San Benito County supervisors will consider making Cesar Chavez Day a county holiday at their Tuesday meeting.
Other items up for consideration include renovations to the Bertha Briggs Building at Veterans Memorial Park, updates on fire services and General Plan improvements, the purchase of two parcels of land and future composting of curbside yard waste. There’s also a public hearing regarding adoption of Caltrans specifications relating to recycled paving materials.
Tuesday’s meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. at 481 Fourth St.
Cesar Chavez Day
Cesar Chavez Day, celebrated on the late civil rights leader’s March 31 birthday, was first signed into California state law in 2000.
The Tuesday meeting agenda cites California Government Code Section 19853(a), which says that all state employees are entitled to March 31 as a holiday.
If approved, supervisors would direct staff to approach county bargaining units about establishing Cesar Chavez Day as a county holiday. Supervisors could also adopt a resolution that would grant the holiday to unrepresented employees.
Conflict of interest code
A resolution on the consent agenda would amend the county’s Conflict of Interest Code to include several county officers, employees, boards, commissions and local agencies currently not mentioned in the code.
The resolution shows the additions to the Conflict of Interest Code in bold type. The additions include:
County Clerk-Auditor Recorder
District Attorney
Health and Human Services
Probation
Resource Management Agency
Sheriff
Emergency Medical Care Commission
Office of Education
Willlow Grove Union School District
The Political Reform Act requires state and local government officials and employees to publicly disclose personal assets and income. Officials and employees are also required to recuse themselves from participating in decisions which could have an effect on their personal economic interests.
LIHEAP grant
Supervisors will consider authorizing Community Services and Workforce Development to accept 2017 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program funding.
The State Department of Community Services and Development makes funds available to assist low-income households with energy assistance services, according to the meeting agenda.
If approved, Community Services and Workforce Development would accept the 2017 LIHEAP grant. The total grant amount is $231,849 with non-consideration funds of $171,101 and general administration costs for the program totaling $60,748, the meeting agenda says.
Resource management
An item on the consent agenda could amend Chapter 3.01 of Title 3 of the San Benito Code to formally create the Resource Management Agency. If adopted, the county planning, public works and integrated waste departments would be reorganized into a new Resource Management Agency.
According to the meeting agenda, the administration functions of each department would be combined in a new administration division to service all agency functions.
Bertha Briggs
A contract on the consent agenda would authorize Huboi Architecture to conduct design services for the Bertha Briggs Building renovation project.
The meeting agenda says that the building, located at Veterans Memorial Park, needs renovations to fix “long-standing” maintenance, security, ADA and efficiency issues.
The project would fully renovate the facility with the possibility of expanding the size of it.
Funding would come from park impact fees and construction could begin in fall 2017.
If approved, the contract would authorize design services from Dec. 13 through Dec. 31, 2017 in the amount of $53,404.
Property purchase
County supervisors will consider adopting a resolution approving a real property purchase agreement in the amount of $320,000.
The county wants to purchase two land parcels located at the Community Parkway on San Felipe Road in Hollister. The amount for the land would be reimbursed from grant funds secured by the Behavioral Health Department, the meeting agenda states.
While there currently aren’t definitive development plans, the county wants to acquire the land with grant funds currently available for the purpose of constructing and operating new office space for the Behavioral Health Department.
Recycled materials
Supervisors will hold a public discussion about adopting Caltrans specifications for the use of recycled pavement materials.
Assembly Bill 2355 requires local agencies with jurisdiction over streets or highways to either adopt Caltrans standards or discuss why the standards won’t be adopted during a regularly scheduled public hearing.
The San Benito County Resource Management Agency generally employs Caltrans specifications that allow the utilization of recycled materials for pavement and base materials, the meeting agenda states.
The extent and nature of future Caltrans recycling specifications is unknown, the meeting agenda states. This leaves room for the possibility that the recycling protocols might not be cost effective. The agenda also notes that a Caltrans issuance of new specifications is typically followed by an issuance of revisions to account for lessons learned during initial implementation.
According to the meeting agenda, the county resource management agency favors incorporating recycled and reclaimed products in materials for the construction of transportation projects if it’s cost effective and based on technology that can be expected to yield satisfactory results.
While county staff recommends that supervisors conduct a public discussion to explain why they won’t be adopting the specifications, it’s possible that supervisors could choose to adopt them in the end.
Composting
Supervisors will consider approving the use of franchised green materials (yard waste) for composting to meet new legislative requirements.
The meeting agenda packet states that franchised green materials are currently being used as alternative daily cover at the John Smith landfill.
County staff recommends franchised green material be composted at a local compost facility instead of shipping it to the landfill. The two closest compost facilities are Z-Best Products on Highway 25 and Recology/South Valley Organics in Gilroy.
Supervisors need to approve the delivery of franchised green materials to a nearby composting facility as a more cost-effective alternative that meets new legislative requirements under Assembly Bill 1594. Staff also need authorization to negotiate an agreement between the county and Z-Best Products on Highway 25 to compost the green materials.
The current Franchise Agreement gives the county contractual right to the end use of green materials.
According to the meeting agenda, other jurisdictions have required their green materials to be delivered to a compost facility because it provides a more beneficial option by building soil health, among other benefits.
The agenda states that composting the green material would increase solid waste rates by 0.53 percent. That’s nine cents per month per household for residential customers subscribing to the 32/35-gallon service level for garbage service with Recology. The agenda states that’s the most common service level.
