OROVILLE — During its most recent meeting, the Butte County Board of Supervisors briefly touched on alleged Bitcoin ATM fraud in Butte County.
Butte County has already put an item on the agenda for this Tuesday’s meeting to discuss the potential fraud and provide direction to staff.
The county’s Chief Administrative Officer Andy Pickett is set to lead a presentation on the matter alongside Chico police Detective Kevin Hass. In the presentation, a breakdown will be given on what the ATMs do, who is using them and where they are along with the suspected and reported scams.
According to the presentation, the targets of the scams are those 65 and older as well as crypto investors, criminals and what the presentation refers to as “clients wishing to wire funds anonymously without government restrictions or tracking.”
These ATMs are located in Chico, Oroville, Paradise and Gridley. The machines are not regulated in the same way cash ATMs are.
The board will be asked to provide additional direction to staff as to how to proceed with the suspected fraud.
Other business
In addition to the fraud discussion, the board will look at the following items:
• A mid-year financial report presentation will be given to the board highlighting the county’s expenses and revenue as well as the outlook for the future.
• An update will be provided to the board regarding the Neal Road Recycling and Waste Facility’s master plan including upcoming projects and the future of the facility.
• Salary increases for Behavioral Health Director Scott Kennelly and Public Health Director Danette York. Kennelly’s contract could be amended to add a 3% increase, putting his total annual salary at $176,790. York’s increase would be tied to a calculation error and, if approved, would increase her salary by 5% to $177,373.
• There will be a public hearing on a potential service charge increase for County Service Area 141, Mountain Oaks, an area that covers about a mile between Pentz Road and land south of Paradise. The increase would be for sewer and wastewater management services and, if approved, would go from $166.26 a year per parcel to $495. The charge hasn’t seen an increase since 2004, according to the agenda report. The public hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
• A series of liens against five properties will be considered by the board at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The Butte County Board of Supervisors generally meets at 9 a.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at its chambers located at 25 County Center Drive, Suite 205 in Oroville. Meetings are free and open to the public. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
