Will financial troubles at the SLO County waste agency ever end?

January 21, 2026

Julie Tacker

OPINION by JULIE TACKER

As a long-time county-wide watchdog, I have spent the last year watching the embattled San Luis Obispo County waste agency with great interest as it deals with allegations of financial failures.

In July, I shared with CCN readers my hopes for a brighter future with the retirement of Executive Director Peter Cron and the hiring of Coby Skye in his place.  Skye was brought in at $195,000 annually with all the fringe benefits you would expect.

I became skeptical when the board kept Cron on for a few months transition period and was outraged when Cron was hired on as a $120 an hour consultant for a not to exceed amount of $36,000 from November through June.

Cron was at the helm of the IWMA from May 2021 through mid-July 2025. Under his watch there were payroll anomalies that led to resignations, firings and ultimately staff unionized for protection.

Further, Cron’s leadership led to a terrible audit covering the period of fiscal year 2023-2024, with the likelihood of the 2024-2025 audit mirroring those same findings.

In December, a draft agenda for January was published wherein Skye would be asking for a merit increase as part of his six-month performance review.

As is my nature, I began doing public records requests to find out what kind of increase Skye wanted and how much he had been paid already. This rabbit hole revealed that Skye wanted a 5% raise and $4,000 for down payment on a car with a $400 per month car payment.

Additional records reveal the car he had in mind must have been electric, because he began pursuing EV charging stations for the IWMA office.

It is difficult to discern why Skye thought so highly of his accomplishments in just six months of work. It was the board who had given him the tools he needed to help the agency succeed.

The board had put measures in place, based on Cron’s performance, to see that payroll, human resources and Skye could fill all positions that were vacant, and added an intern and a part-timer.

Skye’s payroll over his first six months had problems: An overage in health benefits paid to and approved by himself, and a repayment plan put in place to recover the funds.

Additionally, the sudden resignation of the IWMA’s bookkeeper, “at the advice of my attorney and my insurance company that I discontinue services with the IWMA completely.” These matters could trigger another bad audit.

What the board didn’t know until it was uncovered, is that Skye had paid individuals to come to California from Georgia and New Mexico to interview for the deputy director position left empty last February. The travel expenses included airfares, hotel stays and a rental car.

Once hired, Skye authorized, without the board’s knowledge, $3,750 in moving expenses for the newly hired deputy director.

While a small expense, I completely oppose Skye’s use of public funds for staff lunches. On, or about, Nov. 7, Skye purchased lunch and rented an off-site facility for a “strategic retreat” for staff, costing the ratepayers approximately $400.

These frivolous expenses add up. When we’re all pinching pennies, Skye appears to waste money and time.

While I argued for no pay increase until these expenditures and questions were forensically audited, the board did appreciate the matters brought to their attention and awarded Skye a 3% merit increase.

With Cron still available to Skye, mistakes and bad judgment will persist, and Skye’s $96 per hour along with Cron’s $120 will be frittered away.