TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Dina Jose, Director of Corrections
REPORT BY: Sue Kuss, Staff Services Manager
SUBJECT: Budget Adjustment and Capital Asset Purchase of Booster Water Heater
RECOMMENDATION
title
Authorize the purchase of a capital asset for a replacement booster water heater within the correctional facility and budget amendment due to the failure of the current unit. (Fiscal Impact $14,500 Expense; General Fund; Not Budgeted; Discretionary)
[4/5 vote required]
body
BACKGROUND
The Jail’s kitchen is equipped with a booster water heater that raises the water temperature to 180 degrees. This temperature exceeds the temperature a typical water heater produces. The higher temperature water is needed to meet Title 17 standards for dishwashing. The booster unit has been replaced twice since 2017. The lifespan of these units is short because the high temperature must be maintained 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year with heavy use. Maintenance staff believed the booster would be functional until the Department moved to the replacement jail. However, the unit has failed. The vendor who services the unit has determined that attempts at repair will be unsuccessful. While the unit has been out of service, the kitchen has been using single-use food containers. The cost of these items is approximately $40/day.
Requested Actions:
1. Authorize the purchase of a replacement booster water heater due to the current unit being unable to be repaired.
2. Approve a budget amendment for the purchase of a capital asset in the amount of $14,500 within the General Fund, Fund 1000, Corrections Department, subdivision 1400003, offset by a reduction in maintenance supplies.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
|
Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
|
Is it currently budgeted? |
No |
|
Where is it budgeted? |
Budget Adjustment Required |
|
Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
|
Discretionary Justification: |
The kitchen must meet health and safety standards for dishwashing. Laundry services in penal institutions also require higher water temperatures than those in residential uses. The booster water heater also serves the jail’s washers in meeting these requirements. |
|
Is the general fund affected? |
Yes |
|
Future fiscal impact: |
No future impact following the initial purchase. |
|
Consequences if not approved: |
The kitchen would continue to use single-use items for incarcerated persons’ meals and accrue costs for the serving items and their disposal. The kitchen would not meet the health standards enforced by the County’s Environmental Health Division. |
|
Additional Information |
The cost of single-use meal items is $40/day. If the move to the jail occurs in May 2025, $12,000 is estimated as the cost for single-use meal containers in the next ten months. This estimate doesn’t include the costs of disposal for the additional waste generated by the single-use items. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulation 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.