To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): County Administrator’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Christel Querijero, 565-7071
Vote Requirement: Informational Only
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Quarterly Ad Hoc Update
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Receive updates from the Measure O, Economic Development Board, Project Labor Agreement Policy Update Review, Onsite Waste Water Treatment Systems, Healthy Forests, Evacuation Zone Access, and Public Art Policy Review Ad Hoc Committees for January through March, 2022.
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Executive Summary:
The Board of Supervisors has requested that staff provide quarterly updates on the Ad Hoc activities to keep the Board and the public informed about the progress being made by these committees. Each committee is unique in its mission, outcomes, and process, therefore individual committee reports are being included.
Discussion:
At the February 1, 2022 Board of Supervisors meeting, the Board of Supervisors approved the Ad Hoc assignments for the 2022 calendar. The Ad Hoc committee assignments are as follows:
|
Ad Hoc Committee |
Supervisors Assigned |
Lead Staff Member |
|
Measure O |
Coursey and Gore |
Tina Rivera |
|
Economic Development Board |
Coursey and Gore |
Ethan Brown |
|
Project Labor Agreement Policy Update Review |
Rabbitt and Hopkins |
Christel Querijero |
|
Onsite Waste Water Treatment Systems |
Rabbitt and Hopkins |
Tennis Wick |
|
Healthy Forests |
Gore and Hopkins |
Misti Arias |
|
Evacuation Zone Access |
Coursey and Hopkins |
Chris Godley |
|
Public Art Policy Review |
Gorin and Rabbitt |
Kristen Madsen |
Summary of Key Highlights
The Ad Hoc updates covering information through March 2022 are included as Attachments A-G. Ad Hoc charters, when available, are included in Attachments H-L. Key highlights of the updates for this period include:
The Measure O Ad Hoc will make recommendations for the two remaining categories of Measure O funding that still have funding unallocated. These categories include the Behavioral Health Homeless/Care Coordination Expenditure Category and the Mobile Support Team Expansion/Crisis, Assessment, Prevention, and Education category. Staff are putting together proposals for both of these categories and working with relevant stakeholders including the City-County Staff Homeless Committee, City Managers, school superintendents, and Sonoma County Office of Education leadership. The Ad Hoc has not yet approved their charter, therefore staff will bring this charter back to the Board as part of the next quarterly update.
The Economic Development Board (EDB) Mission Ad Hoc had its first meeting on 3/28. During that meeting, the Ad Hoc reviewed the draft charter, timeline and scope. Staff were directed to articulate a two-phase approach for issue identification and plan development. The Ad Hoc met again on 4/15/2022 to discuss revisions to the Ad Hoc scope and receive an overview of EDB operations. Staff will reach out to heads of departments with an economic development nexus and discuss methods of integrating efforts and developing standard operating practices for engaging the EDB when economic development projects are being considered.
The Project Labor Agreement (PLA) Policy Update Ad Hoc met three times this quarter, directing staff to create the committee’s charter, compile data on past County construction project costs, and research PLAs adopted by Bay Area and Sonoma County jurisdictions. Jurisdictional research included communications with the City of Santa Rosa, which is currently in the process of developing their own PLA policy. Guided by the Ad Hoc’s stakeholder engagement workplan, staff conducted outreach and compiled stakeholder feedback related to the PLA policy. Staff collected and analyzed demographic data as part of the equity analysis applied to this project. Using stakeholder feedback and additional data collection, staff prepared an analysis of policy options for the Ad Hoc consideration as they develop their recommendations.
The Onsite Waste Water Treatment Systems Ad Hoc will have its first meeting in May. The meeting agenda will focus on finalizing the committee’s charter, confirming the approach for stakeholder and community engagement, and reviewing areas for policy consideration. In preparation for the Ad Hoc meetings, staff are reviewing over three hundred community comments on the County’s draft Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems regulations. The Ad Hoc has not yet approved their charter, therefore staff will bring this charter back to the Board as part of the next quarterly update.
The Healthy Forests Ad Hoc had its first meeting on 3/30/22. Agenda topics included confirming goals and objectives, receiving direction on the scope of work, and identifying measures of success. This quarter, staff held 2 workshops on the Vegetation Management Grant Program and hosted a Town Hall on wildfire risk and insurance.
The Evacuation Zone Access Ad Hoc met twice this quarter (2/24/22 and 3/17/22).
The Ad Hoc established a charter, identified key stakeholders and roles, reviewed existing guidance/practice/plans, and outlined the committee workplan. Staff is conducting an environmental scan of relevant authorities, requirements, guidance, stakeholders, and best practices related to evacuation zone access. The Ad Hoc seeks to identify and recommend a County policy and supporting processes wherein we balance health and safety concerns of our communities with the needs to protect property and our economy. The Ad Hoc directed staff to work with the County Administrator’s Office Communications staff so they can address media inquiries. The Committee will engage with stakeholders and will plan to conduct a community meeting in early May.
The Public Art Policy Review Ad Hoc had its first meeting on 3/24/22. Agenda items for this meeting included approving the charter, confirming the work plan, and reviewing preliminary progress. In FY2020, Creative Sonoma received grant funding that facilitated hiring a consultant to develop a public art master plan and a percent-for-art ordinance for Board consideration. Prior to hiring the consultant, Creative Sonoma staff held one-on-one briefings with the Supervisors, after which the consultant was hired. Staff are currently working with the consultant on the work plan, including developing a list of stakeholders and reviewing existing public art research to assess information gaps.
Other Committee Work
In addition to the formal Ad Hoc committees, members of the Board of Supervisors are also participating in Strategic Plan Pillar committees. Below is a short update on recent activities associated with the Organizational Excellence and Climate Committees.
• Organizational Excellence: During the last few months, the Board Liaisons for the Strategic Plan Organizational Excellence met with staff to discuss several topics: a request for proposals (RFP) to select a consultant to perform a department review of Permit Sonoma, which is in process; an RFP to select a consultant to analyze and develop recommendations to enhance County procurement processes, which will be issued later this year; and County Administrator’s Office organizational structures to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness. These efforts support Strategic Plan Organizational Excellence Goal 1: Strengthen operational effectiveness, fiscal reliability, and accountability.
• Climate: The Climate Board Liaisons met on February 25th and March 7th. Staff received guidance on tracking and implementing the first round of funded Climate Resilience Fund (CRF) projects, as well as guidance on organizing the second round of funding for the remaining CRF funds. Staff also received input on the ongoing Climate Resilient Lands Strategy (formerly Natural and Working Lands Strategy), specifically around outreach and community engagement. Staff will continue to meet with the Climate Board Liaisons with a focus on the implementation of the Climate Action and Resiliency pillar of the Strategic Plan.
• Equity: This committee is scheduled to meet on April 29th, where they will be mapping out the work for the Committee.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Prior Board Actions:
The Board of Supervisors approved Ad Hoc Committee Board Assignments on February 1, 2022.
Fiscal Summary
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Some of the Ad Hocs are incurring expenses to do their work, which is reflected, when applicable, in the attached reports. For the Public Art Review Ad Hoc work, a contract for a consultant is paid for by a grant from the Hewlett Foundation. The contract amount falls within the EDB Director’s signing authority. Funding for the Permit Sonoma Review consultant, which is part of the Organizational Excellence Committee’s work, comes from the FY 2021-22 Non-Departmental budget with funds designated for management reviews. The Healthy Forest activities are funded by the PGE Settlement Funds.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
Attachment A: Measure O Report
Attachment B: Economic Development Board Report
Attachment C: Project Labor Agreement Policy Update Review Report
Attachment D: Onsite Waste Water Treatment Systems Report
Attachment E: Healthy Forests Report
Attachment F: Evacuation Zone Access Report
Attachment G: Public Art Policy Review Report
Attachment H: EDB Charter
Attachment I: PLA Charter
Attachment J: Evacuation Charter
Attachment K: Forests Charter
Attachment L: Art Charter
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None