Connect app
The county's Resource Management Agency is rolling out a suite of tools: a mobile app (Tulare County Connect) for reporting potholes, code issues and service requests with photos and automatic routing, a modernized lobby check-in to cut wait times, pre-application permit screening, and a new GIS zoning webpage showing zoning, permits and code cases. The app is live on the App Store and via QR code.
Board meeting video streaming
The board decided to keep audio-only meeting broadcasts rather than turn on the video equipment installed five years ago, on a 3-2 vote. Supporters of video said constituents — including homebound and rural residents — deserve to see their government; the majority cited existing audio access and meeting locations.
Millennium Capital Project Fund performance
The county's $63.8 million long-term building fund, fed by tobacco settlement money, returned 3% over the past year and beat its benchmark. It funds $2.5–4.5 million a year in capital projects — the money behind much of the county's construction program.
2026-27 Assessment Roll Grows 4% to $55 Billion
Tulare County's property tax roll is up about $2 billion to $55.08 billion, with residential values leading growth at nearly 7%. At roughly 1% under Prop 13, that's about $550 million in countywide tax revenue — and it affects what every property owner's assessment looks like.
Flood Control District budget squeeze from liability insurance
The district takes in about $1 million a year in property tax but will pay roughly $790,000 a year in self-insured liability costs through 2031 after past flood-related claims. That leaves about five years of essentially no net revenue, with projects funded from one-time reserves.
Remote meeting attendance to fix quorum problems
The subcommittee discussed adopting a resolution to stream Water Commission meetings online, similar to the flood control commission, though elected members would still be required to attend in person.
Fiscal Year 2027 audit plan selections
The county's internal audit office is fully staffed again and will spend about 3,330 hours on audits this year. The committee picked the District Attorney's payroll and Solid Waste cash receipts for in-depth audits based on the annual risk assessment. Cash handling at solid waste sites has had shortages and overages, which drove that pick.
Updated Internal Audit Charter under new global standards
The committee accepted hiring Michael Edmonds to perform the required five-year external quality assessment of the audit division at a cost of $15,000, running roughly October through December 2026.
Measure R renewal on the horizon
Supervisors Micari and Vander Poel warned the 30-year Measure R half-cent sales tax — which has delivered billions for county roads — is past halfway and will need voter renewal, in a tough tax climate.
State budget cuts to health and human services
CSAC's CEO warned that HR 1 could strip health coverage from nearly 1.5 million Californians and add CalFresh work-requirement bureaucracy. Counties are asking the state for roughly $1.9 billion next year to cover mandated indigent care, eligibility staffing, and behavioral health.
New Board Representative Position and Hires
The Board created a new full-time Board Representative position to handle the exploding public information workload, and hired Rachel Clement and Elizabeth Gutierrez into board staff roles.
Statutory filing deadlines leave no room for hardship appeals
Three taxpayers lost their appeals simply because no one showed up: Oswald Real Estate Trust, the Polks, and Guadalupe Garcia. Their original assessments now stand.
Shrinking funding and rising recidivism
People placed into housing through earlier ERF rounds are timing out and falling back into homelessness — recidivism is over 30 percent in Continuum of Care programs. With federal HUD dollars shifting away from permanent housing and Emergency Housing Vouchers ending in December, members urged helping tenants boost income and coordinating scarce vouchers across agencies.
ADA website compliance effort
The county's planning agency is racing to make its website and documents ADA-compliant within about 30 days, which will simplify and archive much online content.
Franchise hauler garbage rate increase
Trash rates in county service areas go up 3.36% starting July 1 — roughly $1.30 more per month for a typical 90-gallon cart. Residents not subscribed to organics service in waiver areas won't pay the organics surcharge, and franchise fees fund free cleanup events, bulky item disposal, and litter crews.
Agricultural Commissioner fee increases
The district is running a $68,295 net loss for the year, and a fee schedule overhaul is in the works — but only the next, local cemetery board will set the actual fees. That decision will affect what families pay for burials and plots.
HHSA fee schedule adjustments FY 2026/2027
The county is raising or adding fees for health clinics, well permits, mobile food inspections, animal surgeries and more starting July 1, 2026. Most increases were capped at about 18%, and fees stay at or below neighboring counties' rates.
Fiscal Year 2025 Cash Handling Reviews
Auditors made surprise visits to four county cash collection sites — the Visalia Library, Sheriff's headquarters, UC Cooperative Extension, and the Public Defender's office — and found no missing funds but recommended tighter controls like dual-combination safes and supervisor-approved voids. Almost all fixes are already done.
FY 2025/26 Mid-Year Budget Report
Tulare County ran a $4.4 million deficit in the 2025 self-funded medical plan. Corrective steps include higher PPO renewals, a new EPO plan, a higher ER copay ($100 to $250), and an estimated $1.4 million share of savings from the new pharmacy benefit manager.
State of the County 2026
Chair Shuklian's annual address spotlighted a $53 billion assessed valuation, major road and park maintenance, new fire stations and sheriff substations, and big behavioral health investments coming in Tulare and Visalia. It's a snapshot of where your county tax dollars are going.
SJVIA cash position and reserves
The authority holds about $40 million in cash with roughly $1.9 million in excess after reserves. The board chose to keep the claims reserve at $10.6 million rather than free up $2 million, wanting more data before shrinking the cushion.
Financial transparency and public records access
Residents questioned $54,765 in 'other' pay spending that wasn't explained in the financial reports, and complained about being charged a dollar per page for printed records and losing online access to financials. Staff explained the spending is CalPers and vacation payout accounting being reclassified, and promised to work on restoring public online access.
CDBG Disaster Recovery grant applications
The county will seek up to $21,984,179 in state Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding for infrastructure repair and mitigation projects in Tulare County, Porterville, and Woodlake. If awarded, this money fixes storm-damaged public infrastructure at essentially no local cost.
Board leadership for 2026
Amy Shuklian takes over as Board chair with Dennis Townsend as vice chair, meaning new leadership style and priorities running county meetings this year.