LAKEPORT, Calif. – This week the Board of Supervisors will consider a request from the new county administrative officer regarding the community choice aggregation program and hold a discussion on Behavioral Health matters related to Alcohol and Other Drug Services.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 3, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8 and online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Boards/Board_of_Supervisors/calendar.htm . Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
In an untimed agenda item, County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson is asking the board to reconsider the consensus given to staff March 22 to create a modified selection panel to vet several proposals submitted to create a community choice aggregation program.
The program is meant to lower energy costs and allow local customers to determine the source of their power needs. It also offers the opportunity for the county to build a portfolio that includes renewable energy sources like solar and geothermal, as Lake County News has reported.
In her report to the board on the subject, Huchingson – who took over as county administrative officer on April 2 – said she is “very concerned about the timing of this project” and, as a result, she is asking for the board to reconsider it.
She said her office does not have the necessary expertise to evaluate the highly technical proposals in the specialized community choice aggregation field, and a contractor who assisted staff in developing the request for proposals has estimated that it could cost between $17,000 to $40,000 to support the review panel.
In addition, Huchingson raised concerns about the need to create, recruit and fund a new community choice aggregation program coordinator should the program be established.
“As I am learning about CCA, I have come to understand that the margin of savings originally anticipated from implementation, has been reduced, now casting serious doubt on the advantages of such a project,” Huchingson wrote. “Finally, I am aware of no small local government, like Lake County, that has successfully implemented on its own. Thus far in California, the 8 projects that exist or are being developed are limited to large metropolitan areas and/or grouped jurisdictions.”
She added, “With the recent wildfire disasters of summer 2015, we are facing the most challenging fiscal year, perhaps ever, in Lake County. In addition, considerable staff focus continues on Recovery Efforts, which will be a priority for months to come.”
Also untimed for Tuesday is the board's discussion and consideration of the future practices of Behavioral Health for contracting Alcohol and Other Drug Services or providing services directly.
There is no staff report for the discussion, but issues with how the agency is handling these services is being raised by local primary care providers.
A letter sent to the Board of Supervisors for the meeting from primary care providers at Adventist Health that also was shared with Lake County News said that AODS has already made decisions – “without public or private treatment provider input” – to force patients with substance abuse problems “to first connect with their department for a referral, then possibly be referred to the specialized program I would like them to attend, and then have to go back to AODS for their aftercare.”
The letter calls that process “not a strong path to recovery” and one that that it's believed will deter some from starting a program and have “a detrimental impact on the failure and relapse rates for our already fragile addict population.”
Rather that this forced referral process, which the letter said creates additional obstacles, it suggests that “AODS could adopt a cooperative relationship with the already existing and flourishing substance abuse treatment providers in the county,” with checks and balances in place to ensure that regulations set forth in the upcoming 1115 Medi-Cal waiver are met, and provide AODS the desired oversight while not impeding treatment access.
In addition to lobbying for patients to be able to determine their own treatment options, the providers state in their letter that they are in support of a substance abuse recovery network that “would not only help to improve the lives of many of our residents in Lake County, it would also save the county money in the long run.”
In other business, at 9:15 a.m., the board will consider continuing the proclamation of a local health emergency issued in September by Lake County Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait regarding the Valley fire.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
7.1: Adopt proclamation designating the week of May 1-7, 2016, as Correctional Officers Week in Lake County.
7.2: Adopt proclamation designating the month of May 2016, as Mental Health Awareness Month in Lake County.
7.3: Adopt proclamation designating the week of May 1-7, 2016, as National Travel and Tourism Week, in Lake County.
7.4: Adopt proclamation designating the month of May 2016 as Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month in Lake County.
7.5: Adopt proclamation recognizing and honoring Wanda Gray, manager of Paratransit Services, Lake Transit Authority.
7.6: Approve Amendment No. 1 to agreement for legal representation between county of Lake and Ellison, Schneider & Harris L.L.P., an increase of $582 for a new contract maximum of $10,582, and authorize the chair to sign.
7.7: Approve the first amendment to the agreement between the county of Lake and Rebekah Children's Services for specialty mental health services for fiscal year 2015-16, a decrease of $10,000 for a new contract maximum of $15,000, and authorize the chair to sign.
7.8: Approve the first amendment to the agreement between Crestwood Behavioral Health and the county of Lake for adult residential support and specialty mental health services for fiscal year 2015-16, an increase of $125,000 for a new contract maximum of $550,000, and authorize the chair to sign.
7.9: Approve amendment one to the consultant agreement between the county of Lake and SCS Engineers for design engineering services for Eastlake Landfill expansion, an increase of $12,510 for a new contract maximum of $141,120, and authorize the chair to sign.
7.10: Adopt resolution changing mileage in county maintained road system to 615.58 miles for 2015.
7.11: (a) Waive the competitive bidding process as allowed under Ordinance #2406, Section 38.2 and (b) approve the contract with High Country Security for three years at an annual cost of $7,976 and authorize chair to sign.
7.12: Adopt resolution declaring intent to sell surplus real property – APN 031-173-68-00 (6825 Floyd Way, Nice, CA) owned by the county of Lake, for a minimum sales price of $30,000.
7.13: Sitting as the Lake County Watershed Protection District Board of Directors, approve grant agreement between Lake County Watershed Protection District and Solano County Water Agency for quagga mussel boat display for costs up to $24,500 and authorize the director of Water Resources to sign the agreement.
TIMED ITEMS
8.2, 9:10 a.m.: (a) Presentation of proclamation designating the week of May 1 to 7, 2016, as Correctional Officers Week in Lake County; (b) presentation of proclamation designating the month of May 2016 as Mental Health Awareness Month in Lake County; (c) presentation of proclamation designating the week of May 1 to 7 as National Travel and Tourism Week in Lake County; (d) presentation of proclamation designating the month of May 2016 as Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month in Lake County; and (e) presentation of proclamation recognizing and honoring Wanda Gray, manager of Paratransit Services, Lake Transit Authority.
8.3, 9:15 a.m.: Consideration of continuing the proclamation of a local health emergency by the Lake County health officer.
8.4, 9:30 a.m.: Hearing, nuisance abatement assessment confirmation and proposed recordation of notice of lien in the amount of $4,481.34, for 3495 Spring Valley Road, Clearlake Oaks, CA (APN 062-111-02 - Armando Alvarez).
8.5, 9:35 a.m.: Hearing, nuisance abatement assessment confirmation and proposed recordation of notice of lien in the amount of $1,103.98, for 6385 11th. Ave, Lucerne, CA (APN 034-171-10 - Anand and Subhashni Vinod).
8.6, 9:40 a.m.: Hearing, nuisance abatement assessment confirmation and proposed recordation of notice of lien in the amount of $1,745.14, for 5060 Gaddy Lane, CA (APN024-153-08 - Lajuana Jeanne Wilde).
8.7, 9:45 a.m.: Continued from April 26, consideration of letter of opposition to AB 2395, which provides a framework for telecommunication providers to relinquish landline phone service; and authorize chair to sign.
UNTIMED ITEMS
9.2: Recovery update from staff, assisting agencies and/or community groups, consequent to 2015 wildland fires.
9.3: Reconsideration of direction given by consensus to staff regarding community choice aggregation request for proposals.
9.4: Discussion/Consideration of the future practices of Behavioral Health for contracting AODS Services or providing services directly.
9.5: Consideration of request to defer enforcement of Lake County Zoning Ordinance 59.9 - Major destruction of a non-conforming building or structure or use for Valley Fire reconstruction projects under specified conditions.
9.6: Second reading, consideration of proposed ordinance amending certain provisions of Ordinance No. 2776 Establishing the First Five Lake Commission and Trust Fund Pursuant to Proposition 10, the California Children and Families First Act of 1998.
CLOSED SESSION
10.2: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code Sec. 54956.9(d)(1) – Sevilla v. County of Lake, et al.
10.3: Continued from April 26, employee disciplinary appeal (EDA-16-02), pursuant to Gov. Code Sec. 54957.
10.4: Public employment pursuant to Gov. Code Sec. 54957 – interviews with Community Development Department director candidates.
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Supervisors to reconsider community choice aggregation, discuss Behavioral Health issues
- Elizabeth Larson
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