Memorandum
Date: July 27, 2021
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Bruno Sabatier, Chair and District 2 Supervisor
Eddie “EJ” Crandell, District 3 Supervisor
Subject: Allocation of Cannabis Taxes to the Middle Creek Restoration Project Design Cost
Executive Summary: (include fiscal and staffing impact narrative):
The Middle Creek Restoration Project requires the local District to pay 25% of the total cost for construction design. The approximate cost of the construction design has been estimated at around $3.2 million. Our local District share would be $800,000.
While the construction design process is still a ways away, we are attempting and have been attempting to get the Army Corps Engineer to start this process as soon as possible. While we have had many conversations with the Army Corps, the main problem is releasing appropriations from the federal government for our project. It has already been highlighted as a priority project, however, funding to get the construction design initiated has not materialized.
As a committee, the Middle Creek Restoration Project committee feels that we would be more persuasive in requesting that funding be approved if we can show evidence that our share of the construction design funds have been fully allocated and are available.
Current funds found in Budget Unit #1072 contain enough funding to allocate these funds as a new item allocation within the budget. Currently there are #9 items for allocation of funds for this budget unit. We request that a 10th item be added for the Construction Design of the Middle Creek Restoration Project in the amount of $800,000. 50% ($400,000) of the total amount can be taken from the allocation of item #1 Planning/Code Enforcement/Water Resources/Environmental Health. The other 50% ($400,000) of the total amount can be taken from allocation of item #3 Economic Development/Housing/Risk Reduction.
The Middle Creek Restoration Project, as the board knows, is meant to increase water quality (this falls under the guise of water resources) and meant to provide better flood control as well as increase the water storage in our lake which would prove useful during drought seasons (this falls under the guise of risk reduction).
We are asking the board to review these changes so that when the final draft of the budget, and final draft of cannabis tax allocations are approved that these changes are a part of the final document for us to review.
If not budgeted, fill in the blanks below only:
Estimated Cost: ________ Amount Budgeted: ________ Additional Requested: ________ Future Annual Cost: ________
Consistency with Vision 2028 and/or Fiscal Crisis Management Plan (check all that apply): ☒ Not applicable
☐ Well-being of Residents ☐ Public Safety ☐ Infrastructure ☐ Technology Upgrades
☐ Economic Development ☐ Disaster Recovery ☐ County Workforce ☐ Revenue Generation
☐ Community Collaboration ☐ Business Process Efficiency ☐ Clear Lake ☐ Cost Savings
If request for exemption from competitive bid in accordance with County Code Chapter 2 Sec. 2-38, fill in blanks below:
Which exemption is being requested?
How long has Agreement been in place?
When was purchase last rebid?
Reason for request to waive bid?
Recommended Action: Direct staff to allocate cannabis funds to the Construction Design cost for the Middle Creek Restoration Project.