To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Sheriff’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Jeff Bean, 565-2003
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Surrendered and Abandoned Vessel Exchange (SAVE) Grant - FY 24-25
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Adopt a Resolution authorizing the Sheriff-Coroner to execute the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Boating and Waterways, Surrendered and Abandoned Vessel Exchange (SAVE) grant agreement, and related documents, providing funding in the amount of $155,000 for the Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit to dispose of surrendered, wrecked, and abandoned recreational boats through September 30, 2026. The grant promotes navigational and environmental safety on Sonoma County waterways by removing, reducing, and preventing abandoned recreational vessels and marine debris. (Majority)
B) Adopt a Resolution adjusting the Sheriff’s Office FY 2024-2025 Adopted Budget, increasing expenditure appropriations and offsetting grant revenue from the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Boating and Waterways in the amount of $135,000.
(4/5 Vote Required)
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Executive Summary:
The Sheriff’s Office is requesting the Board’s approval to execute a Surrendered and Abandoned Vessel Exchange (SAVE) grant agreement, and related documents, with the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Boating and Waterways; and authorization for the Sheriff-Coroner to accept $155,000 for fiscal years 24-25 ($135,000) and 25-26 ($20,000) to enable the Marine Unit to dispose of surrendered, wrecked, and abandoned recreational vessels on Sonoma County waterways. Grant funds may not be used for the removal or disposal of commercial vessels.
Discussion:
The Surrendered and Abandoned Vessel Exchange (SAVE) grant from the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) is available statewide to qualified local public agencies with jurisdiction over navigable waterways. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit was awarded SAVE grant funding in 2016 ($21,100), 2017 ($14,900), 2018 ($40,000), 2020 ($43,000), and 2022 ($40,000). To date, these funds have been used to remove 66 surrendered vessels and 6 abandoned vessels from Sonoma County’s waterways. Finalization of the grant requires a Board resolution authorizing execution of the grant agreement.
Background. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit maintains primary law enforcement jurisdiction over Sonoma County’s waterways: Bodega Bay, coastal Pacific Ocean, Lake Sonoma, Russian River, Petaluma River/San Pablo Bay, and the Gualala River.
Historically, problems with abandoned vessels have occurred primarily in Bodega Bay and the Petaluma River/San Pablo Bay areas. In 2011, the Marine Unit partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Cal Recycle, California Fish and Wildlife, Sonoma County Regional Parks, and the Petaluma Police Department to complete several vessel abatement projects on Bodega Bay and on the Petaluma River. Since then, the Marine Unit has continued to monitor derelict vessels and navigational hazards within the County, used prior grants for the removal of abandoned vessels, and provided assistance with abatement to other agencies as needed. Currently, there is one major project for an abandoned vessel in San Pablo Bay that will be addressed with the recently awarded grant funding. Removal of abandoned vessels is complicated and time-consuming due to the process necessary to confirm abandonment and notice potential owners prior to removal. Additionally, these vessels are often sunken or partially sunken, increasing the difficulty of the project.
To prevent vessel abandonment, the Division of Boating and Waterways administers a Vessel Turn-In Program (VTIP) through local participating agencies, providing a path for boat owners to surrender unwanted recreational vessels free of charge. The Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit started its Vessel Turn-In Program (VTIP) in 2017 and currently has 13 vessels on the waitlist.
Under Harbors and Navigation Code, Section 526.1, a "surrendered vessel" is a recreational vessel that the verified titleholder has willingly surrendered to an accepting public agency under both of the following conditions:
(a) the public agency has determined that the vessel is in danger of being abandoned, and therefore has a likelihood of causing environmental degradation or becoming a hazard to navigation.
(b) the decision to accept a vessel is based solely on the potential of the vessel to likely be abandoned and cause environmental degradation or become a hazard to navigation.
Surrendered and Abandoned Vessel Exchange (SAVE) Grant. The $155,000 SAVE grant is for the Marine Unit to remove and dispose of abandoned and derelict vessels and/or to dispose of boats surrendered through the Unit’s Vessel Turn-In Program (VTIP). The cost to remove abandoned boats varies depending on the unique circumstances and issues for each vessel, including the size, type (sail, engine), condition, and location/accessibility (sunk, afloat, beached, dry-storage). Actual costs of removing abandoned boats in recent years have ranged from $2,225 to $14,950 per vessel. In FY 19-20, the Unit reduced the cost of disposing boats surrendered through the Vessel Turn-In Program (VTIP) from $2,000 to $250 each, including both boat and trailer. Utilizing a flatbed trailer, the Unit tows the vessel and trailer to the County refuse site for disposal rather than using a contract dismantler that charges $100 per foot of vessel length. This cost reduction enables the Unit to maximize the service provided to citizens by accepting more surrendered vessels. The SAVE grant agreement #C24S0628 is ready for execution by the County. The Sheriff's Office must secure a fully executed agreement, complete the work, and submit for reimbursement by September 30, 2026.
As a condition of the grant award, the Division of Boating and Waterways requires a ten percent contribution (in this case $15,500) from the local agency receiving the grant. The contribution may be rendered in cash or through verifiable in-kind contributions which may include personnel hours and the cost of excess removal and/or storage expenses. The Marine Unit expects to contribute in-kind personnel hours as it has over the past several cycles of accepting these grant funds. No General Funds are requested.
Appropriations needed to proceed with approved expenditures are being requested through a budgetary resolution. The Sheriff is requesting the attached Budget Resolution be approved to appropriate expenditures and offsetting revenue from DBW in the amount of $135,000 for FY24-25. The $20,000 remaining from the grant will be included in the Sheriff’s Office FY 25-26 requested budget.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
A Surrendered and Abandoned Vessel Exchange (SAVE) grant from the Division of Boating and Waterways for $21,100 was approved by the Board of Supervisors on September 20, 2016 (Resolution 16-0358). A SAVE grant for $40,000 was approved on September 25, 2018 (Resolution 18-0399) and a $14,900 Supplemental Grant was approved on April 17, 2018 (Resolution 18-0134). A SAVE grant for $43,000 was approved on December 8, 2020 (Resolution 20-0464). A SAVE grant for $40,000 was approved on October 25, 2022 (Resolution 22-0454).
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY24-25 Adopted |
FY25-26 Projected |
FY26-27 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
|
$20,000 |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
$135,000 |
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Total Expenditures |
$135,000 |
$20,000 |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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State/Federal |
$135,000 |
$20,000 |
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Fees/Other |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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General Fund Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$135,000 |
$20,000 |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The Surrendered and Abandoned Vessel Exchange (SAVE) grant provides State reimbursement for expenses incurred by the Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit to remove derelict vessels, for a grant award amount not to exceed $155,000 through September 30, 2026. The accompanying resolution requests offsetting SAVE Grant revenue and expenditure appropriations in the Sheriff’s Marine Unit in the amount of $135,000 for FY 24-25. Most of the work will be completed in FY 24-25 and the $20,000 remainder will be included in the Sheriff’s Office FY 25-26 requested budget. The 10% in-kind match requirement ($15,500) will be covered by personnel expenses already included in the Marine Unit budgets for FY 24-25 and FY 25-26.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
1. Resolution authorizing execution of the Division of Boating and Waterways Surrendered and Abandoned Vessel Exchange Agreement.
2. Resolution authorizing budgetary adjustments in the amount of $135,000 for the FY 24-25 Sheriff’s Office budget for the Surrendered and Abandoned Vessel Exchange grant revenue and expenditures.
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
Copy of California Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Boating and Waterways Grant Agreement #C24SO628