REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
February 6, 2024
FROM
LUTHER SNOKE, Chief Executive Officer, County Administrative Office
SUBJECT
Title
Fiscal Year 2023 Emergency Management Performance Grant Application
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve and authorize the submission of grant application documents to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for the Fiscal Year 2023 Emergency Management Performance Grant, in the amount of $557,970 for the period of July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025.
2. Adopt Resolution authorizing the Chair of the Board of Supervisors, Chief Executive Officer, Deputy Executive Officer, or Director of Emergency Management to proceed with the following actions, on behalf of San Bernardino County, related to the Fiscal Year 2023 Emergency Management Performance Grant for the purpose of obtaining federal financial assistance, as required by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services:
a. Accept related assurances and certifications for the grant application.
b. Execute and file documents with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for submittal of the grant application.
c. Act as signatories for grant reimbursement claims, performance reports, and other documents required to administer the grant.
d. Execute any non-substantive project modifications and grant amendments that extend the performance period of the grant, subject to review by County Counsel.
3. Direct the Director of Emergency Management to transmit the application and any future amendments in relation to the Fiscal Year 2023 Emergency Management Performance Grant to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Crisanta Gonzalez, Director of Emergency Management, 356-3998)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
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 additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The application pertaining to the Fiscal Year 2023 Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) is for federal financial assistance provided by the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). San Bernardino County has been allocated $557,970 as determined by Cal OES. The $557,970 represents a decrease of approximately 18.5% from the prior year’s allocation of $685,313.
The Fiscal Year 2023 EMPG funds will be distributed to the San Bernardino County Operational Area (Operational Area) as reflected in the following table:
|
Subrecipients |
Allocation Amount |
|
County Departments: |
|
|
Office of Emergency Services |
$300,237 |
|
Jurisdictions: |
|
|
Cities and Towns |
$257,733 |
|
Total |
$557,970 |
The distribution of funds reflected in the table above is for the County Office of Emergency Services and participating cities and towns within the Operational Area for projects that align with the goals of the EMPG. The Operational Area consists of San Bernardino County and all of its subdivisions within the county geographical area, including cities and towns within the county boundaries. Allocations to the participating cities and towns are based on a per capita formula. A maximum of five percent of the grant funds, $27,899, will be included in the allocation to the County Office of Emergency Services (OES), as the Operational Area lead agency, for grant management and administration. Revenue and appropriations will be included in future budget reports. This grant requires a dollar-for-dollar match, which can be accomplished through cash or in-kind services. OES will meet the match requirement through personnel costs for allowable emergency management program activities and cities and towns will meet their own match requirements.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The EMPG, which is overseen by FEMA, provides funding to support comprehensive emergency management programs at the state, tribal, and local levels to encourage the improvement of mitigation, prevention, protection, preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities for all emergencies and disasters (natural or man-made). Types of projects eligible for funding include emergency preparedness and response equipment, emergency planning and organization, and emergency exercises and training for disaster preparedness.
The Operational Area was established as an immediate level of the State’s emergency services organization to manage and coordinate emergency preparedness efforts within the County. OES has been receiving EMPG funds since 2004 to assist with these efforts. The Board of Supervisors’ (Board) approval of this item is required to proceed with submitting the application to Cal OES by the February 10, 2024 deadline. The Fiscal Year 2023 EMPG performance period is from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2025.
Pursuant to County Policy 05-13, Board approval is required because the EMPG application requires the acceptance of Standard Assurances and Certifications that are binding upon the County and are a required component of the application process. These documents will also serve as the grant award agreement if funds are awarded to the County. Additionally, a Resolution delegating the authority for management of the grant process is required by Cal OES.
Implementation of the Fiscal Year 2023 EMPG is contingent upon approval from Cal OES. When funding is awarded, a future item will be presented to the Board for acceptance of the grant funds in accordance with County Policy 05-13.
The performance period for the Fiscal Year 2023 EMPG began on July 1, 2023. Board approval of this item is retroactive to that date. The Standard Assurances and Certifications documents pertaining to the Fiscal Year 2023 EMPG were received by Cal OES on October 25, 2023. Following receipt of these items from Cal OES, the documentation is prepared and sent to the subrecipients allowing time for project documentation to be completed and returned. Once the completed documentation is received from the subrecipients, the submitted projects are reviewed for accuracy and completeness and then entered into a Cal OES tracking data sheet, which requires review and pre-approval in advance of the application being presented to the Board. The application deadline is February 10, 2024.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Grace B. Parsons, Deputy County Counsel, 387-3412) on January 29, 2024; Finance (Carl Lofton, Administrative Analyst, 387-5404) on January 4, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on January 5, 2024.