Kings County Board of Supervisors
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Board
Members
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General Information
Kings County is a
"general law" county, which means the county governmental structure
is determined by the State Constitution and State General Law. The Board
of Supervisors is the governing body for Kings County and many county
special districts. Each of the five members of the Board is elected on
a non-partisan basis to a four-year term.
Their terms overlap: two are elected during presidential election years
and three during state general election years. Board members begin their
terms at the first meeting in January, at which time they choose a new
chairman. The Board has a status similar to a board of directors of a
large corporation in that it sets policies and depends on the County Administrator,
county officials, and department heads to carry out its wishes. The Board
of Supervisors has administrative, legislative and quasi-judicial duties
and responsibilities prescribed to it by the California State Constitution
and Statutes.
Administrative functions
The Board performs
its administrative role when it sets priorities for the county.
The Board is assisted in its administrative responsibilities by the County
Administrative Officer who is delegated broad responsibilities in the
fields of budgeting, including recommending an annual budget to the Board,
control of budget expenditures, and overseeing the general day-to-day
business functions of County government.
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Legislative functions
Major legislative duties include adopting ordinances on a wide
range of subjects, adopting resolutions for the purpose of setting policy
and providing for its administration, approving formal contracts, setting
employee salaries, adopting budgets and establishing fees for service,
adopting an annual budget, and holding public hearings on a variety of
matters.
Quasi-Judicial functions
The Board exercises its quasi-judicial powers primarily by holding
hearings and deciding appeals from actions taken by administrative departments
of the county such as land use decisions and questions regarding property
value. Additionally, in this role, the Board of Supervisors may settle
claims made against the county and may examine and audit the accounts
of county officers as they relate to the management and disbursement of
funds.
The Board has control of the budget and manpower of departments headed
by elected officials, but operational control lies with those officials
which include: The Assessor, Auditor-Controller, Clerk-Recorder, District
Attorney, Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator, and Treasurer-Tax Collector.
The Board appoints the County Administrator, Clerk of the Board, most
department heads and members of many advisory boards and commissions.
Individual Supervisor Functions
Board meetings are
only a part of the work of the members, who must attend dozens of other
types of meetings, listen to suggestions and complaints of county residents,
participate in a variety of civic activities, and investigate and resolve
a wide assortment of problems. They are called on to meet with elected
representatives and officials of other government agencies.
Supervisors also belong to the San Joaquin Valley Supervisors Association
(SJVSA), the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) and many
other state and federal special committees which promote county interests.
A county supervisor may serve in other capacities on various boards, commissions,
or special districts. State statute authorizes, and in some cases mandates,
that various services or functions be carried out by entities other than
the Board of Supervisors. Some of these entities include:
Local Agency
Formation Commission (LAFCO)
Kings County
Association of Governments (KCAG)
Air Pollution
Control Districts (UNIFIED APCD)
Joint Powers
Authorities (KWRA)
Kings Area
Public Transit Agency (KAPTA)
Housing
Authority of Kings County
Board of
Equalization
The roles and functions of these entities primarily relate to planning
for future development and the associated services needs (e.g., water,
sewer) and impacts (e.g., air quality, housing, etc.). Board members serving
on one or more of these entities may find themselves making decisions
on a variety of issues from regional planning to establishing spheres
of influence for new cities or special districts within the county.
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The duties of the Kings County Board of Supervisors are as follows:
Appoint
most County department heads, except elected officials.
Provide
for the compensation of all County officials and employees.
Create
officers, boards, commissions and advisory committees as needed, appointing
the members and fixing the terms of office.
Award all
contracts for public works projects.
Adopt an
annual budget.
Serve as
appellate body for employee grievances, planning and zoning.
Board Meeting Information
Weekly
public Board meetings are held Tuesdays starting at 9:00 a.m. The meetings
are held in the Board Chambers, located on 1400 W. Lacey Boulevard,
Administration Building No. 1, Hanford, California. An agenda is prepared
on the Friday prior to the next Tuesday's meeting. All meetings are
open to the public, and residents are encouraged to attend. Click here for specific agenda information, or contact:
Clerk, Board of Supervisors,
at (559) 582-3211, extension 2362.
The business of the Board is conducted publicly each Tuesday in the
Board Chambers of the Administration Building in Hanford, the County
Seat. Public hearings are usually set at 10:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m.
Public Requests: If you have a matter which you wish to place
before the Board of Supervisors, you may contact the Clerk of the Board
Office either by mail, phone, or e-mail.
Public Presentations: Persons desiring to address the Board on
any matter not on the Agenda, and that is within the jurisdiction of
the Board, may do so under the UNSCHEDULED portion of the Agenda. Speakers
are limited to five minutes. No formal action will be taken by the Board
regarding this portion of the agenda other than to make a referral to
county staff for review or action.
Board Member Items: This portion of the meeting is reserved for
Supervisors to present to other Board members and to the public, information,
announcements, and items that have come to their attention. The Board
will take no formal action on this portion of the agenda.
Hearings: Proponents and opponents may address the Board. The
most effective manner of communicating your thoughts to the Board on
public hearing matters is by submitting a written form. The Clerk of
the Board should receive written communications no later than 5:00 p.m.
on Thursday of the week prior to the board meeting so that the information
may be reproduced and provided with the Agenda packets. However, legally
you may submit written material up to and including the time of the
actual public hearing.
Local Appointment List 2008
General Committee Application
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