Memorandum
Date: May 3, 2022
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Susan Parker, County Administrative Officer
Subject: a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.1, as an extension of an annual agreement; and b) Consideration of Agreement for Provision of Satellite Imagery Services By Planet Labs to the County of Lake
Executive Summary:
In order to better regulate the proliferation of illegal cannabis cultivation multiple counties have employed the use of satellite imagery. This imagery has helped identify these operations and streamline the ability of code enforcement to respond. The counties using this service have contracted with Planet Labs, which has offered previously unavailable services allowing for targeted imaging of certain areas at a designated time, up to the entire boundaries of the County if needed.
Lake County is among those jurisdictions being provided funding for this satellite imagery service through a Proposition 64 - Public Health and Safety Grant. The focus of this grant is to support code enforcement operations against unlawful cannabis cultivation. On February 22, 2021, your Board approved a 12-month agreement not to exceed $49,950. A 12-month renewal of this agreement with the same terms is attached.
Staff is requesting your Board waive the formal bidding process pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.1, as it is an extension of an annual agreement. Planet is the designated service provider pursuant to the State’s grant, and Code Enforcement staff has worked towards integrating this product’s hosted platform into their illegal cannabis cultivation enforcement efforts as proposed in the Proposition 64 grant. Given that the Code Enforcement division is still in the process of rehiring and training staff, it is not recommended that any agreement more expansive in scope be considered at this time. If Code Enforcement staff and other county departments are able to expand the utilization of these services over the course of this upcoming year, staff could then effectively explore procuring more expansive satellite imagery services, including imagery products available through other vendors.
On March 1, staff advised your Board that there were a few steps remaining to finalize terms for the agreement. The agreement is attached for your consideration.
If not budgeted, fill in the blanks below only:
Estimated Cost: ________ Amount Budgeted: ________ Additional Requested: ________ Future Annual Cost: ________
Consistency with Vision 2028 (check all that apply): ☐ Not applicable
☐ Well-being of Residents ☒ Public Safety ☐ Disaster Prevention, Preparedness, Recovery
☒ Economic Development ☐ Infrastructure ☐ County Workforce
☐ Community Collaboration ☐ Business Process Efficiency ☐ Clear Lake
Recommended Action: Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and Approve the Agreement for Provision of Satellite Imagery Services by Planet Labs to the County of Lake.