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Adopt a resolution approving participation in the 2019 Emergency Management Performance Grant for the period of July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2021 and authorizing the Sheriff or his designees to execute any actions necessary for the purpose of obtaining grant funding; Approve an Appropriation Transfer Request (ATR) of $213,748 to recognize the unanticipated grant revenue and related appropriations to improve emergency management capabilities (4/5 vote required); and Authorize the Sheriff or his designees to execute any service contracts and subsequent amendments necessary to fulfill the County’s responsibility under the 2019 Emergency Management Performance Grant Expenditure Plan and which remain within budgeted appropriations
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Published Notice Required? Yes ____ No __X
Public Hearing Required? Yes ____ No __X
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Sheriff recommends that the Board of Supervisors:
1. Adopt a resolution approving participation in the 2019 Emergency Management Performance Grant for the period of July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2021 and authorizing the Sheriff or his designees to execute any actions necessary for the purpose of obtaining grant funding;
2. Approve an Appropriation Transfer Request (ATR) of $213,748 to recognize the unanticipated grant revenue and related appropriations to improve emergency management capabilities (4/5 vote required); and
3. Authorize the Sheriff or his designees to execute any service contracts and subsequent amendments necessary to fulfill the County’s responsibility under the 2019 Emergency Management Performance Grant Expenditure Plan and which remain within budgeted appropriations.
SUMMARY:
On April 12, 2019, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released notification of funding availability under its 2019 Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) Program. These are federal funds allocated to the states to prepare for all hazards at the state and local levels to strengthen national preparedness and resilience. The states in turn may award funds to counties or their equivalents to plan for, prevent, protect from, mitigate against, respond to, and recover from emergencies, disasters, crimes and terrorist events.
Cal-OES awards its funding through a non-competitive grant process, which is administered through the State’s EMPG Program. The allocation that each county is eligible for was included in State’s EMPG funding table, which for Solano County is $213,748. Solano will have two years to spend the funds. Once Cal-OES opens the application portal, the Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) will submit its funding application. Cal-OES requires a Board resolution (Attachment A) to be submitted as part of Solano County’s application to finalize the acceptance process.
The Sheriff’s 2019 EMPG Expenditure Plan (Plan) is summarized in Attachment B and a more detailed description of the Plan follows in the Discussion section.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
FEMA requires that federal grant funds equal the lesser of fifty percent of the program cost or $213,748. Cal-OES has passed this requirement on to its subrecipients. As indicated in the Cal-OES funding table, Solano County’s allocation is $213,748 with a $213,748 match requirement for a total of $427,496 in program funds. The Sheriff intends to fulfill the match obligation via in-kind services with the FY2019/20 salary and benefit costs of the Emergency Services Manager, the Emergency Services Program Coordinator, the Emergency Services Technician, and OES volunteer eligible hours. The Appropriation Transfer Request would increase appropriations by $213,748 to improve emergency response capabilities through staffing a part-time position, the purchase of necessary equipment, public outreach activities, and the continuation of Alert Solano. These expenditures would be entirely offset with unanticipated grant revenue; therefore, Board approval will not impact the County General Fund at this time. Grant expenditures will be reimbursed by Cal-OES on a quarterly basis and would not significantly impact the County’s cash flow. EMPG funds must be fully expended by June 30, 2021 and are subject to those expenditures outlined below.
Personnel: Nineteen percent (19%) or $40,687 of the grant funds will offset the salary and benefits costs of a part-time Emergency Services Technician and the Sheriff’s Office Accountant performing grant administrative activities. EMPG guidelines allow grantees to claim up to 5% of the total award for administrative activities.
Equipment: Thirty-six percent (36%) or $75,337 will be used to replace up to 41 desktop and laptop computers and eight chairs in the County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The County is financially responsible for non-warranty repair and replacement costs necessary to maintain the grant equipment.
Software: Thirty-four percent (34%) or $73,033 of the grant funds will be used to continue subscription licensing for the County’s mass notification system and grant inventory tracking system.
Advertising: Ten percent (10%) or $21,000 will be used for Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and public outreach activities to increase the number of Alert Solano subscribers.
Supplies: One percent (1%) or $3,691 will be used to purchase supplies for the EOC.
The cost associated with preparing the agenda item is nominal and absorbed by the department’s FY2019/20 Adopted Budget.
DISCUSSION:
Under section 662 of the Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act (6 U.S.C. § 762) and the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 5121 et seq.), federal funds are provided to assist state and local governments in preparing for all hazards. Title VI of the Stafford Act authorizes FEMA to award grants for the purpose of providing a system of emergency preparedness for the protection of life and property in the United States from hazards and to vest responsibility for emergency preparedness jointly in the federal government and the states and their political subdivisions. California’s EMPG administers funds to focus on improving emergency management capabilities at the state and local levels.
Solano County’s proposed 2019 EMPG Expenditure Plan was developed by OES based on OES’ assessment and prioritization of the operational needs, including those of members of the EOC and volunteer response teams. A detailed description of the Plan is enumerated below:
Extra-help Emergency Services Technician: $30,000 to continue to fund an extra-help Emergency Services Technician to assist the full-time OES Emergency Services Technician with the maintenance, movement and inventory of grant-funded equipment and support staff who plan and coordinate training programs. OES has utilized a part-time, extra-help Emergency Services Technician continuously since November 2010 and EMPG has been used to fund this position. As the operational needs of OES continue to increase, OES will explore opportunities for an additional full-time position.
Emergency Operations Center: $79,028 to replace aging laptop and desktop computers in the EOC and to purchase necessary supplies. The EOC equipment is used by County employees for incident command training and for EOC activations. The equipment has reached end of life and must be replaced to remain compatible with and connected to the County network.
Alert Solano: $70,238 to purchase another year of subscription licensing to use the emergency communications suite Everbridge which is the foundation for Solano County’s Unified Mass Notification System (Alert Solano). Everbridge includes the following modules: Mass Notification; Community Engagement; Alerting for Public Safety Employees; and Incident Management. Alert Solano is primarily used to alert residents to life-threatening conditions such as severe weather warnings; fires, floods, and natural disasters; hazardous materials, terrorism warnings; and kidnapped or missing persons. The system may also be used for non-emergency alerts such as community and neighborhood watch warnings. Alert Solano can send alerts and notifications to specific jurisdictions or globally to the entire County.
Public Awareness: $21,000 to fund PSAs emphasizing PG&E’s public safety power shutoff plan and emergency preparedness for county residents, and for public outreach activities sponsored to promote Alert Solano and increase its number of subscribers.
Grant Equipment Management System: $2,795 to purchase another year of subscription licensing to use the grant equipment tracking system IntelliTrak to maintain a grant equipment listing. FEMA requires that all grant purchased equipment be inventoried every two years.
Grant Management and Administration: $10,687 to offset the salary and benefits costs of the Sheriff’s Office Accountant performing grant administrative activities.
The Solano County OES will manage and coordinate the program projects. The OES may initiate a reallocation of certain expenses to meet the needs of specific projects.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board of Supervisors could choose not to authorize participation in the program; however, this alternative is not recommended as non-participation may negatively impact the County’s response to emergencies and disasters. Additionally, this alternative is not fiscally prudent as funds would be redistributed to other counties and without these funds, the Sheriff’s Office does not have sufficient appropriations to carry out the activities.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
Human Resources has been consulted regarding the use of an extra-help Emergency Services Technician.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION