To: Board of Supervisors, County of Sonoma
Department or Agency Name(s): Emergency Management
Staff Name and Phone Number: Christopher Godley / 565-1152
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Urban Areas Security Initiative Grant Program MOU, State Homeland Security Grant Program, and Emergency Management Performance Grant Awards - Fiscal Year 2022.
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Authorize the Director of Emergency Management to execute the Urban Areas Security Initiative Memorandum of Understanding with the City and County of San Francisco for the receipt of Urban Areas Security Initiative regional grant funds totaling $329,497; term November 1, 2022, through December 31, 2023.
B) Authorize the Director of Emergency Management to execute any future subsequent modifications to this Memorandum of Understanding with the City and County of San Francisco to accept additional Urban Areas Security Initiative grant funds in an amount not-to-exceed $109,059 through December 31, 2023.
C) Authorize the Director of Emergency Management to receive the State Homeland Security Grant Program Year 2022 Award in the amount of $671,457.
D) Authorize the Director of Emergency Management to receive the Emergency Management Performance Grant Program Year 2022 Award in the amount of $249,687.
E) Adopt a Budget Resolution authorizing additional FY22-23 budget appropriations in the amount of $329,497 for Urban Areas grant program revenue and expenditures. (4/5th Vote Required)
(4/5th Vote Required)
end
Executive Summary:
Given the City and County of San Francisco serves as the Bay Area Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) fiscal agent, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the County of Sonoma and the City and County of San Francisco is required for Sonoma County to receive Fiscal Year 2022 funds. For the Fiscal Year 2022 cycle the UASI program has awarded a total of $329,497 to the County of Sonoma that will be utilized for two projects: $245,497 for the purchase of a Sheriff’s Office response vehicle that will provide rapid response and increased efficiency to calls-for-service in urban and suburban locations; and $84,000 for emergency preparedness information to be released to the public in a combined non-digital and digital platform. The UASI grant program does not require a County funding match.
Since additional UASI funding may become available late in the cycle this item also requests authorization for the Director of Emergency Management to execute any future, subsequent modifications to the Memorandum to accept funds in an amount not-to-exceed $109,059. The grant allows for a 20 percent buffer of the total UASI North Region award for these unanticipated needs; the total North Region award for FY22 was $545,297.
With this action staff recommends programming into the Department’s FY22-23 budget the grant revenue and associated project expenditures of $329,497 to deliver the UASI grant funded projects.
In addition, this board item requests acceptance of two additional grant program awards for FY22-23:
The 2022 State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP) was awarded in October 2022 in the amount of $671,457, of which $498,864 was included in FY22-23 budget and $172,593 will be budgeted in FY23-24. DEM administers the annual SHSGP award on behalf of the Sonoma County Operational Area.
Additionally, DEM receives an annual Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG). The California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) administers this grant on behalf of the State of California and its regional Operational Areas. FY22 EMPG was awarded in October 2022 in the amount of $249,687, which is included in the FY22-23 budget.
Discussion:
Urban Areas Security Initiative Grant
The United States Department of Homeland Security administers a Homeland Security Grant Program, which includes the UASI Program (Program). The Program addresses the unique planning, equipment, training, and exercise needs of high-threat, high-density urban areas and assists those areas in building an enhanced and sustainable capacity to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from threats, acts of terrorism, and natural disasters such as earthquakes and wildfires. The City and County of San Francisco acts as the fiduciary agent for federal funds administered by the Bay Area Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI). Sonoma County is a sub-grantee for project reimbursement-based funds outlined in the parameters and deliverables of the Memorandum.
In the UASI program, Sonoma County is a member of the North Bay Hub - along with Marin, Napa, and Solano. Each year, the UASI allocates a portion of its funds (less than 10%) to the Hub to support initiatives and projects put forth by Hub member agencies and organizations. As part of the annual grant application cycle, over several months, DEM reaches out to the Operational Area agencies that have a role in addressing the goals of the UASI program this includes all cities, special districts, schools, community organizations and public safety agencies. DEM provides guidance and requirements for the grant opportunity and addresses questions regarding eligibility and process. Once the applications are submitted, the four-member Hub advisory panel selects applications for award or seeks additional information.
UASI has awarded $245,497 in FY22 to Sonoma County for the purpose of purchasing a Sheriff’s Office Response Vehicle that will provide reliable rapid response and increased efficiency to calls-for-service in urban and suburban locations. This vehicle will be equipped with highly specialized technology that will allow law enforcement to mitigate a multitude of high-risk situations and can support incident command in response to natural hazard incidents such as earthquake or flood in addition to its primary role of coordinating law enforcement efforts in a major criminal or terrorist incident.
UASI has additionally awarded $84,000 in FY22 to Sonoma County for the purpose of providing Emergency Preparedness Information to the public. This information will be presented in a combined digital and non-digital platform.
The Department intends to use the grant funds towards to purchase of the Rapid Response Vehicle and to prepare and distribute emergency preparedness information during fiscal year budget for and incur costs against the grant in the FY22-23 budget. Any remaining unspent funds will be appropriated for in the FY23-24 budget through the term of the grant period, December 31, 2023. The Board has approved all prior UASI grant funding since FY06-07.
Since the inception of the Memorandum, Sonoma County has received over $4 million in grant funds and property transfers from the Program - primarily first responder equipment and communications. By way of example, four shelter trailers were received in 2020 and almost immediately deployed in support of the LNU Complex and Glass fires. Additionally, the County has benefited from studies addressing resiliency, public information and warning, continuity of government operations, and sheltering; while participating in Initiative-funded training and exercises related to terrorism, emergency management, and recovery. The Initiative-funded training program has provided extensive training opportunities for first responders of all-disciplines such as public health, law enforcement, fire, search and rescue, and emergency management, at little-to-no cost to Sonoma County.
During the Program Fiscal Year, funding often becomes available late in the cycle to fund additional projects. In order to take advantage of these funding opportunities, which often requires immediate action to accept and spend the funds on available projects, this item is also requesting authorization for the Director of Emergency Management to execute any future, subsequent modifications to the Memorandum to accept Initiative grant funds for FY22-23 in an amount not-to-exceed $109,059. The grant allows for a 20 percent buffer of the total North Regional grant for these unanticipated needs. The FY2022 award total for the North Region is $545,297. Past purchases under this authority have included cots and blankets used for shelters during the October 2017 Fires as well as first responder training opportunities. Should additional grant awards be made available, those revenues and expenditures will be incorporated in the FY22-23 budget as part of a future CAO-lead consolidated budget adjustment board request, or will be included in the FY23-24 budget request, depending upon the notification of the additional grant award.
As per the Memorandum, any unspent funding will be forfeited back to the Initiative.
State Homeland Security Grant Program
DEM staff administers the State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP) and receives an annual award to administer on behalf of the Sonoma County Operational Areas. SHSGP FY2022 was awarded in October 2022 in the amount of $671,457. of which $498,864 was included in FY22-23 budget and $172,593 will be budgeted in FY23-24.
SHSGP funds are received annually for the Operational Areas for the purchase of specialized equipment for fire, law enforcement, and public safety agencies and other local jurisdictional emergency management preparedness needs. Equipment purchased with SHSGP funding enhances the capabilities of local governments and stakeholder agencies to plan for and respond to large scale emergencies, disasters, and other hazardous events. DEM requested project applications from Operational Areas partner agencies and applied to CalOES on behalf of the Sonoma County Operational Area. Operational Area Projects submitted and approved for the FY2022 allocation include the following and all 11 projects will be completed during the term of the FY2022 grant:
1. Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office: Rapid Response Vehicle
2. Petaluma Police Department: Mobile Surveillance System
3. Department of Health Services: WebEOC/SharePoint Integration
4. Sonoma County Sheriff: Terrorism Liaison Officer
5. Santa Rosa Fire Department: Swiftwater Rescue Equipment
6. Sonoma County Fairgrounds: Metal Detectors
7. Department of Emergency Management: Public Outreach
8. Sonoma County Sheriff: Domestic Violence Extremism
9. Petaluma Fire Department: Repeater
10. Department of Emergency Management: Mobile Generator
11. Permit Sonoma: Haz Mat Mass Spectrometer
The award includes a Management and Administration cost reimbursement of $26,758 to administer the grant program and a de minimis reimbursement of $7,500 for indirect program costs. These funds will be used to partially finance grant program staff time within the department.
Emergency Management Performance Grant
The United States Department of Homeland Security administers the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG), and the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) administers this grant on behalf of the State of California and its regional Operational Areas.
DEM receives an annual EMPG allocation and the FY2022 award was granted in October 2022 in the amount of $249,687, which is included in the FY22-23 budget.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Prior Board Actions:
12/6/2022: Adopted Signature Authority Resolution for Director and Deputy Director of DEM to execute Department of Homeland Security Grants
01/04/2021: Approved the FY21 MOU with the City and County of San Francisco.
11/10/2020: Approved the FY20 MOU with the City and County of San Francisco.
The Board of Supervisors has approved the annual UASI MOU since FY2006.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 22-23 Adopted |
FY23-24 Projected |
FY 24-25 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$748,551 |
$172,593 |
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
$329,497 |
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$1,078,048 |
$172,593 |
|
|
Funding Sources |
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|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
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|
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State/Federal |
$1,078,048 |
$172,593 |
|
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Fees/Other |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$1,078,048 |
$172,593 |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Revenues and expenditures for the SHSGP ($498,864) and EMPG ($249,687) grants are included in DEM’s FY22-23 budget. The UASI passthrough federal funding will be appropriated by Budget Resolution for $329,497 from this Board Item in the FY22-23 budget.
$172,593 of the SHSGP grant will be included in the FY23-24 budget.
If the UASI grant is not spent in full this fiscal year, the remaining balance will be carried over into the recommended FY23-24 budget. Per the MOU, funds are required to be spent by December 31, 2023. If the Department executes a revised agreement for additional unanticipated funds, the Department will return during Consolidated Budget Adjustments to increase appropriations accordingly.
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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):
None.
Attachments:
1. Budget Adjustment Resolution
2. FY22 UASI MOU County of Sonoma
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None.