Solano County approves $136,700 contract for inclusive leadership program

Solano County’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Nov. 5 to approve a contract with MES Concepts LLC for up to $136,700 to deliver an inclusive leadership program, including workshops and an advisory council to guide long-term accountability. The contract covers an initial six-month effort and potential participation by up to seven Superior Court staff.

Consultant Mary Stutz, who laid out the program, told the board, “This is not a training,” stressing the proposal’s emphasis on leadership behavior change, listening tours, and an accountability structure rather than one-off classroom sessions. Assistant County Administrator Debbie Vaughn said the county interviewed two consultants and recommended MES Concepts to build a customized program for Solano County.

Board members expressed support and caution. Supervisor Hannigan urged momentum and framed the contract as an investment in retention, saying it would signal that “we value you, we want you to be here.” Supervisor Brown expressed concern about ongoing staff-time costs and asked that the advisory council be more fully defined before formation: “So right now, based on just what I see and just what I hear, I would have to say that I would want to do what was suggested and bifurcate those two things and not form that committee until I was sure about how those… are formed,” she said. The board adopted an amended motion to move forward with the contract while requiring staff to return with a proposal and guardrails for any advisory council before the council is formed.

The contract approval includes direction for staff to proceed with listening tours and the leadership workshops and to report back with more detail on committee composition and projected staff-time costs. The vote was recorded as 5-0 in favor.