REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
January 09, 2024
FROM
LUTHER SNOKE, Chief Executive Officer, County Administrative Office
SUBJECT
Title
Fiscal Year 2023 Homeland Security Grant Application
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve the submission of grant application documents in the amount of $2,161,778 to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for the Fiscal Year 2023 Homeland Security Grant Program to strengthen emergency preparedness, for the period of September 1, 2023 through May 31, 2026.
2. Adopt Resolution authorizing the Chair of the Board of Supervisors, the Chief Executive Officer, the Deputy Executive Officer, or the Director of Emergency Management to accept related assurances/certifications and proceed with the following actions on behalf of San Bernardino County for the purpose of obtaining federal financial assistance, as requested by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services:
a. Execute and file documents with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for submittal of the grant application.
b. Act as signatories for grant reimbursement claims, performance reports, and other documents required to administer the grant.
c. Execute any non-substantive project modifications and grant amendments that extend the performance period of the grant, subject to review by County Counsel.
3. Authorize the Chair of the Board of Supervisors, the Chief Executive Officer, the Deputy Executive Officer, or the Director of Emergency Management to execute any non-substantive project modifications and amendments in relation to the Fiscal Year 2023 Homeland Security Grant Program application and subsequent grant award, subject to review by County Counsel.
4. Direct the Director of Emergency Management to transmit the application to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Daniel Muñoz, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-5807)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Focus on Recovery and Resiliency Following Major Emergency Responses such as the December 2, 2015 Terrorist Attack (SB Strong) and the Global COVID-19 Pandemic.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The grant application pertaining to the Fiscal Year 2023 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) 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 $2,161,778, as determined by Cal OES through a formula that includes a base amount and per capita calculation. There has been no change in the allocation from the previous year.
The Fiscal Year 2023 HSGP 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 |
$634,582 |
|
Department of Public Health |
$150,148 |
|
Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator |
$551,174 |
|
Jurisdictions |
|
|
Cities |
$600,811 |
|
Consolidated Fire Agencies |
$ 86,912 |
|
San Bernardino County Fire Protection District |
$138,151 |
|
Total |
$2,161,778 |
The distribution of funds reflected in the table above are for County departments/agencies and participating cities/towns within the Operational Area, for projects that align with the goals of HSGP. Allocations to the participating cities/towns are based on a per capita formula. A maximum of five percent of the grant funds ($108,088) will be allocated to the County Office of Emergency Services (OES) for grant management and administration and are included in the $634,582 allocation. Revenue and appropriations will be included in future budget reports. No matching funds are required.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The HSGP was established to strengthen the nation’s homeland preparedness in relation to terrorism, following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. This program allows the Operational Area to continue its efforts in preventing, preparing for, protecting against, and responding to acts of terrorism. OES, the Operational Area’s lead agency, has been receiving HSGP funds annually since the onset of the program to assist with this purpose. Board of Supervisors (Board) approval of this item is required to proceed with submitting the application to Cal OES by the extended deadline of January 31, 2024.
Proposed projects for the Fiscal Year 2023 HSGP funding were collected by OES from participating Operational Area jurisdictions and subsequently approved by the Operational Area’s Approval Authority on January 18, 2023. This Approval Authority is an Anti-Terrorism approval body that provides approval of the Operational Area’s grant application for HSGP funds, as a requirement of the grant. The Approval Authority consists of the following representatives: County Public Health Officer, County Fire Chief, County Sheriff, a Municipal Fire Chief, and a Chief of Police. The Approval Authority of the five members act on behalf of the HSGP in accordance with grant requirements. Eligible projects for grant funding include equipment, planning, organization, exercise, and training costs related to preparedness efforts. The Fiscal Year 2023 HSGP performance period is from September 1, 2023 through May 31, 2026.
Pursuant to County Policy 05-13, Board approval is required because the HSGP application requires acceptance of assurances/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 HSGP 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 of the Fiscal Year 2023 HSGP began on September 1, 2023. Board approval of this item is retroactive to that date. Cal OES commonly releases the Standard Assurances and application documents for Federal Non-Disaster Grant Programs after the beginning of the performance period. The Standard Assurances pertaining to the Fiscal Year 2023 HSGP were received by Cal OES on November 2, 2023.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Grace Parsons, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on December 5, 2023; Finance (Carl Lofton, Administrative Analyst, 387-5404) on December 5, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on December 5, 2023.
.