Title
RESOLUTION NO. 2014-044 OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA APPROVING AN AGREEMENT WITH THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO FOR THE NEXT GENERATION REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
Recommended Action
Council adopt the resolution.
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SUMMARY
The County of San Diego is upgrading the Regional Communications System (RCS) and the City of Chula Vista must enter into an agreement expressing the City’s interest in continuing to participate in the new Next Generation Regional Communications System (Next Gen RCS). This system provides critical first responder communications throughout the County of San Diego. The City must approve an agreement with the County of San Diego in order to utilize the new Next Gen RCS.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This proposed activity has been reviewed for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and it has been determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines because it will not result in a physical change in the environment; therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c) (3) of the State CEQA Guidelines, the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no environmental review is necessary.
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION
Not Applicable
DISCUSSION
In 1995, the County of San Diego and most of the local governments and agencies entered into an agreement entitled the “San Diego County - Imperial County Regional Communications System Agreement Between the County of San Diego and Participating Cities and Jurisdictions Regarding the Implementation, Governance, Method of Funding and Costs of a Regional Radio System Providing Communication Services to Public Safety and Public Service Agencies operating in San Diego County and Imperial County” (1995 RCS Agreement). This agreement provided funding and governance to the County of San Diego so that a comprehensive communications systems could be built throughout San Diego and Imperial counties. This communications system allows first responder agencies the ability to communicate with each other via a shared radio system. This significantly enhances the ability for agencies to communicate with each other during emergency events where multiple agencies/departments may be responding. The City of Chula Vista has been a participating member of the RCS since 1996.
The RCS infrastructure is approaching the end of its life cycle and must be replaced. The County of San Diego has been working with member RCS partner agencies to plan for the replacement of the RCS system with a “Next Generation” public safety interoperable communications system which will comply with Federal Communications System (FCC) and the national Association of Public Safety Communications Officials Project 25 standards. These regulations set in place standards for communication systems which allow for interoperability between different cities, agencies, and various state and federal agencies. This has been done to ensure that during emergency events, various public safety and emergency response personnel can communicate with each other.
The County of San Diego’s RCS Management Team has developed a plan, which has been presented and vetted through the RCS partners and the RCS Board. The Next Gen RCS replacement project is projected to occur over the course of several years with a contract award anticipated in 2015 and final completion of the project in late 2018.
The initial projected costs of the Next Gen RCS project have been estimated to be $105 million. This cost will be partially offset by $19 million in grant funding, which would reduce the total cost to member agencies to $86 million. The remaining balance would then be apportioned among each of the member agencies based upon the number of radios that each agency has in the RCS system.
The City of Chula Vista currently has 737 radios operating on the RCS. Based upon the radio count for the City, the approximate cost to the City for participating in the Next Gen RCS project would be $4.5 million. This does not include the mandatory radio and equipment upgrades that would be needed at the City. Based upon the number of radios that are currently in the City inventory which would not be compatible with the Next Gen RCS system (468 of 737), there would be approximately an additional $2.5 million in radio upgrade costs as well. Staff will be reviewing the number of radios currently in the Fire Department, Police Department and Public Works fleets to see if the number of radios can be reduced to help mitigate the cost of the project. But there should not be an expectation that significant reductions will occur due to the nature of the use of these radio systems.
The County of San Diego will be offering financing options to member agencies in either 7 or 10 year plans. As of this report, the County does not have an interest rate identified. Staff expects to receive additional information from the County in terms of financing options. When staff returns to Council with funding options, this information will be presented.
In order to get the Next Gen RCS project moving forward in a timely manner, the County of San Diego has asked that member agencies make a commitment to the project no later than March 31, 2014. This will allow the County to make final determinations on cost apportionment, as well as determine the number of agencies that will require financing options. There are significant penalties for agencies that do not approve the Next Gen RCS agreement by March 31, 2014, but decide to join at a later date. Any signed agreements after March 31, 2014 will incur a 15% late signing financial penalty. Any signed agreements after July 31, 2014 will incur a 25% late signing financial penalty.
The agreement which is subject of this staff report sets forth the governance of the Next Gen RCS system, identifies a source of funding (both member city allocations and grant funds) and determines a method for cost sharing for a public safety radio system which runs in two counties. Staff for the City has reviewed the attached agreement and recommends approval in order to begin the project.
There is no cost effective, feasible alternative to this project. Public safety radio communications are vital and the public safety agencies in San Diego and Imperial Counties have made a commitment to maintaining a communications system which allows for interoperable communications in order to be more effective and efficient in service delivery to the citizens of our communities, while also helping to ensure that our first responders safety is a top priority. The Next Gen RCS system will improve upon both of these priorities through enhanced technology deployment.
DECISION-MAKER CONFLICT
Staff has reviewed the decision contemplated by this action and has determined that it is not site specific and consequently, the 500-foot rule found in California Code of Regulations section 18704.2(a)(1), is not applicable to this decision. Staff is not independently aware, and has not been informed by any City Council member, of any other fact that may constitute a basis for a decision maker conflict of interest in this matter.
LINK TO STRATEGIC GOALS
The City’s Strategic Plan has five major goals: Operational Excellence, Economic Vitality, Healthy Community, Strong and Secure Neighborhoods and a Connected Community. This project directly supports the Strong and Secure Neighborhoods goal by providing enhanced communication capabilities to our first responders.
CURRENT YEAR FISCAL IMPACT
There are no current year fiscal impacts as a result of this action. See “Ongoing Fiscal Impact” below for additional long term details.
ONGOING FISCAL IMPACT
The estimated cost for participating in the Next Gen RCS system will be approximately $4.5 million, this amount excludes financing costs. Financing terms have yet to be provided by the County. The County of San Diego will provide financing options in the near future, but they are not able to provide that information at this time.
In addition, there are $2.5 million in radio equipment upgrades needed in order to be able to use the Next Gen RCS system. In total, the Next Gen RCS upgrade project currently has an estimated cost of $7.0 million. These costs have not been included in the 5-year forecast provided by the Finance Department to the City Council as the total cost of this project is unknown. Financing options need to be reviewed once the County provides the terms of their financing options. In addition, there may be a possibility of reducing the project costs by utilizing grant funds for the replacements of the radios.
ATTACHMENTS
1. RCS Next Generation Agreement Cover Letter
2. RCS Next Generation Agreement - 2014