Tiffany Revelle–Record-Bee staff
LAKE COUNTY — The Lake County Board of Supervisors approved a work group for a needle exchange program, changed mental health services contracts for Lake County”s children and voted to send a letter to the City of Lakeport regarding a past-due bill at its Tuesday meeting.
The board authorized Jim Brown, the director of the county health department, to assemble a committee to set up a clean needle exchange program the board authorized in February. Lake County Sheriff Rodney Mitchell proposed the committee in March.
“The issue is how it would work, who it would impact and what we would do if it has a significant impact. Rather than just wait for it to happen, I would like to be involved in the discussion from the beginning,” Mitchell said.
Supervisors Denise Rushing and Rob Brown will sit on the committee, along with Mitchell, staff from the Lake County District Attorney”s Office, County Counsel Anita Grant, the Lake County Marketing Director and health department staff Brown appoints.
County contracts for mental health services with Redwood Children”s Services, the Lake County Office of Education and Lake Family Resources were amended to accommodate a new state requirement. The contracts would have been void and services halted without the amendments.
County Mental Health Director Christy Kelly learned of the change in a March 28 letter from the California Department of Mental Health. The board of supervisors transferred $125,000 from the county general fund to the mental health department to get the process started.
The contract allowed the city to pay a percentage of the costs after the services were delivered. The amount was agreed upon by both entities after budgets were finalized in the fall of each year, according to Willardson. The board voted 4-1, with Supervisor Anthony Farrington opposed, to send the city a warning letter that services will be discontinued if the payments are not made.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
