Marin County officials approve $2 million in new spending

Nels Johnson, http://www.marinij.com

Marin County officials face a tough budget, with a state fiscal crisis and slowing tax revenues requiring program cutbacks, and they quickly followed through this week on a pledge to cut grant programs sliced from the state budget.

Those cuts of about $2.8 million involve a variety of programs, with the biggest hitting the Support and Treatment After Release, or STAR program, designed to keep mentally ill juveniles and adults who commit minor infractions out of county jail by providing them with treatment and counseling.

But the Board of Supervisors also spent more than $2 million in a split second as officials approved a laundry list of expenses posted on the board's "consent calendar" of business for which policies previously were approved.

The board without comment unanimously approved spending including:

- A $440,000 addition to an agreement with Earth Tech Inc. for work on the Cal Park Hill tunnel, bike and pathway project, for a total contract of up to $4.2 million.

- $519,000 for Quincy Engineering Inc. to design the Pacific Way Bridge in Muir Beach.

- An up to $225,000 agreement with Land People for planning and engineering associated with the Mill Valley-to-Corte Madera bike and pedestrian corridor study.

- $440,000 for the Marin County Office of Education for services at the county community school for youth on probation as well as at-risk youth.

- $217,000 for San Rafael in connection with various county library literacy programs.

- 153,000 for Bay Area Community Resources for drug and alcohol-related services.

- $130,000 for Aeron Biotechnology Inc. for specimen analysis in connection with the Marin Women's breast cancer study.

- $100,000 for the Coastal Health Alliance to improve facilities and emergency response service in West Marin.

- $80,000 for Dr. Mary Ellen Guroy for on-site patient care and infectious disease consultation.

- $78,000 "plus expenses" to renew a retainer with the county's Washington D.C. lobbyist, Alcade & Associates Ltd.

- $72,000 for Tiva Systems for work related to the county's new computer system.

- $50,000 for Canal Alliance in connection with counseling services for youth detained at Juvenile Hall under the jurisdiction of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

- $28,000 for the Marin Arts Council to coordinate exhibits at the Civic Center.

- $27,200 for the Gardeners Guild of Richmond to provide gardening services at the county's health clinic campus in the Canal area.

Contact Nels Johnson via e-mail at ij.civiccenter@gmail.com