County supervisors plan $100,000 Lithium Valley advertising expense
EL CENTRO — The Imperial County Board of Supervisors is expected to meet Tuesday after two weeks without holding a meeting.
On Aug. 6, supervisors are slated to consider setting up a $100,000 Lithium Valley Fund destined for advertising and marketing.
Imperial County Chief Executive Officer Miguel Figueroa will propose spending $44,350 in media and marketing, $25,650 in office expenses, and $30,000 in professional and special services.
Supervisors will consider a proposal to appropriate $593,388 for the construction of the final phase of the Seeley Fire/Cooling Center. Funds will come from a development agreement signed in Jan. 2023 with Laurel Cluster Solar Farms 3 and 4.
County Supervisors will also consider ratifying and approval of two cannabis grants totaling $1.6 million.
A $675,081.10 Cannabis Tax Fund Toxicology Crime Laboratories Grant and a $978,929.66 Cannabis Tax Fund Toxicology Coroner’s Grant would be considered. The funds will first help the county pay $106,800 for two Randox Multistat Analyzer to help the Sheriff ’s Office conduct in-house testing of biological samples on deceased persons and obtain results within thirty minutes. Currently, the Sheriff ’s Office sends biological samples to a toxicology lab, and takes from 60 to 90 days to receive results. The lack of equipment also forces personnel to travel two hours each way to San Diego for autopsies and biological testing sample collection.
Additionally, expediting testing results would assist with the court process becoming more efficient and accelerate the prosecution process of those involved in Driving Under the Influence of Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, or homicide cases.
Imperial County Sheriff Fred Miramontes will request as well the ratification and approval of a Cannabis Law Enforcement Application grant and a Cannabis Education grant for a total of $520,755. Those funds will help spend $55,629 for a message board and a light tower.
These grants provide financial assistance to allied agencies for the education, prevention, and enforcement of laws related to driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs, including cannabis. Also, the Imperial County Sheriff ’s Office will create an awareness campaign targeting the youth, specifically within the local school systems, with the help of school resource officers to curb the increase of Driving Under the Influence and Driving Under the Influence of Drugs incidents. The sheriff plans to conduct sobriety checkpoints and purchase equipment.
Also on Tuesday, county supervisors will ratify and approve the acceptance of the 2023 Emergency Management Performance Grant Program for $160,491. The grant was accepted on Feb. 29.
Imperial County Fire Chief David Lantzer wrote in a report to the board that grant funds will be used to offset costs of salaries and benefits in the Office of Emergency Services and in support of activities that contribute to the Imperial County Operational Area’s ability to prevent, prepare, mitigate against, respond to and recover from emergencies and disasters, whether natural or man-made.
Supervisors will consider a $497,145.60 three-year agreement with the Holtville Unified School District to provide a School Resource Officer.
In a separate item, supervisors will consider approval of a $406,370 contract award to The Holt Group for the Niland Wastewater Treatment Plant and Collection System resident engineer and construction inspection services.