Sonora, CA — A handful of people came up during the public comment period at Tuesday’s Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors meeting, voicing concerns about a project on High School Road in Sonora that District One Supervisor Mike Holland is doing as a private contractor.
It is a metal storage facility.
There were allegations flying about a fire hydrant installed on county property and claims that he did not have the needed permits for the project. Holland then responded to the concerns during board member reports that came shortly afterward, stating that he had the required permission, and that there was no wrongdoing. He added that the hydrant in question was funded by him, and is a benefit now for others.
The public comments, followed by Holland’s response, aired as the KVML News Maker of the Day segment on Wednesday, and you can find the audio here that provides more context.
The CAO’s Office, led by interim leader Roger Root, put out a statement about the project this morning. It notes that the hydrant in question is a public one, and not a private one, and the installation complies with applicable county rules and fire codes. It was also shown on plans previously approved by the county.
The statement adds, “The public hydrant referenced in recent discussions was first reviewed in early 2024 during a meeting with County staff, including representatives from CAO, Facilities, Public Works, and the Community Development Departments, and was coordinated with the Tuolumne Utilities District (TUD). At that time, the County confirmed that the hydrant would be located on County-owned property within the public right-of-way and connected to a County-owned and maintained water line.”
It goes on to state, “During a subsequent meeting in spring 2024, TUD staff confirmed that water usage from public hydrants designated for fire safety is not metered, and therefore, not billable to the County. Consistent with this information, the County Administrative Officer and Assistant County Administrator approved moving forward with the installation of the hydrant on April 19, 2024, authorizing the work to proceed.”
Root’s statement also relays that multiple permits for the High School Road project were issued by Tuolumne County on April 21, 2025, and a permit for one of the structures was issued by Amador County. The reason an outside county was requested to be involved is because of a potential conflict of interest (Holland doing a project as a private resident and also being an elected county supervisor).
The statement ends by noting, “All pending administrative processes associated with this clarification will be completed as appropriate and in accordance with all applicable county ordinances.”
Clarke Broadcasting reached out to Holland after the statement was released this morning, and he stated he believes the attacks made earlier this week at the board meeting were politically motivated.
