Councilmembers Supernaw, Allen, Price and Saro Agendize March 9 Item Directing City Mgr. To Seek FEMA SAFER Grant To Help Cover Cost of Fire Engine 17, One Add'l Council Vote Needed To Override City Mgm't Counter-Recommendation
Manager to prepare an application for
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(March 5, 2012, 11:50 a.m.) -- Following up on a story reported earlier today (March 5) by LBREPORT.com, an item has appeard on the supplemental (last minute added) March 9 City Council agenda -- agendized by Councilman Daryl Supernaw, joined by Councilmembers Cindy Allen, Suzie Price and Suely Saro -- that would direct the City Manager to prepare an application for the 2020 FEMA SAFER Grant by the March 12, 2021 deadline that, if approved by FEMA, would help provide continued funding to maintain Fire Engine 17 at Station 17 (2441 Argonne Ave.).
In their agendizing memo, the Councilmembers write:
The City Council directs the City Manager to prepare an application for the 2020 SAFER Grant for submission by the March 12, 2021 deadline. For this funding cycle, the grant will provide $4.8 million to cover the cost of 12 FTE entry level firefighters for Engine 17 over three years to fall within an estimated timeframe of mid-FY 22 through mid-FY 25.
DISCUSSION:
The annual cost of a paramedic assessment fire engine is approximately $3.2 million, meaning the $4.8 million grant would cover approximately 50 percent of the total cost if the engine is staffed with budgeted positions. The 2020 SAFER Grant is more flexible
with fewer requirements than the 2018 grant including: (1) no cost share requirement - the grant pays the full cost of SAFER-funded positions (in the rank of Firefighter only) for up to three years; (2) elimination of the supplanting requirement, which means that the
SAFER-funded positions can be in addition to current staff positions at the time of the grant award rather than budgeted staff positions; and, (3) optional extensions to the performance period, which would allow more time to hire/increase staffing levels to meet
grant requirements.
BACKGROUND:
Located just east of Stearns Park, Station 17 opened on April 21, 1951. For 60 years, Engine 17 served as a critically important component of our City's fire service. With a response area spanning from the 405 Frwy & Redondo in the N/W to 7th & Bellflower in
the S/E, E17's removal in 2011 left a huge hole in the system. The restoration of E17 in 2019 cut citywide response times by a minute. Within Station 17's area, response times were cut by a minute and a half.
EQUITY LENS:
Engine 17's response area includes the 90804 and 90815 zip codes. 90804 is the most densely populated zip code in Long Beach. E17's response area also abuts that of Engine 10, one of the busiest engines in the City. E17 provides coverage for 10's area when
Station 10 (located in CD6) is responding to other emergencies. Equally critical is the fact that without E17 in service, E1 0 is taken out of its own busy area to provide coverage in
Station 17's area.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Due to the urgency of this item, a fiscal impact assessment has not yet been completed.
STATEMENT OF URGENCY:
City Council direction on March 9, 2021 is needed as the deadline for the grant application is March 12, 2021. Final awards are expected around September 2021.
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As reported earlier today (March 5) by LBREPORT.com, in a March 3 non-agendized memo, Long Beach city management informed the Mayor and City Councilmemers that recommends against seeking or accepting the federal (FEMA SAFER) grant AND solicited Councilmembers' opinions on what actions to take. The solicitation in managements March 3 memo states:
[I]t is staff’s assessment that the City is very unlikely to be able to comply with the terms of the SAFER grant and event if accepted, the City would likely have to return the grant money in the future, and therefore, submittal of a grant application is not recommended. If the Council feels differently, staff would need City Council direction by March 9, 2021, as the deadline for the grant application is March 12, 2021. Final awards are expected around September 2021.
If City Council wishes staff to apply, the City Council may also want to consider asking the City Manager identify funds to set aside each year (which may result in other reductions needing to be made to generate these funds) in the proposed budget equal to that year’s
estimated award amount, so that in the event the City needs to return any grant monies received, it could do so without adversely impacting the emergency or operating reserves.
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One additional Councilmember's vote will be necessary to pass the four Councilmembers' item on March 9. If the measure passes, Mayor Robert Garcia could veto it, which the Council can override with two additional Councilmembers' votes (six of nine Council votes.)
Earlier today, LBREPORT.com submitted a complaint letter alleging that city management's solicition memo amounted to a "serial meeting: forbidden by the Brown (open meetings) Act and urged the item's agendizing for Council discussion and voted action. City Manager Modica swifly replied as follows
In an email this morning (March 5, 2021) to the City Manager cc'd to the City Clerk, LBREPORT.com stated:
...No serial meeting occurred. This was a public document that shared the City Manager’s recommendation with the Council and the public. Since I recognize that the Council may feel differently about the recommendation presented by the City Manager, this memo was providing the chance for a Councilmember to agendize an item with enough time to get it on the March 9 public City Council agenda. That has occurred, it was published as part of March 9 supplemental agenda as item 16, and it will be discussed on March 9 with the City Council.
The Councilmembers' agenda item was apparently aleady in the works and didn't become publicly visible until later yesterday (March 4.)
The Councilmembers' agenda item effectively moots LBREPORT.com's complaint letter.
In Jan. 2014 (before Councilman Supernaw took office), a fire broke out in a multi-unit residential building basically across the street from Station 17. As a result of the Council's budget actions, Engine 17 wasn't available to spray water that could knock down the flames. The fire doubled in size roughly every minute until an engine arrived from Station 19 (Clark Ave./Monlaco Rd.) in the 5th Council district. LBREPORT.com reported the story at the time here.
Mr. Supernaw was appalled that a fire could go unstopped virtually across the street from Fire Station 17 and on taking office in 2015, tried to persuade his Council colleagues to restore funding for Engine 17. He got nowhere, even after joining them in putting the 2016 Measure A General Fund ("blank check") sales tax increase on the ballot (with no legally binding guarantees for taxpayers as to its spending.) After voters approved Measure A, the Council restored Engine 8 (Belmont Shore) and Rescue 12 (NLB) but not Engine 17.
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In 2019 (with Supernaw approaching the 2020 election cycle), city management indicated it found one-time (not continuing) Measure A funds and could tap a federal grant to temporarily fund restoring Engine 17 through FY 21 but with no guarantees of continued funding thereafter. Supernaw applauded the action, downplayed its temporary nature and was re-elected in earl 2020 without a challenger.
On August 3, 2020, city management released a FY 21 budget that indicated without additional funding Engine 17 couldbe eliminated a tghe end of FY 21 (Sept. 30l 2021.) Mayor Garcia (who recommended multiple other spending items) didn't recommend providing funding for Engine 17.
At the Aug. 11, 2020 Council budget session, Councilman Supernaw noted that Engine 17 served Central LB areas said eliminating Engine 17 could raise equity issues. "Equity" advocating Councilmembers offered no support nor did ELB Councilwoman Stacy Mungo (whose adjoining 5th dist would be impacted by defunding Engine 17.) Supermaw didn't seek permanent structural restoration of Engine 17 but asked city management to try to find some way to some waiver or other flexibility on a federal grant.
Management's March 3 memo indicates "The City Manager made the request for a waiver to FEMA and followed up with the Ctity’s federal legislative delegation. Unfortunately, on February 18, 2021, the request was denied by FEMA stating that "FEMA didn’t anticipate
any retroactive changes to the 2018 SAFER grant awards."
At issue now is whether Long Beach taxpyers will have a Fire Engine at Fire Station 17 (the ""Captain David Rosa Regional Training Center") or (again) lose a Fire Engine at Fire Station 17 capable of putting out fires.
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