For City Council Meeting March 10, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Tanya Williams, City Manager
FROM: Yazdan Emrani, P.E., Director of Public Works
Title
Request City Council to: (1) Approve a Mutual Aid Cooperative Agreement with San Bernardino County Public Works for Repair, Maintenance, and Emergency Work, on a Project-by-Project Basis, in an Amount Not To Exceed $100,000 Annually for a Five-Year Period Ending on June 30, 2031; (2) Approve a Mutual Aid Cooperative Agreement with San Bernardino County Flood Control District Repair, Maintenance, and Emergency Work, on a Project-by-Project Basis, in an Amount Not To Exceed $100,000 Annually for a Five-Year Period Ending on June 30, 2031; and (3) Authorize the City Manager or their designee to Execute All Documents.
(ACTION)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) Approve a Mutual Aid Cooperative Agreement with San Bernardino County Public Works in an amount not to exceed $100,000 annually for a five-year period ending June 30, 2031;
2) Approve a Mutual Aid Cooperative Agreement with San Bernardino County Flood Control District in an amount not to exceed $100,000 annually for a five-year period ending June 30, 2031; and
3) Authorize the City Manager or their designee to execute all documents.
BACKGROUND
The San Bernardino County Public Works Department and Flood Control District, collectively referred to as the County, previously established mutual aid agreements that allow the City and the County to provide mutual aid and maintenance assistance to one another for low-value routine tasks across jurisdictional boundaries.
The County began discussing the concept of mutual aid after the widespread floods throughout the region in 2010, when the County received numerous requests from various cities for assistance. Unfortunately, without a formal agreement in place, the County was unable to provide mutual aid. To address this, the County adopted a mutual aid model based on those established in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, creating its own mutual aid programs to complement the larger Los Angeles and Orange County programs.
On April 12, 2016, the City Council approved new mutual aid agreements with the County for a total not-to-exceed amount of $25,000 each per project and up to $100,000 during a fiscal year for Public Works and the Flood Control District. These agreements expired in June 2019.
Then, on November 9, 2021, the City Council authorized a second round of mutual aid agreements with the County, again capping each project at $25,000 and limiting the total to $100,000 during a fiscal year for Public Works and the Flood Control District. These agreements will remain in effect until June 30, 2026.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
The County has developed new mutual aid Cooperative Agreements for both County Public Works and the County Flood Control District. Entering into these agreements establishes a clear process to receive and/or provide reimbursable voluntary assistance during a declared emergency. Agencies providing aid will be reimbursed for their expenses by the requesting jurisdiction. Furthermore, if the Governor or the President declares a disaster, agencies that have received assistance under this agreement can request reimbursement from the State and Federal governments.
The agreements outline the following tasks related to the agreement with the Public Works Department and separately with the Flood Control District:
Public Works Department
• Tasks may include, but are not limited to, maintenance and emergency repairs of streets and highways, fencing, drainage facilities, grading, soil stabilization on dirt roads, storm debris cleanup, striping, chip sealing, and paving.
• Establishes a not-to-exceed contract amount of $60,000 per individual project.
• Establishes a maximum annual contract amount of $100,000.
• The term of the contract will begin from the date the agreement is approved by both the City and County and will terminate on June 30, 2031.
Flood Control District
• Tasks may include, but are not limited to, Maintenance and emergency repair of flood control facilities, access roads, storm debris cleanup, fencing repair, minor excavation, culvert repair, and drainage repairs.
• Establishes a not-to-exceed contract amount of $60,000 per individual project.
• Establishes a maximum annual contract amount of $100,000.
• The term of the contract will begin from the date the agreement is approved by both the City and County and will terminate on June 30, 2031.
The proposed mutual aid Cooperative Agreement with the County Public Works is included as Attachment 1, and the agreement with the County Flood Control District is included as Attachment 2. A map of the cooperative agreement area is included as Attachment 3. Staff recommends that the City Council approve the mutual aid Cooperative Agreements to enable both agencies to assist each other during declared emergencies.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The proposed action is not a “Project” as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Pursuant to Section 15378(a), a “Project” means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. According to Section 15378(b), a Project does not include: (5) Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
This action is consistent with Guiding Principle 3A in the General Plan:
Our City government will lead by example, and will operate in an open, transparent, and responsive manner that meets the needs of the citizens and is a good place to do business.
Approval of this action also complies with the following City of Rialto General Plan Goal:
Goal 3-6: Require that all developed areas within Rialto are adequately served with essential public services and infrastructure.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed the Resolutions and approved them as to form.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Operating Budget Impact
The Mutual Aid Agreement with the San Bernardino County Public Works Department is for the not-to-exceed amount of $60,000 per project, and up to a total of $100,000 per fiscal year.
Similarly, the Mutual Aid Agreement with the San Bernardino County Flood Control is also for the not-to-exceed amount of $60,000 per project, and up to a total of $100,00 per fiscal year.
Budget and funding sources will be identified if or when an emergency project or need is identified. Reimbursement of expenses would also be pursued from appropriate sources.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
The proposed actions will not have an impact on the Capital Improvement Budget.
Licensing
The proposed actions do not require payment of a Business License tax or Administration and State fees.