LAKEPORT— At this week’s Lake County Board of Supervisors meeting held on Tuesday at the Lake County Chambers and online via Zoom, the board heard a presentation from Treasurer /Tax Collector Patrick Sullivan regarding the consideration of the county’s pooled investments. Sullivan also presented on the collection of cannabis cultivation taxes and during closed session the board appointed a new Social Services Director as well as a new Public Works Director.
Sullivan presented alongside Carlos Oblites from Chandler Assets discussing the county’s pooled investments and what alterations can be made to maximize profits. Sullivan displayed a graph of the county’s quarterly interest revenue which increased from $3,494,409.21 in December 2023 to $4,375,872.14 in March 2024. Oblites explained how this is due to collaborative efforts between Sullivan and their firm which invested in short term, high yield investments. That upward trend is expected to plateau or decrease as these investments expire, and Oblites believes there will be decreases in rates from the Federal Reserve which will deter those short-term investments. Therefore Oblites recommends more diversification into bonds and other investments.
Supervisors expressed concern as to where all of these funds end up in the county budget. Sullivan responded “A little over half of this pool is county funds, the remainder of it is schools, the rest represents fire districts and other smaller districts. What is done with that money is really up to your board.” District 4 Supervisor Michael Green asked about the Supranational Securities, which involves overseas loans to organizations like the World Bank and also the International Finance Corporation. Oblites answered explaining how well managed and tracked these investments are which makes them “An opportunity to diversify your portfolio in a very safe manner.”
The investment proposal was approved unanimously.
The board also considered a resolution further amending resolutions to clarify the procedures used to collect taxes pursuant to the Lake County Cannabis Cultivation Tax Ordinance. This item was also presented by Sullivan the time with tax collector Elizabeth Martinez. Sullivan explained that under the current ordinance cannabis cultivators are requesting changes to their canopy space far past the June deadline, in some cases as late as December. These late changes in canopy space alter a cultivator’s taxes and are causing delays in the department as, according to Sullivan, they “don’t have the field staff to do inspections” ensuring that the changes to canopy space were actually made. In order to address these requests the department currently relies on satellite imagery, which is only viable in outdoor cultivations and not for mixed light or indoor operations. This proposal would disallow changes past the June 1 deadline and allow for maximum taxation for the canopy space.
District 5 Supervisor Jessica Pyska noted “I think there’s ways to lose an entire crop and not have something effect the entire county, I do have some concern there.” Martinez responded explaining how every year these problems arise constantly, taking up significant time in their office, while a strict deadline would put a stop to these issues it would also allow for special circumstance situations to be brought back to the board for individual consideration. Martinez stated “We’ve always worked with them. I don’t think this county has ever been difficult with cultivators.” Lake County cannabis Alliance President Nara Dahlbacka made public comment reminding the board of some industry issues like pesticides or failed testing would not be visible until harvest, presenting a need for these last minute changes. Community Development Director Mireya Turner shared that this change would benefit the CDD.
The board voted to approve the amendment 4 to 1 with Supervisor Sabatier dissenting.
During closed session the board appointed two vacant positions, the Social Services Director as well as a new Public Works Director. According to press releases Glen March has been appointed Director of Public Works effective Monday, June 29, 2024. March will serve as limited term Public Works Director (concurrently with present Director, Scott DeLeon) Monday June 3, 2024, through Sunday June 28, 2024. The release also states “March has served in engineering-focused roles in the private and public sectors for more than three decades, most recently with the Cities of Hollister and East Palo Alto, and has been a licensed professional engineer in the State of California since 1993.” The Social Services Director position has been appointed to Rachael Dillman Parsons, effective immediately. According to the release Parsons has been with the department since 2002 and “Coordinated the 2020 Census workgroup, significantly increasing Lake County’s response, as compared to 2010. In May 2023, she was elevated to the role of Deputy Director, where she continued to excel, and demonstrate clear and creative leadership.”
