To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, Board of Commissioners of the Community Development Commission, Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Water Agency
Department or Agency Name(s): County Administrator’s Office, Department of Emergency Management, Information Systems Department, Permit Sonoma, Transportation and Public Works, Community Development Commission, Sonoma County Water Agency
Staff Name and Phone Number: Yvonne Shu, 565-1739; Christel Querijero, 565-7071
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): All
Title:
Title
Acceptance of Awards from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), Allocation of $1,253,711 from the General Fund Resiliency Set Aside, and Administrative Actions Necessary to Obtain and Manage State and Federal Financial Assistance Provided by and/or Sub-granted through the State of California and/or the federal Department of Homeland Security.
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Recommended Actions:
recommended action
A) Adopt a concurrent resolution authorizing the acceptance of grant awards and the execution of grant agreements with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for the following projects: Information System Department’s (ISD) Data Center Generator - Phase 1; Transportation and Public Works’ (TPW) Green Valley Creek Restoration and Flood Resiliency Project - Phase 1; Department of Emergency Management’s Fire (DEM) Early Warning Camera System; Permit Sonoma’s Advance Assistance: Wildfire Adapted Sonoma County Phase 1; and Community Development Commission’s (CDC) Flood Elevation Program
B) Allocate $1,253,711 from the General Fund Resiliency Set Aside for the required 25% local coast share for ISD’s Data Center Generator - Phase 1, DEM’s Early Warning Camera System, and Permit Sonoma’s Advance Assistance: Wildfire Adapted Sonoma County Phase 1.
C) Adopt a concurrent resolution authorizing the County Administrator and/or Assistant County Administrator, the Director and/or Deputy Director of Department of Emergency Management (DEM), the Director and/or Deputy Director of Information Systems Department (ISD), Director and/or Deputy Director of Permit Sonoma, Director and/or Deputy Director of Transportation and Public Works (TPW), and the Executive Director and/or Assistant Executive Director of the Community Development Commission to execute for and behalf of the County of Sonoma and the Community Development Commission, respectively, any actions necessary for the purpose of obtaining state and federal assistance provided by and/or sub-granted through the State of California and/or the federal Department of Homeland Security.
D) Authorize the Director of Transportation and Public Works and the General Manager of the Sonoma County Water Agency to execute a cooperative agreement for work related to the Green Valley Creek Restoration and Flood Resiliency Project
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Executive Summary:
In the aftermath of the 2017 Sonoma Complex fires and other recent disasters, County departments and agencies have sought funding through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) to improve the resiliency of County facilities in the event of wildfires, seismic events, floods, and other hazards. HMGP funding is used to provide protection to undamaged parts of a facility or to prevent or reduce damages caused by future disasters. The cost share for HMGP is 75% federal and 25% non-federal or County match.
FEMA has recently approved $6,336,601 in grant funding for the following five projects:
- ISD’s Data Center Generator - Phase 1; $26,584 awarded
- TPW’s Green Valley Creek Restoration and Flood Resiliency Project - Phase 1; $376,673 awarded
- DEM’s Fire Early Warning Camera System; $2,042,039 awarded
- Permit Sonoma’s Advance Assistance: Wildfire Adapted Sonoma County Phase 1; $1,692,510 awarded
- CDC’s Flood Elevation Program; $2,198,796 awarded
$1,253,711 of the total required 25% match will be appropriated from the General Fund Resiliency Set Aside for the fire cameras, data center generator, advance assistance projects, and the remaining $858,490 match will come from property owners and the Sonoma County Water Agency Flood Control Fund.
The County has regular opportunities to apply for, obtain, and receive specific state and federal funds related to homeland security, emergency management, hazard mitigation, preparedness, and disaster response programs. The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) requires all counties to adopt a Governing Body Resolution (Resolution) authorizing individuals with specific titles to perform administrative functions and have on file in order to receive funds associated with the State of California and/or Department of Homeland Security grants. This item includes an expanded delegated authority resolution that includes County departments and agencies that have received or applied for HMGP funding.
Additionally, this item authorizes the Director of TPW and the General Manager of the Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) to execute a cooperative agreement for work related to the Green Valley Creek Restoration and Flood Resiliency Project.
Discussion:
A. Grant Awards
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) provides funding to state and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration. HMGP funding is used to provide protection to undamaged parts of a facility or to prevent or reduce damages caused by future disasters. HMGP is managed by the State under funding provided for in the Stafford Act. The entire state - not just presidentially declared disaster-impacted counties - may qualify for HMGP mitigation projects.
Recent disasters that have current HMGP grant activity in the County include:
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FEMA # |
Event |
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DR-4301 |
CA severe winter storms, flooding, mudslides (Jan 2017) |
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DR-4308 |
CA severe winter storms, flooding, mudslides (Feb 2017) |
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DR-4344 |
CA wildfires (Oct 2017) |
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DR-4353 |
CA wildfires, flooding, mudflows, debris flows (Jan 2018) |
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DR-4407 |
CA wildfires- Butte, LA, Ventura (Nov 2018) |
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DR-4434 |
CA severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, mudslides (Feb 2019) |
FEMA has recently approved $6,336,601 in grant funding for the following five projects:
ISD Data Center Generator - Phase 1 (DR-4344)
$26,584 grant; $8,861 match from the General Fund Resiliency Set Aside
The Sonoma Complex Fire of 2017 highlighted the risks of disruption in commercial power to essential services provided by the data center. A power loss from the fire would have placed the majority of the County’s information technology systems and data at risk, resulting in the inability to support essential services and critical public safety functions. In addition, during a large-scale event, the system load exceeds capacity. A dedicated generator with capacity to operate the County’s core data center facility and associated systems will help to mitigate risks associated with multi-hazards, in the event of a disruption in commercial power. Phase 1 is the design phase, and includes load analysis, concept design and alternatives, and a detailed cost estimate.
TPW Green Valley Creek Restoration and Flood Resiliency Project - Phase 1 (DR-4308)
$376,673 grant; $125,558 match from the SCWA Flood Control Fund
The Green Valley Creek Restoration Project will reduce the frequency and duration of flooding at Green Valley Road in order to address public safety risks, recurrent road and private property damage, and impacts to listed and endangered species in the watershed. Phase 1 will include engineering design, environmental impact assessment and permitting, project management and grant administration. If FEMA finds the proposed project to be eligible under HMGP guidelines at the end of Phase 1, FEMA will approve funding for Phase 2, Construction.
DEM Fire Early Warning Camera System (DR-4344)
$2,042,039 grant; $680,680 match from the General Fund Resiliency Set Aside
With one-third of the County’s 495,000 residents living in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) that are identified by CAL Fire as having a high or very high fuel rank/potential, the fire risk to the County is significant. This funding will enable to County to install a network of 27 fire detection cameras throughout the County that can detect fire day or night. These cameras will provide early detection of fires and provide precise locations that can be transmitted to dispatchers and emergency operations managers immediately.
Permit Sonoma Advance Assistance: Wildfire Adapted Sonoma County - Phase 1 (DR-4344)
$1,692,510 grant; $564,170 match from the General Fund Resiliency Set Aside
This project will educate wildlife urban interface (WUI) residents in unincorporated Sonoma County about the importance of defensible space and the principles of structural hardening, through targeted events and outreach. Outreach will be followed by comprehensive, community-wide defensible space inspections and voluntary WUI structural hardening evaluations. The project will address vegetation within 100 feet of a structure and focus on reducing the flammability of the structures themselves. Permit Sonoma will return to the Board with a related item for staffing for this project.
CDC Flood Elevation Program (DR-4301)
$2,198,796 grant; $732,932 match from property owner contribution
Sonoma County remains the top “repetitive loss community” in California due to flood events. A high number of repetitive flood losses have occurred in Duncans Mills, Monte Rio, Rio Nido and Guerneville. The Sonoma County Flood Elevation Program elevates single and multi-family dwellings above established base flood elevation, which reduces damage to structures, prevents loss of life and property, and saves millions of dollars in losses each time a flood event occurs. This funding will elevate ten homes in the Russian River area. The Sonoma County Flood Elevation Program has elevated 293 homes since its inception in 1997.
To accept the awarded grants, the Board must authorize the Sonoma County Administrator and the Executive Director of the Sonoma County Community Development Commission to sign the respective obligation reports from FEMA. The recommended resolution then authorizes the respective Department Directors and/or Deputy Directors to act as the County’s agent to conduct all negotiations and to execute and submit all documents, including but not limited to applications, agreement, and payment requests that may be necessary to complete the FEMA grant process and respective projects. All consultants will be competitively procured in accordance with 2 CFR 200 and County policies.
B. Appropriation of Resiliency Set Aside for HMGP Matches
The cost share for HMGP is 75% federal and 25% non-federal or County match. The County’s share is projected at the beginning of the application process, and funding sources are identified before the application is submitted. In addition to some special (non-general) funds being used for the local match, the County also set aside $4 million in anticipation of the local share requirement. The balance on this amount is monitored regularly, and to date this amount is still sufficient for all pending applications and awarded projects.
To accept the funding for the fire cameras, data center generator, and advance assistance projects, this item requests the Board to appropriate $1,253,711 from the General Fund Resiliency Set Aside for the required 25% grant match. The match funding for the flood elevation and the Green Valley Creek Restoration projects will come from property owners and the Sonoma County Water Agency Flood Control Fund, respectively.
The Fiscal Impact section includes a table which shows the current and anticipated balance of the Resiliency Set Aside.
C. Authorized Agent Signature Authority - Resolution
In addition to the resolution authorizing acceptance of the above HMGP awards, this item also includes a resolution authorizing the designated Department/Agency Directors and/or Deputy Directors to act as the agent for the County or Agency, as appropriate, for future funding associated with the State of California and/or Department of Homeland Security grants, including, but not limited to, the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), Emergency Management Performance Grant, Urban Area Securities Initiative, Severe Repetitive Loss Program, Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant program (PDM), Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant program (FMA), California Department of Water Resources, and other state and national preparedness grant programs. Requirements for the resolutions vary by program: the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) requires a resolution that is current within the last three years; other programs, such as the Homeland Security Grant Program, require annual resolutions. FEMA, which administers HMGP, is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
The actions normally associated with these grants include applying for, obtaining, modifying and claiming reimbursements, and amending and closing out grant documentation. As with previous resolutions, the County Administrator and Director of Emergency Management will be listed as authorized agents for the County. The list of authorized agents is expanded in the recommended resolution to include County departments and the Community Development Commission, which have received and/or have applied for HMGP funding. This will enable the grant administration and processing to become more efficient as more individuals will be authorized to sign grant documentation. Specifically, the resolution will authorize the following position-specific titles to act on behalf of their respective governing body and applicant by executing any actions necessary for each application and sub-award:
- County Administrator and/or Assistant County Administrator
- Director and/or Deputy Director of Department of Emergency Management (DEM)
- Director and/or Deputy Director of Information Systems Department (ISD)
- Director and/or Deputy Director of Permit Sonoma
- Director and/or Deputy Director of Transportation and Public Works (TPW)
- Executive Director and/or Assistant Executive Director of the Community Development Commission (CDC)
Departments/Agencies will sign grant documentation relevant to their Departments/Agencies only.
D. Cooperative agreement between Transportation and Public Works (TPW) and Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water)
The Green Valley Creek Restoration Project will reduce the frequency and duration of flooding at Green Valley Road in order to address public safety risks, recurrent road and private property damage, and impacts to listed and endangered species in the watershed. The proposed, draft cooperative agreement between TPW and Sonoma Water states that TPW is the sub-grantee under CalOES and will pass through grant funding on a reimbursement basis to Sonoma Water. Sonoma Water will perform the technical work and grant administration for Phase 1. To proceed with the cooperative agreement, the Board must authorize the Director of TPW and the General Manager of Sonoma Water to enter into a cooperative agreement, in a form approved by County Counsel, to carry out Phase 1 (design) of the HMGP-funded Green Valley Creek Restoration Project. Following a federally compliant competitive selection process, Sonoma Water will return to the Board of Directors with a professional service agreement for engineering design services.
Prior Board Actions:
January 29, 2019: Adopted Resolution 19-0028, authorizing the Director of Emergency Management or County Administrator to be the authorized agent signature authority for the County for federal financial assistance provided by and/or sub-granted through the State of California and/or the federal Department of Homeland Security.
Fiscal Summary
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FY 19-20 Adopted |
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FY 21-22 Projected |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Resilience Set Aside balance
The cost share for HMGP is 75% federal and 25% non-federal or County match. The County’s share is projected at the beginning of the application process, and funding sources are identified before the application is submitted. In addition to some special (non-general) funds being used for the local match, the County also set aside $4 million in anticipation of the local share requirement. The balance on this amount is monitored regularly, and to date this amount is still sufficient for all pending applications and awarded projects. For the projects that have a General Fund match, the General Fund Recovery and Resiliency set aside will be transferred, and offsetting revenue and expenditure appropriations for these grant projects will be appropriated as part of the FY 2019-20 third quarter consolidated budget adjustment process.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
Attachments:
1) Grant acceptance resolution; 2) Authorized agent resolution; 3) summary of HMGP applications; 4) draft cooperative agreement between TPW and Sonoma Water for Phase 1 of the Green Valley Creek Restoration Project
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board: