Committee approves purchasing‑policy waiver for $65,000 youth vaping‑education campaign

The Health and Human Services committee voted to permit a purchasing‑policy waiver so county staff can contract with Trellis Marketing to run a youth‑focused vaping awareness and education campaign.

Speaker 8 said Trellis is a sole‑source provider for the targeted social‑media and streaming outreach the county seeks and that the campaign cost of $65,000 would be paid fully from a recently added settlement fund in the county budget. "So we're looking for permission to move forward, with fitting a waiver for the purchasing policy," the presenter said.

Committee members moved and seconded the request and conducted a voice vote. The chair recorded the motion as approved by voice (‘Aye’). Members discussed whether the county chairman must sign contracts above a threshold; a supervisor noted the financial allocation had already been placed in the budget and that financial signatory requirements would be confirmed before contracting.

Separately, members approved a request for a March presentation by a community member on nitrous‑oxide misuse and received a schedule notice that the first rabies clinic of 2026 is March 28 in Whitehall. No formal procurement contract was executed at the meeting; next steps include drafting the sole‑source waiver and forwarding it to the full board and finance committee for final approvals as required.