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Date: To: From: AGENDA BILL Agenda Item No. 5(8) February 6, 2012 El Cerrito City Council Stephen Pree, Public Works Environmental Programs Manager Jerry Bradshaw, Public Works Director/City Engineer Subject: Application for Proposition 40 and 84 Urban Forestry Grant Program Funds to Develop a Municipal Tree Inventory ACTION REQUESTED Adopt a resolution that approves the following actions: 1. Approves the filing of an application for "PROPOSITION 40 and 84" urban forestry grant program funds; 2. Certifies that the City has or will have sufficient funds to operate and maintain the project; 3. Certifies that funds under the jurisdiction of the City are available to begin the project; 4. Certifies that the City will expend grant funds prior to March 30, 2014; and 5. Authorizes the City Manager, or his designee, as agent of the City to conduct all negotiations, execute and submit all documents including, but not limited to applications, agreements, amendments, payment requests and so on, which may be necessary for the completion of the project. DISCUSSION In 2002 California voters passed Proposition 40 Resources Bond, which allocated $1 0 million to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for grants for urban forestry programs pursuant to the California Urban Forestry Act of 1978. In 2006 California voters also passed Proposition 84, the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control and Coastal Protection Bond including $180 million for forest conservation. Together these bonds provide funds to the State Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for urban forestry programs. The City of El Cerrito adopted an Urban Forestry Management Plan in 2007 with the following goals: 1. Establishing and maintaining a citywide commitment to a healthy, growtng urban forest in the City of El Cerrito. ---PAGE BREAK--- Agenda Item No. 5(8) 2. Integrate the principles of the Urban Forest Management Plan into subsequent documents required by or in support of the City of El Cerrito General Plan. 3. Provide · consistent funding for an urban forestry effort that reflects the importance of the urban forest to the public. 4. Provide excellent professional maintenance for the City's urban forest. The second goal includes an action to "cotnbine and input the data contained within the Landscape Management Plan and the Street Tree Inventory into an urban forest software I urban forest database." Currently the City lacks such software. The City's existing tree inventory compiled in 2003 and 2005 is in three separate parts on Excel spreadsheets and consists of 15,879 trees. The inventories do not include information on the trees along the Ohlone Greenway and in the Hillside Natural Area. The objective of this grant application is to compile a thorough and dynamic tree inventory with software that is compatible with our City GIS system and work order program. The initial inventory data will be collected by a contracted certified arborist on all City trees and will include location, size, health, risk assessment, and attributes of the surrounding environment. The information collected will help prioritize tree maintenance, pruning, planting and removal plans as well as serve the community with information on the City Trees. As trees are maintained in the future, the database will be updated with all activity for each tree thereby creating a dynamic database. This will greatly enhance future maintenance efforts and programming for the urban forest as a whole. Another objective will be to use the tree inventory with other available software to aid in assigning economic and environmental values to the community forest and individual trees for use in budget decisions and storm water and clean air regulation compliance including greenhouse gas calculations. The work of the future City tree committee will be enhanced with the use of the data base and GIS layer. With access to the City tree inventory and GIS the committee will have visual reference points to aid in decision making for the community. A link to the City GIS coupled with a descriptive tree selection list link on the City web site will allow residents to select a sustainable tree species for the City's residential adopt-a tree program. The inventory information, the tree selection guide, GIS and tree values will be used to educate anyone using the City web site as to the cultural characteristics, monetary value, environmental benefits and attributes of the trees in the City of El Cerrito community forest. Public Works staff submitted the concept application for this grant in September 2011. CalFire reviewed it and ranked it eligible for the next step in the Inventory grant program. The final proposal application is due February 28, 2012 and requires a supporting City Council Resolution. Page 2 ---PAGE BREAK--- Agenda Item No. 5(8) FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS The 2011-2012 Cal Fire Urban or Community Forest Inventory Grant Program requires a 25% local match. The total cost is estimated to be $74,338 with $55,753 funded by grant funds and $18,585 coming from the City's Landscape and Lighting fund. Upkeep of the database will be performed by Public Works staff on an ongoing basis. Reviewed by: Attachment: 1. Accompanying Resolution Page 3 ---PAGE BREAK--- RESOLUTION 2011-XX Agenda Item No. S(B) Attachment 1 RESOLUTION OF THEEL CERRITO CITY COUNCIL APPROVING AN APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDS FROM THE URBAN FORESTRY GRANT PROGRAM ENTITLED, "AN URBAN FOREST FOR EVERY CITY," AS PROVIDED THROUGH PROPOSITION 40 AND/OR PROPOSITION 84 WHEREAS, the Governor of the State of California in cooperation with the California State Legislature has enacted Propositions 40 and 84, which provide funds to the State of California and its political subdivisions for the urban forestry programs; and WHEREAS, the State Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has been delegated the responsibility for the administration of the program within the State, setting up necessary procedures governing application by local agencies and non-profit organizations under the program; and WHEREAS, said procedures established by the State Department of Forestry and Fire Protection require the applicant to certify by resolution the approval of application before submission of said application to the State; and WHEREAS, the applicant will enter into an agreement with the State of California to carry out an urban forestry project; NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of El Cerrito hereby: 1. Approves the filing of an application for "PROPOSITION 40 and 84" urban forestry grant program funds. 2. Certifies that said applicant has or will have sufficient funds to operate and maintain the project. 3. Certifies that funds under the jurisdiction of the City ofEl Cerrito are available to begin the project. 4. Certifies that said applicant will expend grant funds prior to March 30, 2014. 5. Authorizes the City Manager, or a designee, as agent of the City ofEl Cerrito to conduct all negotiations, execute and submit all documents including, but not limited to applications, agreements, amendments, payment requests and so on, which may be necessary for the completion of the aforementioned project. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution shall become effective immediately upon passage and adoption. I CERTIFY that at a regular meeting on February 6, 2012 the City Council of the City ofEl Cerrito passed this Resolution by the following vote: AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: ---PAGE BREAK--- Agenda Item No. S(B) Attachment 1 IN WITNESS of this action, I sign this document and affix the corporate seal of the City ofEl Cerrito on February XX, 2012. Cheryl Morse, City Clerk APPROVED: William Jones III, Mayor