LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors this week will be asked to consider overturning the Lake County Planning Commission’s decision to deny a major cannabis grow next to a historic site.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 23, 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, online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and on the county’s Facebook page. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link.
The agenda gave this week’s meeting ID is 865 3354 4962, pass code 726865. Those are the same passcodes as last week’s meeting and the board clerk clarified the supervisors are transitioning to a recurring passcode.
The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16694449171,,86533544962#,,,,*726865#. The meeting can also be accessed via phone at 669 900 6833.
At 9:30 a.m., the board will hold a public hearing to consider the appeal by John Oliver of Higher Ground Farms of the Planning Commission’s denial of his major use permit and initial study for a cannabis grow at 3545 Finley East Road, Kelseyville, in an area of prime farmland and next door to the historic Kelsey Creek Schoolhouse.
The schoolhouse sits on property owned by the Kelseyville Unified School District, which has an agreement with the Lucerne Area Revitalization Association which is restoring the building. The association was founded by Lake County News publishers Elizabeth Larson and John Jensen.
Higher Ground Farms, whose owner and appellant are from Mendocino County, would include 22,000 square feet of cannabis canopy inside eight greenhouses.
The Planning Commission voted down the project in January, raising questions about its altering of the viewshed of the Big Valley area, deficiencies in planning, potential for harm to the neighboring historic site and the potential negative impact on the neighborhood, which has no other cannabis operations of this type.
In untimed items, the board will consider a resolution establishing position allocations for the new public defender’s office and also discuss job reclassification proposals from the county’s Classification, Compensation, Recruitment and Retention Committee.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Approve continuation of local emergency by the Lake County Sheriff/OES DDirector for the 2024 Late January, Early February Winter Storms.
5.2: Approve continuation of proclamation declaring a Clear Lake Hitch Emergency.
5.3: Approve continuation of proclamation of the existence of a local emergency due to pervasive tree mortality.
5.4: Approve continuation of emergency proclamation declaring a shelter crisis in the county of Lake.
5.5: Approve continuation of proclamation of the existence of a local emergency due to low elevation snow and extreme cold.
5.6: Approve Judicial Advocate General Grant #15PBJA-21-GG-02842-JAGX Decline Letter and authorize chair to sign.
5.7: Approve reissuance of property tax refund check from FY 14/15 in the amount of $363.42 issued to Catherine Orloff Trustee.
5.8: Adopt proclamation designating the month of April 2024 as Alcohol Awareness Month in Lake County.
5.9: Approve Amendment No.1 to the agreement between county of Lake and Health Management Associates Inc. for support services for consulting services for fiscal year 2023-24 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.10: Approve Amendment No. 1 to the agreement between county of Lake and Hilltop Recovery Services for co-occurring services in the amount of $28,800.00 for fiscal year 2023-24 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.11: Adopt resolution authorizing amendment to the standard agreement between the county of Lake and the Department of Health Care Services for the period of July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2025 and Authorize the Behavioral Health director to sign the amendment.
5.12: Sitting as the Board of Directors, Lake County Watershed Protection District, adopt amendment to Resolution 2022-116 authorizing the Lake County Watershed Protection District Board chair to execute a lease agreement between the Lake County Watershed Protection District and the Scotts Valley Energy Corp.
5.13: Approve by-laws of the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council.
5.14: Approve the 2024-2025 Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant Plan.
5.15: Approve the qualified list from the request for qualifications for on-call architecture and engineering services.
5.16: A) Waive the competitive bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 2-38.2(3), based on the determination that competitive bidding would produce no economic benefit to the county, B) Authorize the Public Services Director / assistant purchasing agent to issue a purchase order not to exceed $120,000 to Mittry Construction Equipment Co. for a Caterpillar CT660 Heavy Duty Dump Truck.
5.17: a) Approve the general services agreement between the county of Lake and Optony Inc. for energy consulting services, and authorize the chair to sign the agreement; and b) approve supplemental services agreement number one for the Lake County Courthouse Campus Photovoltaic Array and Electric Vehicle Charging Station Project in an amount not to exceed $79,500, and authorize the chair to sign the agreement; and c) approve supplemental services agreement number two for photovoltaic system feasibility analysis, financial modeling, and procurement assistance for the Lakeport Library, Middletown Library, Redbud Library, and Probation Department in an amount not to exceed $30,000, and authorize the chair to sign the agreement.
5.18: Approve the supplemental services agreement number 5 between the county of Lake and Armstrong Consultants for engineering services related to Lampson Airfield and authorize the chair to sign the agreement.
5.19: a) Approve agreement for Federal Apportionment Exchange Program and State Match Program for California Department of Transportation - Non MPO County, Agreement No. X24-5914(134); and b) adopt resolution authorizing and directing the chair of the Board of Supervisors to execute the agreements for Federal Apportionment Exchange Program and State Match Program for California Department of Transportation – Non MPO County, Agreement No. X24-5914(134), and authorize the chair to sign the resolution and agreement.
5.20: Adopt resolution approving agreement with the state of California for Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Federal Funds in the Amount of $100,000, for activities to improve the administration of elections for Federal Office, including to enhance election technology and make election security improvements and authorizing the Registrar of Voters to execute the agreement with the state.
5.21: Approve contract between county of Lake and California Department of Social Services for Quality Assurance Case Review, in the amount of $108,695.00 from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2029, and authorize the chair to sign.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:03 a.m.: Pet of the Week.
6.3, 9:04 a.m.: Presentation of Proclamation Designating the Month of April 2024 as Alcohol Awareness Month in Lake County.
6.4, 9:10 a.m.: Presentation of the North Coast Opportunities Building Up Individuals and Local Development, or BUILD, Program.
6.5, 9:30 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of appeal (AB 24-01) of Planning Commission’s denial of major use permit (UP 20-40), Higher Ground Farms / John Oliver, applicant and appellant; location: 3545 Finley East Road, Kelseyville (APN: 008-026-07)(CONTINUED FROM MARCH 12, 2024).
6.6, 10:30 a.m.: Consideration of an agreement for professional communications and public relations services with Imprenta Communications Group Inc., in the not-to-exceed amount of $264,000 over three years.
6.7, 11:20 a.m.: Consideration of a resolution amending the master fee schedule for departmental services rendered by the county.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: a) Annual Lake County PEG presentation; and b) discussion on continued PEG MAC support.
7.3: Consideration of draft ordinance repealing Urgency Ordinance 3113 Amending Ordinance 3110 prohibiting water hauling to unpermitted cannabis cultivation sites.
7.4: Consideration of rescission of Urgency Ordinance 3106 requiring land use applicants to provide enhanced water analysis during a declared drought emergency.
7.5: Consideration of resolution amending Scotts Valley Community Advisory Council boundary map.
7.6: Report to the board regarding Lake County Behavioral Health Services' revenue and expenditures and loan status.
7.7: Consideration of Amendment No. 1 to the agreement between county of Lake and BHC Heritage Oaks Hospital Inc. for acute inpatient psychiatric hospital services and professional services associated with acute inpatient psychiatric hospitalization in the amount of $175,000.00 for fiscal year 23-24 and authorize the board chair to sign.
7.8: Consideration of Amendment No. 3 to the agreement between the county of Lake and the Smithwaters Group in the amount of $210,000 for patient rights advocacy services for fiscal years 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25.
7.9: Consideration and discussion of contract with HS Gov Tech Solutions Inc. for the license, configuration, support and hosting of the Lake County Environmental Health database management software for an amount not to exceed $400,093.21 and authorize chair to sign.
7.10: Consideration of resolution amending Resolution No. 2023-117 establishing position allocations for fiscal year 2023-2024, Budget Unit No. 2111 Public Defender.
7.11: Consideration of the Classification, Compensation, Recruitment, and Retention Committee 2023-2024 Reclassification Cycle Findings and Recommendations.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1, 3 p.m.: Public employee appointment pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b) (1): Interviews for Special District administrator; appointment of Special District administrator.
8.2: Public employee appointment pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b) (1): Interviews for Water Resources director; appointment of Water Resources director.
8.3: Public employee appointment pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b) (1): Interviews for Social Services director; appointment of Social Services director.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.