Consent agenda packed with departmental requests
With only two board of supervisors’ meetings in December instead of the usual three, the first meeting of 2019 still began with a short public agenda Tuesday, Jan. 8.
Beginning right on time at 11 a.m., supervisors had things wrapped up in approximately 45 minutes and were going into closed session.
Most of the supervisors’ work fell under the consent agenda. Everything from the February Groundhog Fever Festival, to radio tower lighting, contracts, offers of employment and approval to fill vacancies and more were on this week’s agenda.
Supervisors approved all consent agenda items without further discussion.
Letter for permit
Supervisors approved a request by Quincy Chamber of Commerce Director Cheryl Kolb granting permission to hold the seventh annual Groundhog Fever Festival at the Plumas County Courthouse.
The event is scheduled Saturday, Feb. 2, from 1 to 5 p.m.
According to Kolb, the only street affected by the festival is Court Street running next to the courthouse. Kolb was requesting that it be closed during the festival.
Supervisors had no objections to the issuance of an event permit by Caltrans for that date and time.
Sheriff’s Office requests
With the recent construction of a new radio tower added to Radio Hill in Quincy, Plumas County Sheriff Greg Hagwood was seeking approval to add the required FAA lighting to the tower. This would amend an existing contract with Wicomm construction for that installation. Supervisors originally approved the contract and the tower Nov. 6.
The lighting meets all current FAA requirements, and met with county counsel’s approval.
In another request, Hagwood asked supervisors to approve an agreement with Hi Tech Frame and Finish for Sheriff’s Office vehicle repairs. The contract, effective Feb. 1 through Jan. 31, 2020, is not to exceed $45,000.
And finally, the Sheriff’s Office is looking to recruit and fill the position of animal control supervisor for the Plumas County Animal Shelter.
Speaking during the public comment period, Melissa Bishop requested that supervisors consider hiring a part-time office person and a part-time kennel person in lieu of a supervisor. She said this was necessary in order to keep the office open four days a week at least on a part-time basis. And to ensure that the animals were well cared for when the facility is closed.
Bishop also asked supervisors to consider having a member of the county’s human resources staff and a supervisor on the interview committee to keep things on the up and up.
Bishop said she ended her career as the animal control supervisor. She said she worked for the program for 22 years.
Election action
Plumas County Clerk, Recorder and Registrar of Voters Kathy Williams asked supervisors to authorize her to conduct a vote by mail election for the West Almanor Community Services District.
That election is slated for May 7. The election is to consider extending and increasing the special tax currently in place.
That district is holding an election within the boundaries of the services district. The proposal would extend a special tax for emergency medical response, fire protection and prevention and for hazardous materials response.
The special tax would increase from $195 to $198 per year beginning in fiscal year 2019-20 for a period of four years.
Williams also asked for approval of a second resolution for the application for HAVA funds (Help America Vote Act of 2002).
The approval was necessary before Williams submitted the application to the Secretary of State.
The resolution also allows for the appointment of a county elections official to act as agent to conduct all negotiations, execute and submit all documents, including applications for completion of each project. This would also allow that official to sign the agreement as the county representative.
In background information, Williams explained that new state and federal HAVA funding was authorized by the state and federal governments.
This is for election purposes. Funds made available to counties include $134 million in state funds for a voting system modernization, $1.5 million in federal funds for costs associated with cyber security risks, and $1.5 million in federal funds for costs associated with polling place accessibility.
As previously done, county funds are allocated through contracts between the state and individual counties.
HAVA was approved to improve election administration and provide equal access voting opportunities for all voters.
At the airports
Facility Services Director Kevin Correira requested that supervisors authorize him to sign a subscription agreement between his department and QT Petroleum on Demand (QTPOD).
In October 2018, the self-serve fuel islands at airports in Quincy, Chester and Beckwourth were upgraded with new terminals by QTPOD, Correira explained.
The proposal allows facility services to access all fuel transactions and update pricing at each terminal through an online program, he said. “Access to this program is absolutely necessary to manage the self-serve fuel terminals,” he said.
This would be a three-year contract not to exceed $4,275 per year.
Risk levels
Plumas County Probation Chief Erin Metcalf received approval for the new Board of Supervisors’ Chair Michael Sanchez to sign a contract with a software company.
Noble Software LLC provides the probation department with information on risk levels of adults and juveniles on probation, Metcalf explained.
The program allows staff in probation to assess probationers’ strengths and needs and to develop case plans.
Behavior health requests
Tony Hobson, director of Plumas County Behavioral Health Services, asked supervisors to approve an agreement between that agency and Environmental Alternatives.
Hobson explained that the county partnered with Environmental Alternatives for transitional housing and wanted to add a full-service partnership. This would include specialty mental health services.
Environmental Alternatives, which is headquartered in Quincy, is in the process of becoming Medi-Cal certified as an organizational provider of behavioral health, Hobson explained.
The contract would increase from $476,400 to $576,000. “The increase to the contract equals the amount received from the Homeless Mentally Ill Outreach and Treatment grant awarded by the Department of Healthcare Services in October 2018,” according to Hobson. No general funds are requested, he added.
In another request, Hobson requested that supervisors approve a multiyear equipment lease not to exceed $8,049 between the county and Wells Fargo Financial Leasing Inc. for copier services at the Chester Wellness Center. The services are provided until August 2021 under this agreement.
And finally, Hobson requested the approval of a payment to Plumas Crisis Intervention and Resource Center for the November 2018 operating costs for Wellness Centers in Chester and Greenville. That cost is $4,756.74.
Appointments to council
Supervisors were asked to appoint 11 members to the Plumas Early Education and Child Care Council in Quincy.
The state education code requires that supervisors and the county superintendent of schools appoint members to the local planning council, according to Brenda Lory, council coordinator.
Lory explained that four vacancies now exist on the council, but she wanted to increase participation in areas of childcare consumers and providers.
The council recommended that the following Plumas County residents be appointed beginning Jan. 1: Kelly Holland as parent and child care consumer; Debbie Guy from Plumas Rural Services Child Care Resource and Referral; Lucie Kreth from Portola Kids Inc.; Ellen Vieira, director of First 5 Plumas; Merle Rusky from the Feather River College Early Childhood Education Program; Inge Stock from the Plumas Charter School; Elisabeth Welch from PRS-First 5 IMPACT; Kathy Whitaker, a teacher with Quincy Elementary School; Erica Bryant with Sierra Cascade Family Opportunities; Shelley Miller with the FRC Adult Education Block Grant; and Dorrie Philbeck with Plumas County Public Health’s Family First program.
Saturdays at Quincy Library
Quincy Friends of the Library is no longer providing operating costs for Saturday hours at the Plumas County Library in Quincy.
Librarian Lindsay Fuchs asked supervisors to approve the termination of an MOU between the library and Friends of the Library. In December 2016 through June 30, 2018, Friends of the Quincy Library agreed to pay for a trial operation of the Quincy branch library on Saturdays. That agreement was to continue from July 2018 to June 29, 2019.
However, during the 2018-19 budget discussions supervisors agreed to pay for Saturday operating hours at the main branch, according to Fuchs. “All obligations are satisfied between both parties,” Fuchs said.
The effective date was Sept. 18, 2018.
Service agreement/vacancy
The Department of Social Services Director Neal Caiazzo requested supervisors to approve the purchase of a service agreement with the Department of Justice for Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI).
According to Caiazzo, when a child is removed from the home of his or her parent(s) by the county’s Child Protective Services because the home is unsafe, one of the first things that a social worker considers is whether or not there is a suitable relative to take the child. This is an alternative to placing the child in a foster home. “If such a relative placement is available and the relative agrees to take the child or children, the relative must first undergo a criminal background check in order for the child to be placed with them,” Caiazzo explained.
Social Services maintains an ongoing purchasing agreement with the Department of Justice that allows social services to obtain criminal offender records for background checks, Caiazzo explained.
The agreement is for two years, Caiazzo explained. The maximum value of the agreement is $1,000 a month. Those funds are part of the social services budget.
In a second request, Caiazzo asked supervisors to allow social services to fill a vacant and funded Social Worker I/II/III position as soon as possible.
A position became available in September, according to Caiazzo. It is part of the Child Welfare Services system, “and is therefore, critical for assuring the safety of abused or neglected children,” he explained. The position is funded by federal pass-through funds to the state and county realignment dollars.
Bridge rehabs
Director of Public Works Bob Perreault requested supervisors approve an amendment to an existing professional services agreement with Stantec Consulting Services Inc. This is an on-call agreement for environmental services support for the Clio Bridge painting project.
The bridge spans the Middle Fork of the Feather River between Clio and Highway 89.
The project includes blasting, cleaning and painting all of the steel girders and applying an overlay to the concrete deck of the bridge. The approach guardrails will be upgraded and shoulder backing added along the edge of the pavement approaches.
The total cost of the painting project for the bridge is $49,224.79, if all optional tasks are found to be necessary, according to Perreault. The project is funded by a state cooperation agreement with Caltrans,
Dyson Lane Bridge painting is the reason for a request for approval of another amendment in an agreement with Stantec.
The Dyson Lane Bridge is located on County Road 107. It, too, is over the Middle Fork of the Feather River Overflow east of the Beckwourth-Calpine Road in Sierra Valley, Perreault described.
This is a steel truss bridge built in 1908, Perreault explained. It is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (Caltrans Historic Bridge Inventory Category 2).
Proposed activities require the road to be closed for the duration of the project.
He said the department is rehabilitating and extending the life of the bridge.
This is a federally funded program through the Highway Bridge Program and is administered by Caltrans. The tasks required to support the painting project total $63,874.04, according to Perreault.
A third amendment, this one with Bender Rosenthall Inc., is for a professional services agreement for the Keddie Resort Road Bridge replacement project. The company is known as On-Call Right-of-Way consulting. The contract was approved in July 2016.
Funding is from the Federal Highway Bridge Program to replace the single-lane bridge into Keddie. Additional funding is in the amount of $3,000 for additional tasks and would increase the contract for this phase to $16,000, according to Perreault.
Work includes repositioning overhead phone lines since they are too close to the construction activities, Perreault explained. Construction requires the use of a pile driver and crane work and the lines would interfere.
Temporary poles would be installed during the work and then located back to their original positions. Phone lines are predominately for Union Pacific Railroad purposes.
A fourth request to supervisors from Perreault is for a contract for fuel and furnace oil purchase delivery with Hunt and Sons Inc. The contract is not to exceed $400,000. This was identified in the annual 2018-18 budget. The contract is for the 2019 calendar year.
