LAKEPORT— The Lake County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve allocations of CARES Act funding for local businesses, senior centers and others to help them weather the COVID-19 pandemic.
The board voted 5-0 to approve the recommendations of a committee whose purpose is to review the county’s $6.6 million in CARES Act funding and make suggestions to the board on how to spend it. The committee asked for conceptual approval to put $5.5 million toward basic disaster response costs and the remainder toward a “second order effects” category, including grants to local businesses and meal programs at senior centers.
County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson said the committee also recommended that anything not used for basic disaster response needs, such as public health staffing and emergency operations center expenses, be moved to the second pot of money. She emphasized that there was a short time frame to spend the CARES Act funding– by Dec. 30, 2020 — and said there were stringent reporting requirements along the way.
In other matters, the board also voted 5-0 to approve a response prepared by county staff to grand jury recommendations.
The county agreed with many of the grand jury’s findings, including the need to improve relations between local government and the public. One suggestion the city has already implemented is establishing a public information officer.
District 4 Supervisor Tina Scott said she wanted to thank the grand jury for “fostering a more positive understanding (of) what a difficult job it is that we have as a county and just looking to foster a better relationship.”
Weekly meetings of the L.C. Board of Supervisors can be watched live via zoom, in person at the Lakeport Courthouse and are archived at http://www.lakecountyca.gov/Government/Boards/Board_of_Supervisors/Meetings.htm
