2 Aging Sheriff’s Helicopters Will Be Replaced

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to spend more than $4 million to replace two aging Sheriff’s Department helicopters with new ones.

The existing choppers have been in service for more than a decade, and officials said it is cheaper to purchase new aircraft than continue to pay for maintenance of the older models.

The department also plans to lease a third helicopter for about a year to ensure that two choppers are always available during the transition period. The conversion will cost $3.5 million, plus about $750,000 in interest costs. The money will be paid over seven years.

In other action, the board endorsed a proposal by Supervisor Jim Silva to modify the makeup of the Internal Audit Oversight Committee, which was formed in the wake of the bankruptcy to monitor county auditing activities.

The change removes two county managers from the panel but adds a second supervisor. The new board consists of two supervisors, the auditor-controller, the treasurer-tax collector, the chief executive officer and two members of the public.

The committee will monitor the dozens of audits being performed by the office of internal audits.