Shasta County supervisors to consider $25 million jail health contract, five labor agreements Tuesday

REDDING, Calif. — The Shasta County Board of Supervisors will consider a three-year, $25 million contract for jail medical services, ratify five labor agreements with county employees represented by Teamsters Local 137, and renew a school-based behavioral health program serving students across all 26 county school districts when it meets Tuesday morning.

The board convenes Tuesday, March 10, 2026, beginning at 9 a.m. at the County Administration Center, 1450 Court Street, Suite 263, in Redding. Here is a look at the major items on the agenda.

Jail medical services: $25 million, three years

The single largest financial item on Tuesday's agenda — listed on the consent calendar — is a three-year agreement with Mediko, Inc. for comprehensive medical services at the Shasta County Jail.

The base contract totals $25,023,769 and covers the period from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029, with two automatic one-year renewal options. The county conducted a competitive request for proposals — RFP 26-02 — and received eight bids before selecting Mediko after negotiations.

The contract includes Medication-Assisted Treatment and a Jail-Based Competency Treatment program. The state Department of State Hospitals is expected to partially offset costs through annual reimbursements of up to $1.3 million tied to the competency treatment program. According to the staff report, the agreement uses a shared-cost plan model, implemented in response to medical incidents, catastrophic costs and pharmaceutical expenses.

Five Teamsters labor agreements

The board will ratify five memoranda of understanding with Teamsters Local 137 covering county employees in the Mid-Management, Supervisory, Trades and Crafts, Deputy Coroner Investigators and Sheriff's Administration Association bargaining units.

All five agreements run from Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2027, with salary schedule amendments taking effect March 8, 2026, for most units. The Sheriff's Administration Association agreement carries an effective date of Feb. 8, 2026. All five carry future general fund impact; the agenda packet does not detail specific salary adjustment figures.

A closed session labor negotiation item on Tuesday's agenda covers the county's remaining bargaining with United Public Employees of California Local 792, the Professional Unit — the one bargaining group not included in Tuesday's Teamsters consent calendar agreements — indicating those talks have not yet concluded.

Fiber optic infrastructure: $742,000 ahead of courthouse demolition

The board will consider awarding a $504,812 contract to Bullert Industrial Electric, Inc. to re-route the county's fiber optic network — work that must be completed before the county can proceed with demolition of the old courthouse.

The county's current fiber distribution hubs and IT equipment are housed in the courthouse basement and serve multiple county facilities. Four bids were received when the project went out Feb. 5; the winning bid came in approximately 16 percent above the engineer's estimate. Staff is requesting budget amendments totaling $742,000 across three funds to cover the full project, including design, administration and contingency costs. The item requires a four-fifths vote.

County officials noted at the Feb. 24 board meeting that full demolition of the old courthouse is anticipated before the end of calendar year 2026.

School mental health: Community Connect renewal

The board will consider renewing an agreement with the Shasta County Office of Education for the Community Connect Non-Crisis Support Program, a behavioral health initiative for K-12 students across all 26 county school districts.

The two-year contract totals $385,022.88, funded entirely through Mental Health Services Act and Behavioral Health Services Act dollars — Proposition 63 and Proposition 1 funds — with no general fund impact. The Office of Education serves as a single point of contact for school referrals and provides assessment, care coordination, case management and behavioral intervention.

Program data covering August 2023 through January 2024 showed 1,126 referrals from 73 schools, with 78 percent resulting in services connection and 86 percent of connected families accepting services. According to the staff report, the program prevents escalation of behavioral health issues before they require more intensive intervention; without renewal, the county would need to hire additional staff to provide equivalent services directly.

Probation lease renewal

On the consent calendar, the board will also consider renewing a five-year lease with J-3 Investments, LP for two probation facilities on Court Street: the Community Corrections Center at 1421 and 1423 Court Street, which provides re-entry services, and the Day Reporting Center at 1405 and 1415 Court Street, which serves high-risk offenders in intensive treatment.

The lease runs from April 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031, at $8,406.05 per month, with annual increases capped at 3 percent based on the Consumer Price Index. The facilities cover approximately 6,460 square feet. Both are funded through AB 109 Public Safety Realignment revenue with no general fund impact.

Employee recognitions

The board will open Tuesday's meeting with a resolution recognizing Charlene Osborn, a Clerk and Elections Specialist III in the County Clerk and Registrar of Voters office, as Employee of the Month for March 2026. According to the staff report, Osborn has more than 14 years with the office and processed more than 60,000 signature verifications during a recent election conducted under new procedural changes designed to expand public observation of the process.

The board will also honor the retirement of K-9 Deputy Toni from the Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit. Toni served since April 2022 specializing in electronic storage device and gunpowder detection, with more than 60 deployments and more than 90 community presentations at schools and public events.

Closed session

The board will recess to closed session for three items, estimated at 45 minutes.

On labor negotiations, supervisors will meet with CEO David Rickert, Personnel Director Monica Fugitt and outside labor counsel Gage Dungy of Liebert Cassidy Whitmore for continued bargaining with United Public Employees of California Local 792.

On existing litigation, the board will discuss Tracy Walton v. City of Redding et al., Shasta County Superior Court Case No. 209611.

On anticipated litigation, the board will discuss two matters of significant potential exposure. Specifics are not disclosed under California's open meetings law. On March 3, the board convened a special meeting solely to discuss a separate closed session matter: the lawsuit filed by a plaintiff identified as Jane Doe challenging Measure B, the Voter ID, Hand-Counted Ballots and Absentee Voting Limits Initiative, and seeking to block county spending on it.