Supervisors discuss local-option school sales tax, Pickett Park incubator plans and staggered terms

The board discussed several policy and planning items that would influence county budgets and long-term priorities.

One supervisor raised an opportunity for a statewide option that would let counties adopt a 1% local option sales tax dedicated to school construction or renovation; members said they should meet the school board (a joint meeting on Jan. 26 was confirmed) and attend regional advocacy days with state legislators to explore the proposal and the revenue trade-offs.

Supervisors also discussed the future of Pickett Park property and a county-owned "incubator" site used for small-business startups and storage. Some members clarified the incubator is intended to help new businesses launch and is not intended for housing; they asked staff to assemble stakeholder groups and draft rules, use limits and security/key-control procedures for the facility and to explore alternative spaces in town for incubation activities.

Separately, members discussed moving to staggered supervisory terms to avoid replacing the entire board in a single election year. The board outlined a plan where some districts would serve an initial two-year term to create an alternating election cycle; members agreed to investigate logistics, consult the registrar and place the topic on a future agenda.