County of Inyo

Public Comment

The Chairperson announced the public comment period and there was no one wishing to address the Board.

Introduction

Mr. Jeff Jewett, Public Works Director, introduced Ms. Lynn M. Flanigan, Associate Engineer in the Public Works Department, to the Board.

Forest/McNally Fire Update

Representatives of the U.S. Forest Service presented a detailed and in-depth update on the McNally Fire, explaining that the McNally Fire is being influenced by topography as opposed to vegetation, that the fire is being fueled by five different types of vegetation and that the primary objective to fighting the fire is “firefighter” safety.  They went on to explain that continual on-site assessments are being made in order to provide information for strategic planning efforts.

CAO-Purchasing/ Gov. Purchasing Contract for Office Supplies

Moved by Supervisor Bear and seconded by Supervisor Hambleton to A) authorize the purchase of office supplies and consumable computer/printer supplies for FY 2002/03 from Office Depot through the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance; B) approve Certificate of Participation for purchases from Office Depot (GPA/Los Angeles County Contract #41421) and authorize the County Administrator and Auditor-Controller to sign; and C) approve the purchase of office supplies in amounts which exceed $2,000, from Office Depot throughout the fiscal year from the Purchasing Revolving Budget.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

COA-Purchasing/ Paper Purchase

H&H-Hlth Serv./ Rural Hlth Funds Decl. Not to Apply

Moved by Supervisor Bear and seconded by Supervisor Hambleton to approve the “Declaration of Intent Not to Apply” for Rural Health Services Funds; and authorize the Chairperson to sign.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

H&H-Hlth Serv./ Adult Education EMT Program Contract

Moved by Supervisor Bear and seconded by Supervisor Hambleton to approve the Contract between the County of Inyo and the Inyo County Office of Education for the Adult Education EMT Program in an amount not to exceed $10,000 for the period of July 1, 2002, through June 30, 2003, contingent upon the Board’s adoption of a FY 2002/2003 Budget; and authorize the Chairperson to sign.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

Probation/Sutton Contract

Moved by Supervisor Bear and seconded by Supervisor Hambleton to approve the Contract between the County of Inyo and Michael and Theresa Sutton for Crisis Intervention and Delinquency Diversion (C.I.D.D.) services for the Juvenile Center for the period of July 1, 2002, through June 30, 2003, in an amount not to exceed $8,145, contingent upon the Board’s adoption of a FY 2002/2003 Budget; and authorize the Chairperson to sign.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

P.W./Liquid Asphalt Contract

Moved by Supervisor Bear and seconded by Supervisor Hambleton to award and approve the Contract for liquid asphalt products for FY 2002/2003 to Western Emulsion, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $225,375, contingent upon the Board’s adoption of a FY 2002/2003 Budget; and authorize the Chairperson to sign, contingent upon the appropriate signatures being obtained.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

Parks-P.W./ Millpond Recreation Playground Equipment Contract

Moved by Supervisor Bear and seconded by Supervisor Hambleton to award and approve the Contract for Millpond Recreation Area Playground Project to Little Tikes Commercial Play Systems, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $75,208.50, contingent upon the Board’s adoption of a FY 2002/2003 budget; authorize the Chairperson to sign; and authorize the Public Works Director or the Deputy County Administrator to sign all other contract documents, including contract change orders, to the extent permitted by Section 20142 of the Public Contract Code and other applicable law.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

Resol. #2002-46/ Program Supplement

Sheriff/B.P. Substation Lease

Moved by Supervisor Bear and seconded by Supervisor Hambleton to approve the Lease between the County of Inyo and Stout Enterprises, for the rental of the Big Pine Sheriff’s Substation, from July 1, 2002, through June 30, 2003, at the rate of $375 per month, contingent upon the Board’s adoption of a FY 2002/2003 budget; and authorize the Chairperson to sign, contingent upon the appropriate signatures being obtained.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

VSO/Certifications

Moved by Supervisor Bear and seconded by Supervisor Hambleton to approve the Subvention and Medi-Cal Certificates of Compliance for FY 2002/2003; and authorize the Chairperson to sign.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

Post Agenda/Inyo-Mono Resource Conservation District

The County Administrator presented the request to consider the consolidation of the Inyo-Mono Resource Conservation District Election with the County’s General Election.  He explained that the request meets both post agenda tests in that the County was made aware of the request on Monday, August 5, 2002, and there is a need for the Board’s approval of the consolidation by Friday, August 9, 2002, which is before the next regularly scheduled Board of Supervisors Meeting.  Supervisor Dorame asked that when considering this item the Board consider the date of November 5, 2002, instead of the 4th as reflected in the District’s resolution. Moved by Supervisor Hambleton and seconded by Supervisor Bear to find that the need to address a request to consolidate the Inyo-Mono Resource Conservation District Election with the General Election to be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2002, arose after the agenda for the August 6, 2002, Board of Supervisors Meeting was posted and there is a need for the Board to take action on this request prior to the next regularly scheduled Board of Supervisors Meeting, therefore this item is added as Agenda Item No. 21A.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent. 

H&H-Children’s Serv. Council Appointments

Ms. Jean Dickinson, Assistant Director of Health and Human Services, asked the Board to consider two additional categorical appointments to the Council, which were George Lozito, County Superintendent of Schools and Howard Lewald, Superintendent of Bishop Union Elementary School District.  She explained that because of the addition of the two appointments she would like the Board to also consider increasing the membership number to 18 and the quorum number to 10 members.  Moved by Supervisor Bear and seconded by Supervisor Hambleton to establish the membership for the Children’s Services Council at 18 members, set the quorum at 10 members and appoint the membership to fill categorical slots, adding the names of George Lozito and Howard Lewald as recommended by Staff for FY 2002-2003.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

CAO-County Counsel/Liebert Cassidy Whitmore Contract

Moved by Supervisor Hambleton and seconded by Supervisor Dorame to approve the Contract between the County of Inyo and Liebert Cassidy Whitmore for legal service in an amount not to exceed $10,000, for the period of July 1, 2002, through June 30, 2003, contingent upon the Board’s adoption of a FY 2002/2003 budget; and authorize the Chairperson to sign, contingent upon the appropriate signatures being obtained.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

Treasurer/Assist. Treasurer Position

The County Administrator introduced the request to fill the Assistant Treasurer-Tax Collector position, explaining that the position has been vacant for almost a year.  Mr. John Treacy, Treasurer-Tax Collector, provided additional information and further justification for the position.  Supervisor Hambleton reiterated his position regarding the “hiring freeze” saying that he was committed to protecting the employees who are currently working for the County.  He went on to explain that while he understood the importance of the Assistant Treasurer-Tax Collector position, he could not reach the same conclusions as the Treasurer in the scoring of the position based on the criteria established by the Board.  Supervisor Hambleton then explained that while his numbers did not support the position, he did support the justification for the position, indicating that he recognized that the position would already be filled if there had been local qualified candidates.  Supervisor Bear supported the importance of safeguarding public funds and indicated that she appreciated the consistent information which Departments were providing through the criteria form.  She went on to support the importance of evaluating the positions on a case-by-case basis.  Moved by Supervisor Dorame and seconded by Supervisor Hambleton to authorize the filling of the Assistant Treasurer-Tax Collector position.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

H&H-Hlth Serv./ Fiscal Supv. Position

The County Administrator, the Director, and Assistant Director of Health and Human Services provided additional information and further justification for filling the recently vacated Fiscal Services Supervisor position in the Health Division.  Supervisor Hambleton repeated his previous concerns, saying that he was not willing to consider this position until the full impacts of the State Budget are known. The Board and Staff discussed the various duties and responsibilities of this position, with the County Administrator recommending that rather than deny the position at this time, that Staff be directed to bring the position back during the final budget adoption for further consideration.  The Board concurred with the County Administrator’s recommendation asking that the position be identified as a specific action during final budget adoption.  At the conclusion of the discussion, the Department asked that the request to fill one Fiscal Services Supervisor position in the Health Division of the Health and Human Services Department, be pulled from further consideration until the final budget adoption.

Resol. #2002-45/ Dehy Park

On a motion by Supervisor Hambleton and a second by Supervisor Dorame, Resolution No. 2002-45,entitled “A Resolution of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Inyo, State of California, Approving a Negative Declaration of the Environmental Impact and Certifying that the Requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act for Submission of a Grant Application for the Enhancement, Expansion, and Improvement of Dehy Park have been met,” as provided for in Section 15.32.110 of the Inyo County Code, was adopted:  motion unanimously passed and adopted, with Supervisor Lent absent.

Coroner/Compton Contract

Moved by Supervisor Dorame and seconded by Supervisor Hambleton to approve the Contract between the County of Inyo and Cecil Compton for Deputy Coroner services beginning July 15, 2002, at the rate of $650 per month; and authorize the Chairperson to sign.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

Planning-Resc. Mgmt./Workplan

Ms. Andrea Clarke, Resource Management Coordinator, reviewed in detail the Resource Management Workplan, highlighting new issues, including an update on the Sierra Nevada Framework, and initial information on the Keating Hydroelectric Development.  The Board and Staff discussed several of the issues identified in the Workplan.  The Board and Staff also discussed an editorial comment which appeared in the Los Angeles Times regarding the County of Inyo’s position on RS2477, which was presented by Supervisor Hambleton.  It was the consensus of the Board that as the article was an editorial no response was necessary.  Ms. Clarke requested official action regarding the presentation of the Workplan on either a quarterly, or by-monthly basis.  Moved by Supervisor Dorame and seconded by Supervisor Bear to authorize the Resource Management Workplan to be updated on a quarterly basis, with the invitation to present issues and items more often at the discretion of the Department.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

Treasurer/Accept Partial Tax Payment

Mr. John Treacy, Treasurer-Tax Collector, provided further explanation and additional background on the request to accept a partial secured property tax payment from KMART.  Moved by Supervisor Bear and seconded by Supervisor Dorame to authorize the acceptance and processing of a partial 2001/2002 secured property tax payment from the bankrupt assessee KMART Corporation.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

BofS/Minute Approval

The Clerk requested that the minutes of the July 22, 2002, Budget Hearings be changed to reflect a starting time of 8:10 a.m. instead of 9:10 a.m.  Supervisor Dorame requested that on page two of the same minutes, the reconvening time be changed from 2:45 a.m., to p.m.   Moved by Supervisor Bear and seconded by Supervisor Hambleton to approve the minutes of the July 22, 2002, Budget Hearings, amended to reflect an 8:10 a.m., start time and a 2:45 p.m., reconvene time.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

Moved by Supervisor Dorame and seconded by Supervisor Hambleton to approve the minutes of the July 23, 2002, Special Board of Supervisors Meeting.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

Fish & Game/ Eastern Sierra Wildlife Care Expenditure

The County Administrator suggested that the Board invite the Fish and Game Commission to participate in a workshop regarding their request for direction regarding the types of programs to be funded through the Fine Fund.  He indicated that he would issue the invitation for the workshop to take place after the close of this year’s fishing season.  Moved by Supervisor Hambleton and seconded by Supervisor Bear to approve a $1,800 fine fund expenditure to Eastern Sierra Wildlife Care for FY 2002/03 for food, medicine and supplies in the care and rehabilitation of injured wild animals, upon submission of receipt.   Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

District/Inyo-Mono Conservation Dist. Election Consolidation

Moved by Supervisor Hambleton and seconded by Supervisor Bear to authorize the consolidation of the Inyo-Mono Resource Conservation District Election with the General Election to be held Tuesday, November 5, 2002.  Motion carried unanimously, with Supervisor Lent absent.

Recess/

Reconvene

The Chairperson recessed the regular meeting at 12:05 p.m., reconvening at 2:10 p.m., with all Board Members present except Supervisor Lent.

Board Members and Staff Reports

The Board Members reported on their activities during the preceding week, including a Caltrans project concept meeting for the Olancha 4-Laning project, BLM Scoping Meeting on Surprise Canyon, Children and Families Commission activities, Arts Council summer activities, Eastern Sierra Fire Safety Council Meeting, and the County employees picnic.

Closed Session

The Chairperson recessed open session at 2:45 p.m., to convene in closed session, with all Board Members present except Supervisor Lent to discuss Agenda Items No. 23,  CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATOR (Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957.6) - Instructions to Negotiators re: wages, salaries and benefits –  Employee Organization - Elective Officials Assistant Association (EOAA) - Negotiators - County Administrator and Personnel Analyst and No. 24.  CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATOR (Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957.6) - Instructions to Negotiators re: wages, salaries and benefits –  Employee Organization - ICEA - Negotiators - County Administrator and Personnel Analyst.

Report on Closed Session

The Chairperson recessed closed session at 3:30 p.m., to reconvene in open session to receive a report on closed session.  County Counsel reported there were no items discussed in closed session which were required by law to be reported on in open session. 

Adjournment

The Chairperson adjourned the regular meeting at 3:30 p.m., to 9:00 a.m., Tuesday, August 13, 2002, in the Board of Supervisors Room, at the County Administrative Center, in Independence.