Documented by Josef Sibala
Here’s what you need to know:
- The Kings County Board of Supervisors approved the pass-through funding agreement with the Kings Community Action Organization for the food bank and housing project, which totaled $1 million.
- The board approved the agreement with 4Creeks Inc. to prepare Plans, Specifications and Estimate (PS&E) packages for the Hanford and Lemoore Libraries remodel project.
- The board approved the agreement with Stardust Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance, Limited Liability Co., to loan Permanent Local Housing Allocation funds to complete the Sunrise Apartments project.
- The board authorized the purchase of a Matterport Pro 3 Camera, necessary accessories and two Flir K55 thermal-imaging cameras. Lynch said the cost would be reimbursed by the California Homeland Security Grant Program.
Follow-up questions:
- How will the county cover the remaining food bank and housing project costs?
- When will the Sunrise Apartments be completed?
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 special county 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:
- County Administrative Officer Kyria Martinez
- County Administrative Officer Matthew Boyett
- Sheriff David Robinson
- County Counsel Diane Freeman
- Fire Chief William Lynch
- Deputy Director Christopher Narez
- Chief Engineer Mitchel Cabrera
- Deputy County Administrative Officer Megan Vega
- Deputy Veterans Services Officer Codi Pennington
Discussions/Actions
A. The board (5-0) approved the minutes from the meeting of Jan 23.
For the consent calendar, the board (5-0) unanimously approved items as follows:
A. Human Resources Department:
1. The board approved the appointment of Scott Wilkinson as the alternate member to the Deputy Sheriff’s Association Personnel Appeals Board for the current two-year term expiring on Dec. 31, 2025.
2. The board approved the revised job specification for assistant director of child support services.
B. Human Services Agency:
1. The board approved an agreement with the Kings Community Action Organization to provide the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children effective Feb. 1 through June 30, 2025.
The cost of the operation of the program through the agreement will be funded with dedicated State General Funds of $378,847.
2. The board approved an agreement with the Kings Community Action Organization to provide the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Stage One Child Care Program effective Feb. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025.
The cost of operation will be funded with dedicated Federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds of $9.7 million, according to the staff report.
C. Public Health Department:
1. a. The board approved the rollover of two grant balances for Public Health Emergency Preparedness from the fiscal year 2022-23 into the fiscal year 2023-24
According to the staff report, the additional appropriations will increase the fiscal year 2023-24 Public Health Emergency Preparedness budget unit by $170,485.
The HPP grant supports the readiness of health care facilities and organizations for large-scale emergencies by establishing health care coalitions and coordinating exercises to prepare for diverse threats and emergencies.
D. Public Works Department:
1. The board approved the first amendment to the agreement with Peters Engineering Group Inc. to prepare Plans, Specifications and Estimate packages for the Avenal Cutoff roadway improvements project.
The project will not affect the general fund, as construction is fully funded through the Roads Fund and Senate Bill 1 (SB-1) transportation revenues, the staff report said. Avenal will reimburse the county for their portion of the design costs.
The consultant fees for the initial PS&E phase are $1.6 million for the county’s section of Avenal Cutoff. The amendment adds $349,520 for the city’s section of the Avenal Cutoff.
Funds from SB-1 will pay to reconstruct the Avenal Cutoff roadway using Full-Depth Reclamation with new asphaltic concrete pavement from State Route (SR) 198 to the California Aqueduct (approximately 15 miles).
The project is intended to prepare a final set of plans to reconstruct the roadway in five phases.
E. Sheriff’s Office:
1. The board authorized the advanced step hire of Bill Robertson as a deputy sheriff II.
2. The board authorized the Sheriff’s Office to allow the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association to purchase the service handgun for Senior Deputy Perla Trejo.
Regular agenda items were as follows:
A. County Counsel
1. The board (5-0) approved the agreement with Lozano Smith for outside legal services until the county no longer needs outside legal services.
According to the report, services will be billed on an as-needed basis at $275 per hour for attorney services and $195 per hour for paralegal or law clerk services.
Freeman said the Office of the County Counsel has spent approximately $247,415 this fiscal year. Should existing demand for the firm’s services continue, county counsel could spend up to an additional $270,000 based on the rate increase.
B. Fire Department
1. a. The board (5-0) authorized the purchase of a Matterport Pro 3 Camera and necessary accessories.
b. The board (5-0) authorized the purchase of two Flir K55 thermal-imaging cameras
The purchase of the Matterport Pro 3 Camera and accessories, along with the two Flir K55 thermal imaging cameras, totals $16,680.
Lynch said the cost would be reimbursed by the California Homeland Security Grant Program, which the Kings County Office of Emergency Services manages.
Responding to Verboon, Lynch said the Matterport Pro 3 Camera can be handheld or stationary.
C. Human Services Agency
1. a. The board (5-0) approved the agreement with Stardust Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance, Limited Liability Co., to loan Permanent Local Housing Allocation funds to complete the Sunrise Apartments project.
b. The board (5-0) approved the Affordable Housing Regulatory Agreement and Declaration of Restrictive Covenants with Stardust Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance, Limited Liability Co. for affordability and occupancy covenants, tenant income certification and reporting, as well as operation of the development of the Sunrise Apartments project.
c. The board (5-0) found that the county’s involvement in funding the project is exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act in that the project involves the conversion of an existing facility to a new use to provide permanent local housing for low-income residents.
The PLHA grant amount of $717,853 will pay for the final phase of the Stardust Motel conversion as part of the Homekey Project, which will be launched in December 2020.
The Homekey Project is a partnership with the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance (KTHA) to convert the Stardust Motel into 23 studio apartments (this includes one manager’s unit) that will operate as permanent affordable housing for those experiencing homelessness who are at or below 30% of the Area Median Income (AMI).
On Aug. 15, 2023, HSA updated the board on the Sunrise Apartments conversion. The final phase of the conversion is underway.
Narez added that this project remains on schedule, and is expected to be completed in April.
Robinson asked whether the agency is waiting for the certification of occupancy. Narez said the agency has started processing applications using the Housing First regulations required in the Homekey grant.
D. Public Works Department – Dominic Tyburski/Mitchel Cabrera
1. a. The board (5-0) approved the agreement with 4Creeks Inc. to prepare PS&E packages for the Hanford and Lemoore Libraries remodel project.
According to the staff report, The project is funded primarily through the California State Library – Building Forward Infrastructure Grant.
The consultant fees are $1.3 million, with $1.04 million (including optional tasks) funded through the infrastructure grant and $279,300 funded through the Library Contingencies Fund.
Cabrera said the project generally seeks to update fire systems, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), plumbing and electrical systems and address any Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) concerns within each building.
E. Sheriff’s Office
1. a. The board (5-0) accepted funding to participate in the Bureau of Justice Assistance FY23 Byrne Discretionary Community Grant program for the purchase of additional patrol vehicles;
b. The board (5-0) approved the purchase of four marked patrol vehicles from the Fleet Fund.
The county Fleet Fund will pay for the purchase of the four marked patrol vehicles for an estimated cost of $280,000.
Robinson said the grant program will reimburse the county Fleet Fund for $234,000.
F. Veterans Services
1. The board (5-0) approved the Certificate of Compliance for the county Subvention Program and the Medi-Cal Cost Avoidance Program with the California Department of Veterans Affairs.
According to the staff report, the funds are reflected in the fiscal year 2023-2024 Kings County Final Budget for $140,000. Deputy Veterans Services Officer Codi Pennington said that the funding source is federal funds from the state general fund and the California Department of Veterans Affairs allocations.
The portion of the allocation made to the California Department of Veterans Affairs by the federal government to come to local governments will reimburse counties for some of the cost of operating the county Veterans Services Office (CVSO.)
The program is designed to benefit the Department of Health Services or realize cost avoidance to the Medi-Cal program. Eligibility Workers generate a form (Veterans Benefit Referral) indicating the applicant’s Welfare Aid Code.
G. Administration – Kyria Martinez and Megan Vega
1. The board (5-0) approved the State and Federal Legislative Platform for 2024.
Boyett said that changes in the platform include support for the Pine Flat Resiliency Project instead of the Temperance Flat Dam.
Robinson urged the board to include Armona Park in the platform.
2. The board (5-0) approved the reallocation of $900,000 of the assigned fund balance for automation replacement to the Information Technology Internal Service Fund.
The Technology Refresh Program will be used to purchase technology hardware for employees on a cycle based on the useful life of the equipment.
Vega said the Information Technology Department will purchase new equipment annually for those items that have reached the end of their useful life. Equipment included in this program are desktops, laptops and monitors.
3. a. The board (5-0) approved the pass-through funding agreement with Kings Community Action Organization for the food bank and housing project.
b. The board (5-0) authorized the human services director as the authorized payee representative for the acceptance of the funds
According to the staff report, In the Budget Act of 2023 (AB 102), the Legislature appropriated $1 million to be allocated by the State Department of Social Services to the county to pass through to Kings Community Action Organization (KCAO) for the food bank and housing center project.
Martinez said the KCAO has identified the need to expand and develop a Service Center to house an expanded food bank, a centralized kitchen for meal prep for preschool and senior meal programs, Housing Navigation services and a low-barrier shelter.
Valle suggested that the new market tax credit can fund the remaining cost.
Closed sessions were as follows:
Personnel Matter:
Public Employee Appointment: Fire chief
Personnel Matter:
Public Employee Evaluation: Director of Public Works
Conference with Labor Negotiator:
Negotiators: Kyria Martinez, Carolyn Leist, Che Johnson of Liebert Cassidy Whitmore
General Unit – CLOCEA
Supervisor’s Unit – CLOCEA
Blue Collar – SEIU
Detention Deputy’s Association
Firefighter’s Association
Deputy Sheriff’s Association
Probation Officer’s Association
Prosecutor’s Association
Unrepresented Management
The next board meeting will be on Feb. 6 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.
