Memorandum
Date: April 28, 2020
To: The Honorable Moke Simon, Chair, Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Carol Huchingson, County Administrative Officer
Subject: Consideration of (a) Resolution Authorizing Cannabis Equity Grant Funding; and (b) Discussion of Equity Assessment & Program Development
Executive Summary: (include fiscal and staffing impact narrative):
On March 3, 2020, your Board directed the Administrative Office to file an application for a Cannabis Equity Grant - Type 1 Funding. The Governor’s Office has announced that Lake County has been awarded $150,000.00, the maximum amount available. This funding is provided for the County to first conduct a required equity assessment, which produces the necessary demographic information to analyze which segments of the County’s population have been most impacted by past policies on marijuana. The second step is to then design an equity program that will comply with State guidelines and help those impacted persons.
There is $60,000.00 allotted to pay for consulting services necessary to complete the assessment; and $90,000.00 allotted to fund a combination of county staff and consulting services required for program development.
The goal is to have both of these steps completed by the end of this calendar year in order to submit an application for the Type 2 funding that should be made available in January. This is the funding to actually the administer the County’s program There are only 7 jurisdictions that were granted Type 2 funding this year, including Humboldt County with $2,459,581.02 awarded, and Mendocino County with $2,245,704.40 awarded. Until the assessment is completed, the exact uses for these funds cannot be fully explored, but typically the uses have included business grants, loans, skills training, technical assistance, departmental programs, etc.
There are two matters for your Board’s consideration relating to this grant funding discussed below.
Cannabis Equity Grant Acceptance
The State requires, as a condition of the grant awards process, that the Board of Supervisors pass a resolution designating the County Administrative Officer as the authorized party to sign a grant agreement, along with any potential amendments or extensions. This grant agreement has not yet been made available. The accompanying Resolution meets the program requirements and is presented for your consideration.
Equity Assessment and Program Development - Exemption from Competitive Bidding
The two nearby jurisdictions that conducted an equity assessment have utilized the services of the California Center for Rural Policy at Humboldt State University (HSU). HSU completed Humboldt County’s assessment in August, 2019, and Mendocino County’s assessment this February. Given the nature of this project, the HSU staff is already familiar with the necessary methodology and requirements for the assessment. Moreover, much of the regional research they have already completed is applicable to Lake County.
Normally, a Request for Proposals (RFP) would be issued for this contract, but due to the time constraints and expertise required your Board may wish to consider this requirement not to be in the public interest and exempt this process from competitive bidding. HSU did not undergo a competitive bidding process with the other counties so there is not further information available on alternatives there. The staff at HSU has indicated they have the ability to both complete the assessment and assist County staff with the program development before the next deadline and within the funding allotted.
If your Board concurs that staff should pursue a contract with HSU to complete the work, we will proceed in that direction and return to your Board for approval during a future agenda.
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:
(a) Adopt Resolution Authorizing Cannabis Equity Grant Funding.
(b) Possible direction to staff to secure a contractor to complete the work.