June 13, 2023 — Tulare County Board of Supervisors
Documented by Dani Huerta
Here’s what you need to know
- An application for REACH Air Medical Services to provide air ambulance services in Tulare County was accepted. This will be the second air ambulance service for Tulare County and will be based out of the Porterville Airport.
- The existence of an emergency was declared due to the failure of the Ledbetter Park Well. The well failure will cause an increased risk of losing trees. The emergency declaration will help the building of a new well to proceed more quickly than usual.
- The supervisors approved salary increases ranging from 2% to 5% for unrepresented employees in specified bargaining units and other benefits. This does not apply to county elected officials and the board of supervisors.
- A presentation was given by the Resource Management Agency (RMA) that provided updates on completed projects. The construction costs for this fiscal year so far are over $20 million. Some completed projects are the Teapot Dome Avenue rehabilitation project, overhead flashing beacons safety project and the 2022 slurry seal program.
Follow up Questions
- When will REACH Air Medical Services begin to provide their services in Tulare County?
- When will the new well in Ledbetter Park be complete?
- Larry Micari – vice chair, District One
- Pete Vander Poel III, District Two
- Amy Shuklian, District Three
- Eddie Valero, District Four
- Dennis Townsend – chair, District Five
- Jason T. Britt, county administrative officer
- Jennifer M. Flores, county counsel
- Melinda Benton, chief clerk
The Scene
The Tulare County Board of Supervisors meeting was held simultaneously in-person and through streaming via YouTube at 9 a.m. on June 13, 2023. The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance and an invocation led by Patricia Wezar.
Actions
- Board of Supervisors matters
- Micari
- Last week was a Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) meeting, Visalia chamber awards, Summer Night Lights event, Exeter Museum ribbon cutting, Visalia age walk, Filipino revolution celebration and a Tooleville community meeting.
- Valero
- Last week was a forest health task force meeting, Woodlake and Congressman Costa meeting, Learn4Life graduation, Visalia chamber awards, Nuevo Comienzo graduation, Leadership Northern Tulare County graduation, Summer Night Lights, Changing Minds One At A Time golf tournament, and a meeting with UC Merced’s vice chancellor.
- Upcoming is a Badger town hall, Dinuba Chamber Government Affairs Committee meeting, National Parks and Mineral King Association meeting, meetings in Three Rivers, community open house with Self Help Enterprises, Spark tank competition at Fresno Pacific University, United Way power of the purse event, speaking at Water Education for Latino Leaders program and a Three Rivers museum event.
- Shuklian
- Last week was the Visalia Chamber of Commerce awards, AIDS walk, and the Tulare County beef boosters dinner.
- Upcoming is a Valley air board, family services ribbon cutting, dinner with San Francisco SPCA and she will be speaking with Porterville Mayor Martha Flores.
- Vander Poel
- Earlier was a Greater Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency meeting.
- Upcoming is a space planning ad hoc committee meeting, Retirement Board meeting, United Way Power of the Purse event, Tulare salute to diary event, First 5 Commission meeting, International AG Center groundbreaking and a Tulare County Association of Governments meeting.
- Townsend
- Last week he recorded a video for Tulare County Community Services Education Training, LAFCo meeting, met with General Services Agency director and attended a Habitat for Humanity meeting,
- Upcoming is a space planning ad hoc committee meeting, Valley Adult Day Services, Flag Day check in with Health and Human Services Agency, Centerline Design and Engineering ribbon cutting, Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency meeting, Rotary demotion party, salute to AG, International AG Center groundbreaking, Tulare County Association of Governments and Tulare County Transit Authority meeting.
- Micari
- Recognized Anne Bernardo upon her retirement from the Public Law Library for her many years of service with the county.
- Valero gave a speech congratulating Bernardo on her retirement. Judge Tripp, president of the Public Law Library board, thanked Bernardo for her hard work. Bernardo has been working in public service for 20 years.
- Presented a proclamation recognizing June 2023 as Portuguese Heritage Month in Tulare County.
- The proclamation was presented by Micari. He said “In March of 2018, Californians of Portuguese ancestry created the only strategic plan in the United States to teach the Portuguese language and culture in California public and private schools.” Diniz Borges, a teacher at Fresno State University, spoke about Portuguese history and thanked the board.
- Presented a proclamation recognizing Juneteenth Day in Tulare County.
- The proclamation was presented by Townsend. Larry Dodson, director of New Life Ministries of Tulare County, spoke about Black Americans’ engagement in the community. He thanked the county for their support in the mental health department.
- (Approved) Consent Calendar (Items 7-31)
- Item 24 verbal correction. It should state that there will be an increase in the educational allowance by $500 annually.
- Supervisor Micari requested item 16 to be pulled.
- Item 16: Approve a communications site lease agreement with Gill Family Ranches, Inc., as sublessor, for a 0.34-acre portion of Assessor’s Parcel No. 142-020-010, commonly known as Rocky Hill, Exeter, effective upon county, as sublessee, beginning its surveying fieldwork. It will expire 15 years thereafter, at a rate of $2,600 per month, subject to an annual increase of 2.5%.
- Micari had received campaign contributions of more than $250 from the party in item 16 within the last year so he recused himself from voting on this item.
- Approved, Micari abstained
- Some of the approved items included the approval of an agreement with the California Office of Emergency Services to provide continuing funding for the Violence Against Women Vertical Prosecution Program (item 14), an agreement with the University of the Pacific for placing nursing and nutrition graduate-level interns in Tulare County’s Health and Human Services Agency’s Public Health Branch (item 20) and an agreement with the Tulare Joint Union High School District for the Sheriff’s Office to provide School Resource Officer services on the district campus (item 30).
- (Approved) Public hearing: Request from the Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) for the application of REACH Air Medical Services to provide air ambulance services. The ordinance requirement to hold the public hearing within 45 days of receipt of application is waived. The approved a finding that the agreement for air ambulance services is exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the state CEQA guidelines, and authorized the environmental assessment officer to sign and file the notice of exemption with the clerk recorder.
- The board also accepted a recommendation by the HHSA director to issue an ambulance service provider license for air ambulance services from REACH Air Medical Services. Also the board approved an agreement with REACH Air Medical Services for the provision of emergency air ambulance services within the boundaries of Tulare County, effective through March 31, 2025.
- Karen Elliot, Public Health director, explained the item. This will be the second air ambulance service for Tulare County. REACH will be based out of the Porterville airport. Representatives from REACH Daniel Iniques and Danny Goranson, thanked the board for their consideration. REACH currently has over 50 airbases over seven states.
- Public Comment
- Kyle Beaver, Anthony Sukulo, Abby Barfield and Jennifer Capusell from REACH spoke and were thankful for being able to provide these services.
- (Approved) Requested the General Services Agency (GSA) to declare the existence of an emergency due to the failure of the Ledbetter Park Well. The board declared that the emergency will not permit a delay resulting from preparing complete plans, specifications, or working details for the new well, or from soliciting competitive bids for construction and installing of a new well, pump, and related improvements, and that this action is necessary to respond to the emergency. Awarded a sole source contract to Willitts Equipment and Engineering Company, Inc. for the design, construction and installation of a new water well, pump and associated improvements at Ledbetter Park for $288,000. Declared that such actions are statutorily exempt from CEQA and directed the county’s chief environmental planner to file an appropriate notice of exemption. directing staff to put review of this emergency declaration on the agenda for the board’s next regularly scheduled meeting and every 14 days thereafter until the action is terminated.
- Micari recused himself for this item due to receiving campaign contributions of more than $250 from the party.
- Brooke Sisk, General Services Agency director, explained that there is an increased risk of losing trees due to the well’s failure. An emergency declaration will allow them to build a new well more quickly.
- Received a presentation from the HHSA regarding the contracted behavioral health services in the Tulare County criminal justice facilities. Approved an agreement with Precision Psychiatric Services, Inc. to deliver comprehensive behavioral health care services, jail-based competency therapy and Early Access and Stabilization Services, in an amount not to exceed $10,688,504, effective July 1 through June 30, 2024.
- Cecilia Herrera dn Natalie Bolin gave a presentation on criminal justice behavioral health services. The county uses a two-contract model. Wellpath provides medical services and Precision provides behavioral health care services. The average daily population served is 1,172 in fiscal year 2022-23.
- Precision
- Service categories are adult behavioral health, youth behavioral health, adult early access and stabilization services (EASS), and adult jail-based competency treatment (JBCT). Expenses for adult behavioral health services is $5.8 million, $1.73 M for adult EASS, $2.1 M for adult JBCT, and $1.05M for youth behavioral services.
- Some services provided are crisis intervention, therapy and medication management
- Tulare County is the only county in the state that is contracted with a local private vendor.
- Received a presentation from the Resource Management Agency (RMA) that provides updates on the completed projects within the 2022-2023 fiscal year from the county Transportation Improvement Program.
- Reed Schenke gave the presentation. Total projected revenue for fiscal year 2023-24 is $64,600,000.
- Highlights
- Over $20 million in construction costs so far
- Beginning construction on 2023 RRAA Project 1
- Teapot Dome Avenue rehabilitation project completed
- Overhead flashing beacons safety project completed
- 2022 slurry seal program completed
- It is estimated that there are about 19 years of backlogged bridge projects that are awaiting funding.
- Micari asked what more they can do to educate the public on how to report road concerns. Schenke said he agrees with the concern and is open to ideas.
- (Approved) Request from the Human Resources and Development Department to approve salary increases for unrepresented employees in specified bargaining units and other benefits and compensation changes in accordance with the following:
- For unrepresented employees in Bargaining Units 10, 11, 19, 20, and 21 a 4% salary increase effective July 2, 2023, and a 3% salary increase effective June 30, 2024. This does not apply to county elected officials and the board of supervisors.
- For unrepresented employees in Bargaining Unit 9 (probation institution supervisor and probation officer-supervisor), a 4% salary increase, a 3% equity increase effective July 2, 2023, and a 4% salary increase effective June 30, 2024.
- For unrepresented attorneys in Bargaining Units 11 and 20 a 2% equity increase effective June 30, 2024.
- For unrepresented fire battalion chiefs in Bargaining Unit 19, a 5% equity increase effective July 2, 2023.
- Increase in bilingual pay from 50 cents per hour to 63 cents per hour.
- Continuation of the county’s matching contribution ($1 county dollar contributed for every $4 employee dollars contributed, up to a maximum of $2,000 in a calendar year) in the deferred compensation program. The county will increase the maximum contribution from $2,000 to $2,250 in a calendar year effective Jan. 1, 2024.
- Continuation of the funding for the minimum benefit amount for health plan years 2024 and 2025 for employees participating in the county health plan whose benefit amount may be less than the premium amount for Anthem PPO $750 deductible employee-only plan.
- For employees enrolled in an SJVIA health plan, employee+family tier level, the county agrees to contribute an additional $25 per pay period (24 pay periods) effective with the 2024 health plan year and $25 for the 2025 health plan year.
- Approve a new Administrative Regulation No. 50 establishing policies and procedures regarding a cell phone stipend for unrepresented, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) exempt county employees, to be effective July 1.
- Lupe Garza, human resources director, explained the item
- Board matter requests
- Shuklian requested an item on the California State Association of Counties At Home program proposal be added to the next agenda.
Public Comment
- Craig Peterson announced he is joining DRC Emergency Services. He believes it is important to pre-plan for disasters.
There is no meeting next week in honor of Juneteenth. The next meeting will take place on June 27 at 9 a.m.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at fresnodocs@fresnoland.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.
