Administrator reports on Comcast franchise delays, Daysprings sale, detention-center work and opioid funds ranking

At the March 10 meeting the county administrator gave a routine operations update covering several items: negotiations with Comcast, progress on the Daysprings property sale, detention center systems work and next steps on opioid-settlement funds.

The administrator said the Comcast franchise agreement remains under negotiation and that organizational changes at Comcast have slowed the company's review; county attorneys are continuing to press for completion. On Daysprings, the purchaser is in due diligence and the county is seeing surveys and logistics work; staff said they are aiming for a mid-April settlement.

On the detention center, the administrator reported that a new control panel has been installed and that some doors still require wiring corrections because of inconsistent wiring colors from past renovations; the panel is "mostly functional," staff said. Deputy warden staff are compiling a list of renovations and what would be required for an interim compliance package while pursuing funding for a potential new facility (staff expect it would be at least five years before replacement funding could be obtained). The county has received contractor proposals for part 1 and part 2 of a possible new facility and expected additional proposals later this week.

Staff and a commissioner have ranked proposals to allocate opioid-settlement funds and asked that one commissioner meet with staff to help finalize a recommendation to bring back to the full board. The administrator said about $250,000 in opioid-related funds are available for allocation in this cycle.

No formal board action was taken beyond assigning a commissioner to meet with staff on the opioid-fund rankings; the items will return to the board for further discussion.