Public safety, facility investments discussed at BOS

The July 31 meeting of the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors covered everything from public safety to infrastructure investment strategies.

Greg Sly, Chief Probation Officer, presented the 2012-2013 public safety realignment implementation plan, which is in its second year. The state program was instituted to solve the problem of over-crowding in state prisons after the state was successfully sued. The program shifts non-violent, non-serious and non-sex offenders back to the custody of county jails with the state paying for their incarceration.

Sly said that El Dorado County has a countywide jail capacity of 469 beds. Before last year’s realignment, 320 bed were used. With realignment, 84 addition beds were used last year. Sly noted that because the county currently has excess jail space, it devotes more money to mental health services for inmates. For the 2012-2013 fiscal year, 37 percent of the realignment budget will be devoted to treatment. In comparison, the top 25 California counties spend only 25 percent for treatment.

The board also received a report on the county’s infrastructure investment strategy. Chief Administrative Officer Terri Daly reported that over the next four weeks investment team leaders would be making a presentation to the board on what they were doing.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Laura Schwartz, chief budget analyst and member of the facilities investment team, gave a presentation on their activities. Among other things the team is presently negotiating with the owners of six parcels to find a site suitable for a new animal shelter. They are also working on a long-term facility plan and have recommended that a facility audit be conducted which would be contracted out. In addition, Schwartz recommended hiring two new staff — a senior department analyst and administrative technician. The board approved both the facility audit and additional staff positions.

Daly also reported that the State of California will start issuing fire prevention bills to those living in State Responsibility Areas. The basic fee is $150 per habitable structure per year. The fee is discounted $35 per habitable structure if the structure is within the boundaries of a local agency that provides fire protection services.

Supervisor Sweeney noted that the bill would result in the state pulling $5 million to $6 million out of the county.

Last, Daly reported that County Counsel Louis Green would be retiring in December.

Contact Dawn Hodson at 530-344-5071 or dhodson@mtdemocrat.net. Follow @DHodsonMtDemo on Twitter.