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El Cerrito Municipal Services Corporation Date: To: From: Subject: February 6, 2012 El Cerrito Municipal Services Corporation Board Lori Trevino, Redevelopment Manager Grant Award for Emergency Radio Equipment ACTION REQUESTED Agenda Report Item No.4(C) Adopt a resolution awarding a $273,000 grant to the City of El Cerrito Fire Department for purchase of radio equipment associated with the East Bay Regional Communication System. BACKGROUND Fire Chief Lance Maples of the City of El Cerrito Fire Department has requested a grant from the Corporation for the purchase of radio equipment to be used by the City's Fire, Police, Public Works and Recreation Departments. The request is included as Attachment 2 to this report. The City has an agreement with the East Bay Regional Communication System (EBRCS) Joint Power Authority (JPA), which has the goal of constructing a regional interoperable radio system in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. The JP A, the Police and Fire Departments, and the vendor Motorola have identified grants and other funding for the radio system. Participating with EBRCS has enabled El Cerrito to save money and share the costs of installing, programming and maintaining the system. The City Fire Department also took the lead on pursuing funding for the fire departments and districts in Contra Costa County and was able to secure a Regional Assistance to Firefighter Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for $2,662,400, to be matched with $665,600 from the fire departments and districts. To take advantage of this investment in the regional system, the City still needs its own equipment and is looking for a source of gap funding. The cost of radios, installation and accessories to meet the needs of the City's Police, Recreation and Public Works Departments is approximately $451,000. The Fire Department's radios will cost about $475,000, but since eighty percent of which will be funded by the FEMA grant, the Fire Department's share is $95,000. Therefore, the City's total cost will be $546,000. The City is able to fund $273,000 through its vehicle and equipment replacement fund and is requesting a matching grant for that same amount from the El Cerrito Municipal Services Corporation. It would reduce the burden on the City of having to finance the remaining $273,000 with General Fund money or an equipment lease. ---PAGE BREAK--- Agenda Item No. 4( C) ANALYSIS The Corporation's charitable and public purpose is to benefit and support the City of El Cerrito and the El Cerrito Redevelopment Agency, and to lessen the burdens of government of the City and the Agency. More specifically, the purposes are combating blight; contributing to physical improvements, providing and expanding economic opportunities, assisting activities and programs that will lessen neighborhood tensions, and combating community deterioration. Assisting the City with its radio purchase addresses these purposes in various ways. The Police, Fire, Public Works and Recreation Departments all have a role in projects, programs and services that improve and maintain physical, economic, social, and safety conditions in the community. Given the Fire Department's tremendous effort on behalf of other agencies in the region and other departments within the City, the remaining funding gap for El Cerrito's equipment purchase is small. A grant from the Corporation to match the City's investment would be of benefit to the El Cerrito community and in keeping with the Corporation's charitable purpose. fiNANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS The Corporation has sufficient reserves to award $273,000 to the City and no additional appropriations are needed at this time. LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS The actions being considered are consistent with California Corporations Law, the Corporation's public and charitable purposes, its Amended and Restated Bylaws, and the Board's previous actions. Reviewed by: fo.tj~~D' t co antn, xecu tve tree or Attachments: 1. Resolution awarding a $273,000 grant to the City of El Cerrito Fire Department for purchase of radio equipment 2. Letter Request from City ofEl Cerrito Fire Chief Lance Maples Page 2 ---PAGE BREAK--- Agenda Item No. 4(C) Attachment 1 MUNICIPAL SERVICES CORPORATION RESOLUTION NO. XXX RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THEEL CERRITO MUNICIPAL SERVICES CORPORATION AWARDING A $273,000 GRANT TO THE CITY OF EL CERRITO FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR PURCHASE OF RADIO EQUIPMENT WHEREAS, the Corporation is a nonprofit public benefit corporation organized under the California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation Law for charitable purposes; and WHEREAS, the specific charitable and public purposes for which the Corporation is organized are to benefit and support the City of El Cerrito (the "City") and the El Cerrito Redevelopment Agency (the "Agency"), in accordance with Section 509(a)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and to lessen the burdens of government of the City and the Agency by utilizing private and public funding sources to combat community blight and deterioration in the City and contribute to the physical improvement of the City; providing and expanding economic opportunities for low and moderate income households in the City; encouraging and stimulating economic development within the City by assisting the Agency to eliminate blight within the Agency's project areas; and implementing and assisting the Agency in redevelopment activities and programs that will lessen neighborhood tensions, and combat community deterioration; and WHEREAS, the City's Police, Fire, Public Works and Recreation Departments will be purchasing $926,000 in radio equipment, leveraging participation in East Bay Regional Communication System Joint Power Authority, which is constructing a regional interoperable radio system for Alameda and Contra Costa Counties; and WHEREAS, the City Fire Department secured over $2.6 million in grant funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to benefit fire fighting agencies in Contra Costa County, $380,000 of which will go towards paying for the City Fire Department's equipment purchase; and WHEREAS, the City's remaining cost for radio equipment is $546,000, for which it has identified $273,000 in its equipment replacement fund; and WHEREAS, the City has requested a grant from the Corporation to match its $273,000 investment, and WHEREAS, a grant by the Corporation for purchase of radio equipment would reduce the burden on the City of financing the remaining $273,000 with its General Fund money, as well as leverage the City's participation in the regional system and the Fire Department's tremendous success in securing other grant funds for the City and other agencies in the region; and WHEREAS, contributing towards the City's purchase of radio equipment would fall within the Corporation's charitable and public purposes. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, The Board finds that the above recitals are true and correct. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board does hereby award the City of El Cerrito $273,000 for the purchase of radio equipment for the Fire, Police, Public Works and Recreation Departments. ---PAGE BREAK--- Agenda Item No. 4(C) Attachment 1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption. I CERTIFY that at a regular meeting on February 6, 2012, the Board of Directors of the El Cerrito Municipal Services Corporation passed this Resolution by the following vote: AYES: BOARD MEMBERS: NOES: BOARD MEMBERS: ABSENT: BOARD MEMBERS: IN WITNESS of this action, I sign this document on February_, 2012. Chery I Morse, Secretary APPROVED: William C. Jones III, Board Chairperson ---PAGE BREAK--- EL OERR.ITC Fire Department January 6, 2012 Lori Trevino El Cerrito Municipal Services Corporation 1 0890 San Pablo A venue El Cerrito, CA 94530 RE: Grant Request for Radio Purchase for Public Safety Dear Ms. Trevino: Agenda Item No. 4(C) Attachment 2 I am writing to request consideration by the Board of Directors of the El Cerrito Municipal Services Corporation of a grant to the City of El Cerrito Fire Department for purchase of radio equipment. The City has an agreement-with the East Bay Regional Communication System (EBRCS) Joint Power Authority (JPA). The goal of the JPA is to construct a state of the art, regional interoperable radio system, to replace a patchwork of unlike systems in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. The Counties are nearing attainment of that goal. Alameda County initiated a procurement process on behalf of the JP A and selected the EBRCS radio system designed by Motorola. With the completion of the Alameda County and Contra Costa County cells, the system will be available for use to all stakeholders which includes of 36 member agencies consisting of both counties, 29 cities, 4 special districts, and the University of California. The EBRCS JP A, Motorola, Police and Fire Departments have been examining financing for the radio system which incorporates a combination of grants and bonds. Alameda and Contra Costa Counties are taking advantage of existing funding sources such as grants and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act bonds to fund the remaining infrastructure for the radio system. However, even without EBRCS and these grant and bond funds, El Cerrito needs to purchase radios. Participating with EBRCS has enabled El Cerrito to save money by taking advantage of the competitive bid process. Members of the EBRCS are bearing various costs of installing, programming and maintaining the system. The City of El Cerrito will own the equipment it purchases outright. Today, I was notified that an application for a Regional Assistance to Firefighter Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fund radio equipment was successful. The El Cerrito Fire Department submitted the application on behalf of all the Fire Departments and Fire Districts in Contra Costa County. The total award is $3,328,000. The Federal share is 80% or $2,662,400 of the approved amount and the 20% match or $665,600 will be shared by all the Fire Departments and Fire Districts in Contra Costa County. Therefore, the El Cerrito Fire Department will only need to fund 20% of its purchase. 10900 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, CA 94530 ---PAGE BREAK--- The Police, Recreation and Public Works Departments are also participating in the radio purchase. Between the three departments, the total cost of radios, installation and accessories is approximately $451,000. The Police Department will receive 95 radios with accessories for $355,000. Public Works accounts for 23 radios, which comes to $81,000. The Recreation Department accounts for 4 radios and 1 base station at a cost of$15,000. The Fire Department will be purchasing 84 units at a total cost of approximately $475,000, 80% of which will be funded by the FEMA grant. The Fire Department's share of the cost is $95,000. The total cost to the City for the radio purchase will be $546,000. The City is able to fund $273,000 through its vehicle and equipment replacement fund. I am requesting a matching grant for that same amount from the El Cerrito Municipal Services Corporation. It would reduce the burden on the City of having to finance the remaining $273,000 with General Fund money, and be a tremendous benefit to the El Cerrito community in terms of public safety. I appreciate the Board's consideration and hope that the Corporation will be part of the City's effort to improve public safety for the community in a cost effective manner. Regar~;/'Jf/wtA anceMa s 1 Fire Chie