By Steven M. Smith
County Administrative Officer
County of Sutter

I want your opinion. But first I want to talk about how water defines Sutter County.

Sutter County is the only county lying entirely on the floor of the Sacramento Valley. It is bordered not just by the Sacramento River on the west, but by its largest tributary, the Feather River, on the east. The fertile soil of the valley floor, abundant sunshine, and the bountiful supply of water makes Sutter County an agricultural powerhouse that punches above its weight in world markets. The water and rice fields and other open spaces provide critical habitat for hundreds of thousands of migrating ducks and geese. The fisheries of the Feather and Sacramento rivers are famous for their variety of species and outdoor experience.

That’s the upside.

The natural features that lend to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life we enjoy come at a cost. They severely restrict the ability of the County to attract economic development and generate revenue for County services. More than 68 percent of Sutter County’s land mass is in either a federal or state designated flood zone, where the cost of raising buildings to a safe elevation is often too great to encourage development. No other California county is handicapped by federal and state flood plain policy to such an extent. (Yolo County, the county with the next highest percentage of its land in a flood zone, is at about half of Sutter County’s percentage).

Sutter County is working hard to bring more business here. Business to generate jobs, and revenues that pay for County services. While Sutter County’s land use policies help direct growth to existing urban centers to avoid leapfrog development and reduce infrastructure costs, the County does designate land for development in the unincorporated areas where possible, with the least impact on agriculture. In southern Sutter County, near the Sacramento County line, builders are starting construction on a 7,500-acre voter-approved commercial, industrial, and residential development. But finding other land in the County suitable for development is complicated when more than two-thirds of it is off limits due to federal flood plain regulations, and another good chunk of it is the Sutter Buttes, which voters have considered off limits for development for decades.

These concerns are being raised anew because Sutter County is dealing with a structural imbalance in its budget that will require some decisions about the levels of service to residents. Our revenue is not keeping pace with the rising cost of the current service levels. We have strived to maintain service levels even though our revenues have not been growing as fast as our costs. Sutter County has, and will, balance its budget every year. However, as an example of the structural imbalance we face, by Fiscal Year 2028-29, we estimate there will be $12 million gap between the cost of current services and the revenue to pay for them. Clearly, action to close this gap will have to be taken long before then.

Without new revenue to support them, current levels of service are unsustainable in the future, and we must either raise revenue or cut services. People often ask us whether we can trim our costs or cut our salary expense. We’ve done that for decades and are among the leanest counties in the state. Our current levels of service are provided with maximum efficiency, and we continuously pursue efficiencies where we can find them. Frankly, Sutter County has been doing more with less for a long time. Sutter County has the second fewest employees per capita of any of the 31 California counties under 200,000 in population. Sutter County has difficulty recruiting employees, especially those with specialized skills, because it pays less than surrounding government agencies. And we have combined services with other local government agencies wherever possible. This is where your opinion matters. The policy makers in Sutter County are the members of the Board of Supervisors you elect to represent you. Sutter County is currently conducting a survey to determine the community’s priorities. Board members will consider the survey results as they evaluate budgets, future levels of service, and County goals and priorities.

What are your priorities? On June 17 and July 13, we mailed flyers to every household with a registered Sutter County voter describing the Sutter County Grand Jury’s concerns with funding for the Sutter County Fire Department, and how providing additional funding to the Fire Department jeopardizes funding for other services. The flyer invited you to participate in the survey. If you missed it, please visit www.bepreparedsutter.org, and click on the link at the top of our County website to see the survey.

More than 500 people have already taken the survey. Don’t let your voice go unheard as we make important decisions about the future of Sutter County services.

Map of Development Land