Memorandum
Date: December 9, 2025
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Elise Jones, Director of Behavioral Health Services
Subject: Approve Amendment No.1 to the Agreement Between the County
of Lake and Kno'Qoti Native Wellness, Inc. for Fiscal Years 2025-2030, Authorizing a One-Time Advance Payment of up to $65,000.00 for the Purchase of an Approved Program Vehicle; And Authorize the Board Chair to Sign.
Executive Summary:
Lake County Behavioral Health Services (LCBHS) is requesting approval of Amendment No. 1 to the Agreement between the County of Lake and Kno'Qoti Native Wellness, Inc. for Fiscal Years 2025-2030. The original Agreement, approved using Opioid Settlement Funds (OSF), supports the ElevateED youth prevention and opioid abatement program, which provides culturally centered mentorship, education, and wellness services for Native and non-Native youth throughout Lake County. The ElevateED model includes community outreach, school-based engagement, transportation of youth participants, and delivery of cultural programming-all of which rely on the contractor's ability to safely and efficiently reach remote communities.
Under the existing contract, all payments are issued on a reimbursement basis. However, the approved Year 1 budget (Exhibit B, Section 5) includes the purchase of a passenger vehicle in the amount of $65,000, intended to support transportation of youth, mobile programming, and outreach. Kno'Qoti Native Wellness, Inc. has informed LCBHS that the dealership requires payment up front to reserve an available vehicle, and the agency does not have the financial capacity to advance such a purchase and wait for reimbursement.
To ensure the ElevateED program can be implemented on schedule-and to prevent loss of the identified vehicle due to market constraints-LCBHS recommends authorizing a one-time advance payment solely for the vehicle purchase. Amendment No. 1 adds Section 1.6 - Advance Payment for Vehicle Purchase...
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