For City Council Meeting [August 10, 2021]
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Marcus Fuller, City Manager
FROM: Sean Grayson, Fire Chief
Title
Request City Council to Provide Direction to Staff Regarding the Various Federal Funding Requests and Authorization of Required Local Funds for Projects Included in the Federal 2022 Fiscal Year Budget.
(ACTION)
Body
BACKGROUND
On March 15, 2021, the City was notified of pending appropriations funding requests (formerly referred to as earmarks, now called Community Project Funding) from federal legislative programs. The deadline for submission was March 29, 2021. Staff reviewed the requirements for submission within the various funding bills, existing or former grant requests that met the requirements and new department specific projects that would meet the stated requirements. A tentative list of projects, both transportation and non-transportation, were presented to the Economic Development Committee for consideration on March 24, 2021. The EDC made recommendations to both eliminate and add projects from Staff’s proposed list. Project funding requests were submitted and staff subsequently worked with congressional staff to refine submissions consistent with funding requirements. Several funding requests have been supported by legislators and are moving through the federal budget process.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
Funding requests were required to be categorized by federal appropriations bill, agency and account and were subject to maximum funding restrictions. Unlike previous allocations from the State budget process most federal funding requests were subject to matching funds. Matching funds would be allocated from department budget funds, existing project funding or in-kind funding depending upon the source and legislative program providing the federal funding.
Submissions within Congressman Aguilar’s district (CA-31) included:
Alder Avenue Improvements at Interstate 210 Interchange
This is an existing City project for which any federal award would reduce the contribution of other City funding.
Federal Request: $2,000,000
Local Match: $1,500,000
Total Project Cost: $3,500,000
Transportation Project
Riverside Avenue Reconstruction from Interstate 210 to Foothill Blvd.
This is an existing City project for which any federal award would reduce the contribution of other City funding.
Federal Request: $3,000,000
Local Match: $2,500,000
Total Project Cost: $5,500,000
Transportation Project
Baseline Storm Drain Flood Mitigation Project
This is an existing City project for which any federal award would reduce the contribution of other City funding.
Federal Request: $1,000,000
Local Match: $10,000,000
Total Project Cost: $11,000,000
Subcommittee / Appropriations Bill: Homeland Security
Agency: FEMA
Account: Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grants
Dormitory Improvements For Modesty and Equity for Fire Stations 203 and 204
This is an identified need by the fire department but not currently funded. Additional funding request to offset and local match was made under state budget request through California Senator Leyva.
Federal Request: $800,000
Local Match: $100,000
Total Project Cost: $900,000
Subcommittee / Appropriations Bill: Transportation-HUD
Agency: HUD
Account: Economic Development Initiative
Axon Body 3, Body-Worn Camera System for Field Personnel
This is an identified need by the police department and is partially funded through a multi-year request. Any federal award would reduce the contribution of other City funding.
Federal Request: $930,633.57
Local Match: $230,633.57
Total Project Cost: $930,633.57
District: Aguilar
Subcommittee / Appropriations Bill: Commerce, Justice, Science
Agency: Justice
Account: COPS Technology and Equipment
Submissions within Congresswoman Torres’ district (CA-35) included:
Randall Avenue Widening at Flood Control Channel
This is an existing City project for which any federal award would reduce the contribution of other City funding.
Federal Request: $1,750,000
Local Match: $750,000
Total Project Cost: $2,500,000
Transportation Project
Street Overlay & Reconstruction Project Riverside from Interstate 10 (Slover Ave) to City Limit
This is an existing City project for which any federal award would reduce the contribution of other City funding.
Federal Request: $3,000,000
Local Match: $7,250,000
Total Project Cost: $10,250,000
Transportation Project
Emergency Operations Center
This is an identified need by the fire department and City but not currently funded. The requested funding is for a manufactured structure solution at an existing City facility (Fire Station 205 has been identified as the preferred site by the Fire Chief in that the site has utilities and improvements with a compacted pad available for the proposed manufactured EOC facility). It should be noted that the project cost estimate does not include the cost of land, equipment or supplies. The requested funds were subject to maximum limit and required 25% cash or in-kind match. An original state funding request of $4,500,000 for a conventionally-built EOC facility was presented to City Council on February 11, 2020 for submittal to Assembly Member Reyes, however, that funding request was not approved. In its replacement, Staff submitted a reduced scope/cost request for an EOC facility through the federal funding request process.
Federal Request: $862,500
Local Match: $287,500
Total Project Cost: $1,150,000
Subcommittee / Appropriations Bill: Homeland Security Appropriations
Agency: FEMA
Account: Emergency Operations Center Grants
Emergency Power Generator for the Grace Vargas Senior Center, Fitness & Aquatic Center Complex, and Mobile Redundancy Solution
This is an identified need by the public works department and is partially funded through a multi-year request. Any federal award would reduce the contribution of other City funding.
Federal Request: $220,000
Local Match: $65,000
Total Project Cost: $285,000
Subcommittee / Appropriations Bill: Homeland Security
Agency: FEMA
Account: Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grants
Lake Rialto
This is an existing City project for which any federal award would reduce the contribution of other City funding.
Federal Request: $1,050,000
Local Match: $500,000
Total Project Cost: $1,550,000
Subcommittee / Appropriations Bill: Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Agency: EPA
Account: State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG)
Police Fleet Camera System
This is an identified need by the police department and is partially funded through a multi-year request. Any federal award would reduce the contribution of other City funding. The entire project is under the maximum request and no local match is required under this account.
Federal Request: $ 396,013.60
Local Match: $0
Total Project Cost: $396,013.60
Subcommittee / Appropriations Bill: Commerce, Justice, Science
Agency: Justice
Account: COPS Technology and Equipment
Several of the submissions have been reported to be supported and moving through the legislative process. It is not known if or when any of the submissions may be approved. In this action the City Council could authorize any approved submission and its related match and/or remove any submission from consideration. Unless otherwise approved or removed from consideration by the City Council any submission approved in the federal budget will be brought to a future City Council meeting for consideration of approval and funding allocation.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
This report 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.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed and supports this staff report.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Operating Budget Impact
It is unknown if the US Congress will ultimately pass a budget bill that incorporates the federal funding requests previously known as “earmarks”. To the extent a budget bill is adopted including any one or more of the City’s funding requests, depending upon the project funded there may be operational budget impacts (i.e. maintenance costs associated with new dormitory facilities or EOC).
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
It is unknown if the US Congress will ultimately pass a budget bill that incorporates the federal funding requests previously known as “earmarks”. To the extent a budget bill is adopted including any one or more of the City’s funding requests, depending upon the project funded there will be imposed on the City a requirement to provide the local match associated with the funding request. For the Transportation Projects, these are projects currently funded with various sources of funds, and the federal funds will otherwise reduce the local funding previously committed (thus a local match is already budgeted). For the Fire Department Dormitory or EOC projects, these are new projects not previously funded, and the local match would require an appropriation by Council.
Licensing
No licensing fees are required as part of this action.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council provide direction as appropriate regarding the various federal funding requests submitted and to authorize the local funds required to the extent one or more of the funding requests are ultimately included in the Federal 2022 Fiscal Year Budget.