On a 5-0 vote last week, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors agreed to accept a $57 million 40-year loan from the USDA to build a sheriff’s facility in Placerville. This is the largest loan the county has ever taken.

The interest rate will be 2.375 percent.

While county Auditor-Controller Joe Harn recognizes the need for the law enforcement complex, he believes the county has gone about this the wrong way. He said as much in a letter to the board that was included in the packet for the Dec. 28 special meeting.

“For the past six years our CAO’s Office has been dominated by individuals with no roots in our community who were not concerned about the long term wellbeing of our county.  The county should have been saving for this facility and other capital improvement needs for the last six years. If we would have set aside funds over the past six years for this project we would be borrowing significantly less than $57 million today,” Harn wrote.

In 2014 he suggested the voters should decide if that type of loan should be taken out.

Harn is worried about how the county will be able to make the $2.3 million payment each year based on other financial obligations like CalPERS, road maintenance, retiree health insurance, and assistance to rural fire districts to name a few.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report