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1/2 Ogden City Council Meeting: March 28, 2017 PROPOSED JOINT RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY’S APPLICATION FOR A WATERSMART DROUGHT RESILIENCY GRANT Action: Adopt/not adopt Joint Resolution 2017-3 Executive Summary The Ogden City Water Utility is requesting the Council and Mayor approval a joint resolution authorizing an application for a WaterSMART drought resiliency grant offered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The grant requires matching funds from the City and the proposal is to request $25,000 in funds from the Bureau of Reclamation with the City contributing $47,459 in matching funds and in-kind contributions. The grant would be put toward the City’s efforts to help residents install smart irrigation systems. Background As part of the City’s water conservation efforts, the City’s Water Utility is preparing to submit an application for a grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART grant program. The grant program is designed to encourage water conservation and energy savings. As part of the application for funding, an official resolution from the authorizing funding body is required. The proposed joint resolution would act as that authorization and would be submitted as part of the grant application. Current Proposal The current proposal is to have the Council and Mayor adopt a joint resolution authorizing the Water Utility’s application for the WaterSMART grant. The total amount associated with the application and program totals $72,459. This amount consists of a request for $25,000 in grant funding and $47,459 in the City’s match funds and in- kind contributions. As proposed, the City’s required match would come from both a line item budget appropriation as well as in-kind contributions. The Water Utility has indicated that there is currently funding available in the Utility’s budget specific to water conservation that would be used as the cash match. In addition, the City’s in-kind contributions are proposed to consist of wages, benefits, and other administrative costs related to a City staff member’s work on the program itself. Matt Haack is the City’s Water Conservation Coordinator and is the person that would be tasked ---PAGE BREAK--- 2/2 Ogden City Council Meeting: March 28, 2017 with administering the program. The combined line item funding and in- kind contributions total $47,459. The program is designed to help incentivize residents to install irrigation controls that adjust watering levels with the changes in weather and precipitation. These ‘smart’ controllers adjust watering based on local forecasts and weather conditions. These controllers help to reduce overwatering during periods of increase rainfall, cooler temperatures, and during the “shoulder seasons”, i.e. spring and fall, when the need for watering is reduced. The program is intended to work as a rebate offer. In order for a resident to qualify for a rebate, the resident must agree to install a qualified smart controller, agree to receive a water audit and agree to correct any deficiencies found during the audit, and must agree to use the controller for at least one year. Attachments 1. Transmittal 2. Joint Resolution 2017-3 3. Grant Application Council Staff Contact: Glenn Symes, AICP (801) 629-8164 ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- 2017-3 ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK---