Theresa Hitchcock, Calaveras County administrative officer, told Taxpayer Alert the board has set aside $4 million for a new district attorney facility and that plans and specifications for that building will be returned to the board. She said the DA facility is planned for the site of the old jail and that the county’s existing district attorney offices are housed in portable units that are near the end of their useful life.

"They did set aside $4 million for that as well, and we are bringing plans and specs back for that building as well," Hitchcock said. She said the DA facility project is closer to budget than the animal shelter project.

Hitchcock said the county also has secured a grant that fully funds a behavioral health facility and that the grant can only be used for behavioral health purposes. "We can't use it to build something else," she said. The behavioral health facility will consolidate services now spread across portables and off-campus locations into a single building, which Hitchcock said should make it easier for residents to find and access services.

Hitchcock explained that, when the county needs service providers, the behavioral health department typically uses a procurement process such as a request for proposals (RFP) or request for qualifications (RFQ). Contracts awarded under those processes commonly run one to five years and must comply with the funding source's restrictions and requirements.

Hitchcock said specific contractor names, contract amounts and final board actions were not provided in the interview; those will appear in later board materials.