UKIAH, 12/13/21 — Naphcare, the Alabama-based prison contractor that provides healthcare services inside the county jail, is returning to the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors agenda for their last meeting of the year at 9 a.m. Tuesday for the first time since their clash with 5th District Supervisor Ted Williams in mid-November. At that time, Williams challenged NaphCare CEO Bradford McClane over constituent reports that jail inmates in mental health crises are not receiving adequate care. McClane was asking for $3,484,847 in funding for services through the end of 2022, but the supervisors voted to postpone that decision until their concerns are addressed. McClane was asked to come back with a more detailed proposal, which he appears to have done.
The board will also consider approval of $1.5 million in wildfire disaster settlement money from Pacific Gas & Electric for the purchase of fire trucks for the Redwood Valley Calpella Fire District, as well as $1 million in funding for the Mendocino County Association of Fire Districts and $143,128 for the purchase of emergency medical equipment for the Ukiah Valley Fire District.
Elsewhere on the agenda, county staff will provide an update on the Hopkins Fire recovery effort, as well as an ordinance consolidating the office of the Assessor-Controller with the office of the Treasurer-Tax Collector. This would eliminate the Assessor-Controller, an elected position, but that position has been vacant since Loyd Weer’s early retirement was announced this August. Weer recommended Assistant Auditor-Controller Chamise Cubbison for the job, but the board declined to appoint her to an elected position, and Cubbison was appointed as Acting Auditor-Controller instead. Treasurer-Tax-Collector Shari Schapmire acknowledged the board’s desire for a “centralized financial office,” but cautioned against making that change without additional planning.
“As there has been limited discussions with leadership in both the Auditor-Controller and Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Offices, it is clear this decision could be made without fully evaluating the repercussions of such a financially consequential decision,” Schapmire wrote in a letter to the board. The board also has a second reading scheduled for the ordinance finalizing new boundaries for supervisorial districts. This is the final step in the redistricting process, and it’s primarily a formality. The new boundary lines go into effect Jan. 6, 2022. You can find our previous coverage of the redistricting process here.
