Sonora, CA — After earlier announcing that Roger Root was the top finalist to be the new CAO of Tuolumne County, the Board of Supervisors approved a three-year contract agreement with him on Tuesday.
Root was the Assistant CAO under Tracie Riggs, was later named the acting CAO when she left in January, eventually became the Interim CAO, and is now the full-time replacement.
Root’s contract will start with an annual salary of $199,969.
Root was praised during the public comment period by local leaders such as TUD General Manager Don Perkins and Tuolumne County Sheriff David Vasquez.
Vasquez stated, “I’m grateful, for the first time in a very long time, that I have full confidence in our county administrative office. It hasn’t always been that way. I have been very vocal about that, and I appreciate the work that the board has done. I sat in on the process of all of the candidates that came forward (for CAO), and we are lucky to have Roger stay.”
Supervisor Steve Griefer referred to 2025 as a “rebuild year, with a new Head Coach.”
Root thanked the board and talked about the importance of developing and implementing strategies and priorities over the next three years. He also noted that the most important asset in an organization is the people, and many staff members have not seen raises in several years. He noted that he “will advocate for the people who are getting the work done for this organization.”
Root’s employment agreement was approved unanimously by the board of supervisors.
