To:   HONORABLE MAYOR AND                   From:   Larry D. Lisenbee

                        CITY COUNCIL                                                        Thomas R. Wheatley   

 

   Subject:   SEE BELOW                                               Date:   October 29, 2003

 

Council District:  City-Wide

 

SUBJECT:     ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 2003-04 COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING SERVICES (COPS) INTEROPERABLE COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY GRANT AND AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE THE GRANT AGREEMENT, AND ADOPTION OF RELATED APPROPRIATION ACTIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2003-04

 

 

RECOMMENDATION

 

It is recommended that the City Council:

1.      Adopt a resolution to accept the U.S. Department of Justice 2003-05 COPS Interoperable Communications Technology grant in the amount of $3,692,162 and authorize the City Manager to execute the related grant agreement.

 

2.      Adopt a resolution to accept the cash match contribution totaling $1,130,722 from the City of Palo Alto ($93,000), the County of Santa Clara – SB720 Funds ($739,680) and the Silicon Valley Regional Interoperability Project Group ($298,042).

 

3.      Adopt the following amendments to the Annual Appropriation Ordinance and Funding Sources Resolution in the General Fund for Fiscal Year 2003-04:

 

a)      Establish a City-wide appropriation to the Police Department for COPS 2003-04 Interoperable Communications Grant in the amount of $4,822,884;

 

b)      Increase the Earned Revenue Estimate from the Federal Government by $3,692,162;

 

c)      Increase the Earned Revenue Estimate from Local Agencies by $1,130,722.

 

 

BACKGROUND

 

One of the major issues facing the emergency services sector is the inability of emergency service workers including traditional “first responders” to communicate with one another when the need arises.  The U.S. Department of Justice has established a new grant program designed to assist Police departments in obtaining communications systems that function between agencies during terrorist attacks and other times of crisis.  San Jose is one of 74 cities selected nationally to participate in this Interoperable Communications Grant program. San Jose, in conjunction with the Silicon Valley Regional Interoperability Project Group (SVRIP), prepared the grant application which demonstrated how the funding will help all agencies in the Santa Clara County region achieve interoperability among the fire service, law enforcement and emergency medical service communities.  The SVRIP is comprised of members of all the cities in the county (Campbell, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, San Jose, and Santa Clara), as well as the County of Santa Clara Sheriff’s Office.   The grant funds provide infrastructure upgrades, enhancement and expansion of the radio communications network county-wide.  The project includes upgrading the microwave network for the City of San Jose and the County of Santa Clara and establishing microwave links in North, South and West areas of the County to provide complete communications coverage.  There is a grant match requirement that is being met through contributions from Palo Alto, SB720 funds through the County of Santa Clara and SVRIP funds.

 

In order for the San Jose Police Department to start using these funds, acceptance of the grant, execution of the grant agreement, acceptance of the cash match contributions and a related appropriation of funds are required.

 

 

ANALYSIS

 

The City of San Jose is acting as the lead agency in the COPS Interoperable Communications Technology Program and will be acting as the procurement agency for the other participating jurisdictions.  San Jose has an established microwave network and, along with the County of Santa Clara, acts as the first source of mutual aid to other jurisdictions in times of need.  SVRIP has worked over the last two years to establish the criteria and requirements needed for the County to achieve interoperability.  Other funding sources have been used to upgrade Police and Fire portable radios.  Fire radios were upgraded using Construction and Conveyance Tax monies; Police hand-pack radios were upgraded using Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Funds, Local Law Enforcement Block Grant and Construction and Conveyance Tax funds over the last 18 months.

 

The COPS Interoperable Communications Technology grant in the amount of $4,922,884 is for the period of September 1, 2003 through August 31, 2004, and includes the following: $3,692,162 in federal grant funds, $100,000 in matching funds from the City, and $1,130,722 in matching funds from the City of Palo Alto, the County of Santa Clara (SB 720), and the Silicon Valley Regional Interoperability Project.  The grant will primarily fund Microwave radio site equipment and site preparation to achieve complete microwave radio coverage in the Santa Clara County area.

 

PUBLIC OUTREACH

 

Not applicable.   

 

 

COORDINATION

 

This memorandum has been coordinated with the Information Technology Department, Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement, the City Manager’s Budget Office, and the Office of the City Attorney.

 

 

COST IMPLICATIONS

 

A twenty-five percent cash match ($1,230,722) is required as part of this grant.  The match funding sources will be achieved from the following sources:

 

City of San Jose                                                           $100,000

City of Palo Alto                                                           $  93,000

County of Santa Clara (SB720)                                    $739,680

Silicon Valley Regional Interoperability Project  $298,042

                                                                                 $1,230,722

 

The City of San Jose has already appropriated $100,000 for this project in the Police Department’s General Fund Non-Personal Appropriation) in the 2002-03 Annual Report approved by City Council on October 14, 2003 (item 3.4).

 

Maintenance costs related to the infrastructure is already built into the Information Technology Department’s Construction and Conveyance Tax Fund as San Jose will be upgrading existing microwave sites, not increasing the number of sites.  Maintenance costs associated with sites in locations other than the City of San Jose are the responsibility of the agency where the microwave site will be located. 

 

This Council agenda item is in line with the General Principles of the Mayor’s Budget Strategy in that special grant funds are being utilized to provide more efficient and cost-effective delivery of  emergency services.

 

 

CEQA Reference

 

Resolution No. 65459, PP03-10-345

 

 

                        THOMAS R. WHEATLEY                             LARRY D. LISENBEE

                        Acting Chief of Police                                       Budget Director

 

 

I hereby certify that there will be available for appropriation in the General Fund in the Fiscal Year 2003-04, moneys in excess of those heretofore appropriated therefrom, said excess being at least $4,822,884.

 

 

LARRY D. LISENBEE

Budget Director