REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
December 17, 2024
FROM
LUTHER SNOKE, Chief Executive Officer, County Administrative Office
SUBJECT
Title
Employment Contracts for American Rescue Plan Act Team
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve Employment Contract with Michael Hernandez to provide services to the American Rescue Plan Act Team as the American Rescue Plan Act Compliance Analyst, effective December 28, 2024 through December 31, 2026, for an estimated annual cost of $180,344 (Salary - $116,439, Benefits - $63,905).
2. Authorize the Chief Executive Officer or County Chief Financial Officer to execute an amendment to extend the term of the contract in Recommendation No. 1 for a maximum of one successive one-year period on behalf of the County, subject to County Counsel review.
3. Approve Employment Contract with Katherine Hoenpichai to provide services to the American Rescue Plan Act Team as the American Rescue Plan Act Project Analyst Assistant, effective December 28, 2024 through December 31, 2026, for an estimated annual cost of $81,576 (Salary - $54,039, Benefits - $27,537).
4. Direct the Chief Executive Officer to transmit the amendment to the Employment Contract in Recommendation No. 1 to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Matthew Erickson, County Chief Financial Officer, 387-5423)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Ensure Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County.
Provide for Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost).
San Bernardino County (County) received a direct allocation of $423.5 million under the American Rescue Plan Act - Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (ARPA Fund) to bolster the County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact. The Board of Supervisors (Board) approved an expenditure plan for the use of these funds, known as the County Local Fiscal Recovery Spending Plan (Spending Plan), on June 8, 2021 (Item No. 121) and amended the plan on August 24, 2021 (Item No. 21).
Any necessary budget adjustments will be presented to the Board in a future quarterly report should the Chief Executive Officer or County Chief Financial Officer execute an amendment to extend the term of the contract identified in Recommendation No. 1 one additional year, from January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027. Any necessary amendments would be due to post close-out program activities required by the United States Department of the Treasury (U.S. Treasury) for the period after the ARPA Fund’s expenditure eligibility period ending December 31, 2026.
Sufficient appropriation is included in the ARPA Fund’s 2024-25 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On March 11, 2021, ARPA was signed into law and established the $350 billion Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund to distribute resources to state and local governments throughout the nation.
The County established an ARPA Team for the purpose of administering the County’s $423.5 million ARPA Fund. The ARPA Team consists of staff from multiple disciplines that include finance, data analysis, and communications, thereby providing a holistic approach to the County’s Coronavirus pandemic recovery efforts. The ARPA Team collaborates with various community partners such as cities, non-profits, school districts, and other County departments to identify ARPA investment opportunities. In addition, the ARPA Team performs project tracking, evidence-based data evaluation, budget management, and subrecipient monitoring to ensure compliance with the U.S. Treasury guidance and reporting requirements.
Under Recommendation Nos. 1 and 2, the recommended employment contract would engage Michael Hernandez, Certified Public Accountant, to provide services as the ARPA Compliance Analyst, effective December 28, 2024 through December 31, 2026, under the Government Operations expenditure category of the ARPA Spending Plan, with one successive one-year option to extend the contract. The duties of this position include, but are not limited to, financial and cost accounting, auditing, budgeting, reporting, and monitoring the use of ARPA award funds, as required by the U.S. Treasury. Approval of Recommendation No. 4 will direct the Chief Executive Officer to file any amendment to the contract with the Clerk of the Board within 30 days of execution.
Approval of Recommendation No. 3 will approve an employment contract with Katherine Hoenpichai to provide services as the ARPA Project Analyst Assistant, effective December 28, 2024 through December 31, 2026, under the Government Operation expenditure category of the ARPA Spending Plan. The duties of this position include, but are not limited to, ARPA subrecipient monitoring, reporting, invoice processing, project data compilation, and purchase order management.
Approval of this item will provide the ARPA Team with staffing support to replace two recently vacated contract positions to maintain effective management and administrative oversight.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Scott Runyan, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-5455) on November 27, 2024; Human Resources (Gina King, Assistant Director, 387-5560) on December 4, 2024; Finance (Joon Cho, Chief Administrative Analyst, 387-5402) on November 27, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Matthew Erickson, County Chief Financial Officer, 387-5423) on December 3, 2024.