Meeting in regular session this past week, member of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors approved a number of items by unanimous vote.
Among the actions were several COVID-19 related funding, community impacts, fees charged to businesses and budget adjustments.
San Joaquin County Assistant County Administrator, Matt Paulin, reported to the Board that since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the County received a total of $295.1 million in COVID-related funding, $150.8 million of which was Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding that was distributed to departments, Small Business Grant Programs, Family Assistance Grants, Private Hospital Grant Program, Fire District Grant Program, and the Housing for the Harvest Program. The remaining $144.3 million was allocated directly to departments for department-specific services related to COVID-19. Mr. Paulin told the Board that a business and community assessment was recently conducted by the County Administrator’s Office to evaluate additional financial support that could be provided by the County to further assist impacted sectors. Concluding the presentation, the Board authorized the transfer of $13.9 million from County reserves for:
• $5.0 million to augment the existing Small Business Assistance Grant program in addition to the current $17.7 million allocation to fully fund all qualifying applications;
• $6.9 million for community needs (non-profit/CBO assistance, food banks, childcare providers);
• $2.0 million for the Children and Families Program (First 5).
The board also directed the County Administrator’s Office to work with the Environmental Health Department and Treasurer-Tax Collector to determine appropriate fees to waive for small businesses.
Supervisors additionally approved public meeting guidelines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to safely allow for in-person participation at public meetings of the Board of Supervisors, with limited capacity. They directed staff to take necessary steps as may be recommended by public health officials to safely implement these guidelines and authorized the County Administrator, through the Clerk of the Board office, to reorder Agenda items from time to time to reduce the duration of in-person public participation.
Written public comments of up to 250 words will continue to be accepted and read into the record at the Board meeting. Public comments submitted in writing will be distributed to the Board of Supervisors and Clerk of the Board office upon receipt.
As part of the consent items on the agenda, the board:
• Gave retroactive approval to modify payment structures to Behavioral Health Services Community Services agreements in response to the COVID-19 crisis, in accordance with State Department of Health Care Services guidance, for the period of July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021.
• Accepted a donation of a Roche MagNA Pure 96 instrument purchased for $90,000 by the Association of Public Health Laboratories for San Joaquin County Public Health Laboratory.
• Provided retroactive approval of an increase to the purchase order with BOLT Staffing Services, Inc., in the amount of $591,760, increasing the total amount to $716,760 for the period of Dec. 14, 2020 to June 30, 2021.
• Authorized retroactive approval of an increase to the purchase order with Sizewise Rentals LLC, for bed and equipment rental for the Period July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, at an amount not to exceed $745,000.
