Full Meeting Notes

Kings County Board of Supervisors (10/3/23)

by Fresno Documenters October 5, 2023October 5, 2023

Documented by Josef Sibala

Here’s what you need to know:

The Kings County Board of Supervisors approved the Side Letter of Agreement with the Detention Deputy Association. The total cost of implementation for the remainder of the fiscal year for the 1.5% cost-of-living which will be paid for using the County’s American Rescue Plan Act allocation.

Deputy Director of Human Services Agency Monica Connor said that Kings County Probation performed at 12.5% for children who enter foster care who are discharged to permanency within 12 months.from the fourth quarter of 2020.

The board approved an amendment with the Home Garden Community Services District for residential customer utility past-due bills. Some $500,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding will be allocated toward residents’ utility bill debt in the community service districts (CSDs) of Armona, Home Garden, Kettleman City and Stratford.

Follow-up questions:

How will the county address and resolve flooding?
When will the board provide simultaneous translation of the meeting?

The Scene

According to its website, Kings County is a “general law” county, meaning the state constitution and general law determine the county’s governmental structure.

The Board of Supervisors is the governing body for Kings County and many county special districts. Each of the board’s five members is elected in a nonpartisan manner to a four-year term. The board sets policies and depends on the county administrator, county officials, and department heads to fulfill its wishes.

The Board of Supervisors has administrative, legislative and quasi-judicial duties and responsibilities prescribed by the state constitution and statutes.

The meeting was held at 9 a.m. in the board chambers at 1400 West Lacey Blvd. in Administration Building No. 1 in Hanford.

Kings County County Board of Supervisors members present:

Joe Neves, District 1 (Lemoore and Stratford)
Richard Valle, District 2 (Avenal, Corcoran, Home Garden, and Kettleman City)
Rusty Robinson, District 4 (Armona and Hanford)
Richard Fagundes, District 5 (Hanford and Burris Park)
Doug Verboon, District 3 (North Hanford, Island District and North Lemoore)

Others Present:

Human Resources Director Carolyn Leist
Administrative Analyst Domingo Cruz
Abraham Valencia from Kings County Office of Emergency Services
Deputy Director of Human Services Agency Monica Connor
Dom Cruz
Fabio Ianni
Melissa Kevorkian
Eli Wiseman
David Long
Scott Holwell
Christina Ravelo
Sheriff Dave Robinson
Heather Silva
John Basmajian
Claire Fitiausi
Jonathan Brewster
Serena Nicar
Yesenia Kharufeh
Chriz Narez
Kristi Lee
Luzana Rodriguez

Discussions/Actions

Abraham Valencia from the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) said that Wednesday at 11:30 am, FEMA and FCC would perform a test of its warning system.

A. The board (5-0) approved the minutes from the meeting of Sept. 26. Supervisor Fagundes abstained.

In the consent calendar, the board (5-0) unanimously approved items as follows:

A. Community Development Agency:

1. A. The board found that the Notice of Partial Non-Renewal of Land Conservation

Williamson Act Contract Number 866 is exempt from environmental review pursuant

to California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines.

b. The board approved the Notice of Partial Non-Renewal of Land Conservation Williamson Act Contract 866.

According to agenda packet information supplied by the county, the Kings County Community Development Agency has received an application for a partial nonrenewal of Land Conservation Williamson Act Contract 866.

The request will remove approximately 14.19 acres of Land Conservation Williamson Act- contracted land from the Williamson Act program over the next nine years.

Approval of this Partial Non-Renewal will cause the taxes on the properties to increase incrementally to market value until they are no longer under contract.

B. Human Services Agency:

1. a. The board authorized the purchase of three minivans from Freeway Toyota.

b. The board authorized the purchase of 10 hybrid sedans from Freeway Toyota.

c. The board authorized the purchasing manager to approve the purchase order for three minivans and 10 hybrid sedans using the state contract cooperative agreement.

According to the agenda packet, HSA coordinated with the Purchasing Division and Public Works (Fleet) on the removal and replacement of 13 vehicles from its fleet due to County Vehicle Policy 13.5, which removes older vehicles from the available fleet and replaces them with more economic and safer vehicles.

The 13 vehicles include 10 vehicles due for replacement in 2023, and three are due for replacement in 2024. The purchase of 13 vehicles is in the fiscal year 2023-24 adopted budget.

The Fleet and HSA, with the concurrence of the purchasing manager, wish to take advantage of the California Department of General Services cooperative agreement. The statewide contract for fleet vehicles allows the state and local governmental agencies to buy vehicles at the contracted price. The contract would allow HSA to purchase 13 vehicles to refresh 13 older modeled vehicles in HSA’s fleet at fair and comparable prices.

Freeway Toyota of Hanford, Hanford –2023 Toyota Sienna $39,075 per vehicle
Freeway Toyota of Hanford, Hanford –2023 Toyota Camry Hybrid $30,753 per vehicle

C. Job Training Office:

1. The board approved the State of California Standard Agreement for telephone

service retroactively effective from July 1, 2023 through Sept. 29, 2023.

According to the agenda packet report, In order to establish a high-quality employment assistance delivery system, and enhance collaboration among partner programs, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act requires local areas to develop Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with mandated partners.

Included in these MOUs is an agreement for all partners in the local One Stop Job Center to contribute to the cost of the system through an Infrastructure Funding Agreement. However, in order to facilitate payment of amounts negotiated, a reimbursement contract is necessary.

The concurrently submitted contract provides for reimbursement payments to the Kings County Jobs Training Office not to exceed $8,520 for the term starting July 1 through Sept. 29. The agreement is retroactive.

D. Probation Department:

1. The board approved an application for discharge from accountability for the collection of delinquent court-ordered criminal fines, fees, penalties and assessments.

According to agenda packet information, the Kings County Probation Department requests the discharge from accountability of such delinquent court-ordered criminal fines, fees, penalties and assessments when they are deemed uncollectible due to the age of the debt, or due to the death of the account holder.

The state authorizes a collection program operated by a county to apply to the Board of Supervisors for a discharge from accountability for court-ordered debt that would otherwise be responsible for collecting if the amount is too small to justify the cost of collection or the likelihood of collection does not warrant the expense involved.

The Judicial Council has issued guidance from its Revenue and Collections Unit, which allows for the discharge of debts imposed for convictions for infractions at least five years from the date of the last payment, or the date the account became delinquent and for misdemeanor or felony convictions at least 10 years from the date of last payment, or the date the account became delinquent.

However, this is only a recommendation. The county is free to set its own criteria.

It was recommended that the criteria be set at three years from the date of last payment for debts imposed for convictions for infractions and misdemeanors and three years from the date of last payment for felony convictions.

Discharge from accountability does not release any person from liability for payment of an amount discharged of accountability; it only releases the county from its duty to collect upon these debts.

The Kings County Probation Department requests authorization and approval to discharge the accountability of 2,321 accounts totaling $3,303,951 that have not had activity three years prior to June 30, 2022.

E. Sheriff’s Office:

1. a. The board authorized the Sheriff’s Office to purchase two vehicles from the Public

Works Fleet Division and the Human Services Agency, using Kelley Blue Book’s value for

the vehicles’ cost;

According to the agenda packet, the Human Services Agency (HSA) has acquired new vehicles replacing older vehicles in their fleet. HSA is offering an older vehicle to the Sheriff’s Office at the Kelley Blue Book value of $10,965.

The Public Works Fleet Division is offering an older vehicle to the Sheriff’s Office at the Kelley Blue Book value of $6,759. These late-model vehicles have low mileage and could be used for several years by the Kings County Major Crimes Task Force.

The vehicles would be used in an undercover capacity, so the make and model information are not included in the agenda information. The purchase of these vehicles was previously approved by the Kings County Major Crimes Task Force Board to be paid out of asset forfeiture funds.

2. The board authorized the advanced step hire of Fabian Avalos as a Deputy Sheriff II.

According to the agenda packet information,

F. Administration:

The board denied several claims of negligence on the part of Kings County, pursuant to Government Code section 912.6, per staff recommendation:

1. The board denied the claim for damages filed by Luis Herrera.

According to the report in the agenda packet, on May 17, 2023, a claim for damages was filed by Luis Herrera alleging his car was damaged after hitting a pothole.