Imperial County faces multiple infrastructure emergencies and solar tax battles at upcoming supervisors meeting

EL CENTRO — Facing a mounting backlog of compromised infrastructure and high-stakes legal battles over renewable energy taxation, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors will convene Tuesday to address a packed agenda dominated by emergency declarations and multi-million dollar infrastructure projects.

The meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at the County Administration Center in El Centro, highlights the compounding challenges confronting this rural, agriculturally rich border region—ranging from deteriorating desert bridges to pivotal legal clashes with local utilities and major solar developers.

At the forefront of the Action Calendar is a request from Public Works Director David Dale for a new Resolution Declaring a State of Emergency for the Arnold Road Bridge. The bridge, which spans the Reservation Main Drain, has suffered severely compromised integrity, threatening a vital transit corridor for local agricultural operations and residents.

The Arnold Road crisis adds to an already long list of failing infrastructure across the county. Under the consent calendar, the Board is slated to extend three existing states of emergency for infrastructure failures. These include:

• The Drew Road Bridge: A critical artery over the New River that remains structurally compromised.
• The Picacho Road Bridge: A vital crossing over the Yuma Main Canal facing ongoing stability issues.
• The Regional Adult Detention Facility: Emergency operations continue at the jail facility on Applestill Road to remove a legacy underground storage tank, install an above-ground replacement, and swap out the facility’s emergency generator. Ratification of a $64,378 agreement with Tom Watson Inc. for the tank removal is up for a vote.

Solar tax battle and high-stakes litigation

Beyond concrete and steel, the Supervisors are dealing with heavy fiscal and legal friction. The Board is set to ratify a formal Letter of Opposition to Senate Bill 1329. The state legislation, introduced by Senator McNerney, alters the real property tax valuation of active solar energy systems. For Imperial County—which has transitioned large swathes of agricultural land into massive solar farms—any changes to how these multi-million dollar systems are assessed could severely impact the local tax base used to fund public safety and social services.

The county’s complex relationship with energy and development is further underscored by its closed-session legal docket. Supervisors will huddle behind closed doors with County Counsel Geoffrey P. Holbrook to discuss high-profile active lawsuits, most notably Imperial Irrigation District v. County of Imperial, a case involving major solar developer Avantus LLC, as well as separate litigation brought by the City of Imperial and SMP Gold Corp.

Wireless towers and community air quality

During the afternoon session, public attention is expected to shift to local land-use battles. The Board will hold two highly anticipated public hearings regarding cell tower placements. Both the Vertical Bridge Tower Project and the Sky Towers, LLC project are coming before the Board on appeal after previously being denied by the county’s Planning Commission. Vertical Bridge is requesting a variance to exceed the county’s 60-foot height limitation by an additional 20 feet to build out wireless communication infrastructure.

On a brighter note for environmental health, the Board, sitting as the Air Pollution Control District, is expected to approve a $684,238 contract for the Freeman Street Paving Project in Calipatria. Funded by Assembly Bill 617’s Community Air Protection Program, the paving project aims to reduce hazardous particulate matter and dust in a community disproportionately impacted by air pollution.

Public health and social services boost

The meeting will also see the potential infusion of significant state funding into the local justice and social services systems.

• Jail Healthcare Infusion: The Imperial County Sheriff’s Office is seeking authorization to accept a $1,000,000 grant from the California Department of Health Care Services. The funds, part of the PATH (Providing Access and Transforming Health) Initiative, aim to innovate and integrate Medi-Cal services for individuals transitioning through the correctional system.
• Workforce Development: The Department of Social Services is requesting a $280,000 amendment to its agreement with the Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program for the Project WORK Expanded Subsidized Employment Program, bringing the contract’s total value to a maximum of $3,280,000 through mid-2027.