CITY COUNCIL: Resolution to Provide Future Funding for Monterey County Next Generation Radio Project (NGEN)

Meeting Date: April 7, 2009
Prepared by: Michael Calhoun

City Council
Agenda Item Summary

Name: Consideration of a Resolution to provide future funding for costs related to
the Monterey County Next Generation radio project (NGEN) in the amount of $483,402.00.

Description: The City of Carmel-by-the-Sea, the County of Monterey, and other local
governments in Monterey County jointly participated in a regional radio interoperability study known as the Next Generation Radio Project (NGEN). The NGEN project was established in response to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandates requiring changes to public safety radio systems by 2013. Staff requests that the Council to adopt a resolution regarding the City’s future commitment. The City Attorney has reviewed the “Memorandum of Agreement Reference the Next Generation Radio System Joint Governance and Financing” (Exhibit “A”).

Overall Cost:
City Funds: $483,402.00
Grant Funds: None at this time.

Staff Recommendation: Staff requests City Council support to adopt a Resolution
authorizing the City Administrator to sign a multi-year agency agreement confirming the City’s participation and financial obligation costs.

Important Considerations: Preserving future emergency communications interoperability requires that the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea remain a participant in the NGEN radio project. Doing so will ensure the Carmel Emergency Operations Center (EOC) retains existing radio communication capability with the Monterey County EOC in times of disaster.

Decision Record: Resolution 2006-51, approving the City’s participation with allied
agencies in the countywide NGEN radio system.

Reviewed by:

______________________________ _________________
Rich Guillen, City Administrator Date

TO: MAYOR McCLOUD AND COUNCIL MEMBERS
THROUGH: RICH GUILLEN, CITY ADMINISTRATOR
FROM: GEORGE E. RAWSON, PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR
MIKE CALHOUN, POLICE COMMANDER
DATE: MARCH 17, 2009
SUBJECT: CONSIDERATION OF A RESOLUTION TO PROVIDE FUTURE FUNDING FOR COSTS RELATED TO THE MONTEREY COUNTY NEXT GENERATION RADIO PROJECT IN THE AMOUNT OF $483,402

RECOMMENDED MOTION:
Adopt a Resolution authorizing the City Administrator to sign a multi-year agency
agreement confirming the City’s commitment to participate in the Monterey County Next Generation Radio Project (NGEN), and financial obligation for Carmel’s pro-rated costs.

BACKGROUND:
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has mandated all public safety and
local government radio systems comply with narrow banding requirements by 2013. The migration to narrowband channels will ensure that agencies take advantage of more efficient technology and reduce radio channel congestion. Agencies failing to meet the deadline face the loss of communication capabilities with County Communications and allied public safety agencies.

In response to the FCC mandate, local jurisdictions throughout Monterey County
(hereafter referred to as “County”), have joined together via the NGEN Task Force to implement a new, interoperable public safety and local government voice and data radio system. The NGEN Task Force reports to the County Emergency Communications User
Advisory Committee (ECUAC). The ECUAC provides governance for this project. In
2006, the County, all 12 cities in the County (including Carmel-by-the-Sea), fire districts, and other public safety agencies signed a cost-sharing agreement authorizing the County to take the lead in facilitating inter-jurisdictional collaboration for this project.

Pursuant to a cost sharing plan, the County selected consultants to study and finalize reports relating to a “Strategic Plan” and a “Functional Design Specification Plan.”

The projected costs for participating in the NGEN Radio Project are contained in a
spreadsheet detailing each agency’s projected share of the total project cost (Exhibit “B” dated February 6, 2009, by the NGEN Finance Committee). The cost for the entire project with all agencies combined is estimated at $12 million. The cost sharing is based on the City’s proportion of mobile and portable radios operated in the field. The “shared costs” are those necessary to design and deploy the common infrastructure of the radio system that will be used by all users of the system. The County’s portion of the infrastructure cost given to Carmel-by-the Sea is defined in the Staff Review along with the cost to upgrade the City’s infrastructure: radio antenna and field equipment, such as mobile and portable radios.

The County is looking into grant opportunities to support funding this project. The financing committee approved hiring a grant writer to explore applicable stimulus
package funding to help minimize costs.

STAFF REVIEW
Staff believes the City’s participation in the NGEN project is vital to preserve
emergency services and necessary to maintain interoperability communications with
other local agencies. There are 20 other public safety agencies involved in this project, and the participation of each agency is crucial to the overall success of the project.

Carmel-by-the-Sea operates its own 911 emergency communications center, typically
referred to as a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). The City also activates an
Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during times of emergencies or disasters. In
accordance with the Carmel Disaster Plan, the Carmel EOC must have radio contact
capability with the County EOC. Police dispatching also is performed at the Carmel
Police Department PSAP, but fire dispatching is not. All reports of fire and medical
emergencies are transferred from the Carmel PSAP to the Monterey County Communications Center in Salinas. Consequently, it is essential that Carmel participates in the NGEN project to ensure across-the-board police, fire and medical communication interoperability with County Communications and allied public safety agencies. As a back-up, it is equally important that Carmel maintains its own communications infrastructure, i.e. radio repeater, and antenna in the event the Monterey County system has a complete failure to maintain our system and EOC.

Participation in the NGEN project will require City funding for the following:
COUNTY INFRASTRUCTURE COST AND FUTURE DEBT SERVICE:
The City’s share of the Countywide cost is estimated at $10,239.00 per year for the first two years FY 09-10 through FY 10-11 of a 17-year term. Thereafter, the remaining 15 years of debt financing costs for Carmel is estimated at $22,985.00 per year ending FY 2027. The total cost for Carmel’s share of the County infrastructure is $365,265.00 of the $12 million projected County-wide cap. These costs will change if different assumptions are used, such as: as inventories are updated, and if different agencies elect to participate or not. Assumptions include 1) the number of radios will be the basis for any costsharing formula; 2) the numbers of radios is accurate at the time of signing agreement; 3) all agencies participate; and 4) assumes pay-as-you-go during first two years of soft costs, maximum finance of 6%, and maximum amount financed of $11 million.

CARMEL’S INFRASTRUCTURE AND FIELD RADIO EQUIPMENT COSTS:
The Carmel infrastructure system consists of replacing the roof antenna at the Police Department, which is becoming unreliable due to age and outdated technology. The antenna replacement is planned for FY 10/11, at an estimated cost of $6,987.50. There are additional costs anticipated in FY 10/11 to replace all current mobile and portable radio equipment and programming costs to ensure they are field ready and compatible with the County system. The estimated cost for the radios is $118,137.51. Funds to support this work will be placed in the appropriate operating budgets in future years. This radio cost is broken down for Police, Fire, and Public Works.

POLICE RADIO EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT COSTS
15 Mobile Radios $ 27,475.80
25 Portable Radios $ 31,018.50
40 Radios Programmed $ 24,000.00
Tax, Delivery, & Labor $ 6,505.78
Total $ 89,000.08

FIRE RADIO EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT COSTS
8 Mobile Radios $ NA (Purchased with grant)
21 Portable Radios $ NA (Purchased with grant)
29 Radios Programmed $ 17,400.00
Tax, Delivery, & Labor $ 112.00
Total $ 17,512.00

PUBLIC WORKS RADIO EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT
COSTS
1 Mobile Radio $ 1,831.72
1 Portable Radio $ 1,240.74
Radio Programming $ 1,200.00
Tax, Delivery , & Labor $ 365.48
Total $ 4,637.94

FISCAL IMPACT:
Based on the above, the following summarizes of fiscal impact by year.
CATEGORY FY 09/10 FY 10/11 FY 11/12 thru FY/2027
County Infrastructure
$ 10,238.40 $ 10,238.40 $ 22,985.89 (15-Year Finance)
City Infrastructure $ 6,987.50
Mobile Radios $ 47,917.39
Portable Radios $ 63,232.62
Total $ 10,238.40 $ 128,375.91 $ 22,985.89 ($ 344,788.38) = $ 483,402.66
NGEN cost estimate $ 365,265.15
City radios and antenna $ 118,137.51
Total estimated cost $ 483,402.00

SUMMARY:
The new County system will provide necessary interoperability and capacity to meet the day-to-day emergency needs of our regional public safety and local government users.

The new radio system replaces an aging system that suffers major interference and
coverage problems. The City must participate in this project to meet our service
obligations and direct communication with the County system and allied public safety agencies. Future obligations will be placed in the appropriate operating budgets each fiscal year.

CITY COUNCIL
CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
RESOLUTION 2009-
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA TO PROVIDE FUTURE FUNDING COSTS RELATED TO THE MONTEREY COUNTY NEXT GENERATION RADIO PROJECT
IN THE AMOUNT OF $483,402.00

WHEREAS, the Federal Communications Commission has mandated the alteration of
public safety and local government radio systems to comply with narrow banding
requirements by January 2013; and

WHEREAS, it is in the best interests that all agencies continue to work together to
provide interoperable and emergency dispatch radio communications in the county, cities and districts, and persons served; and

WHEREAS, the County and agencies recognize that such services are best managed as
a consolidated consortium via the Emergency Communications Users Advisory Council; and

WHEREAS, the County and the agencies desire to contract in a cost-sharing plan to
engineer the necessary communications infrastructure for an interoperable and emergency dispatch radio voice communication system.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA DOES:

1. Approve the City Administrator to sign a multi-year agreement to participate in the Countywide Monterey County Next Generation Radio project (NGEN).

2. Authorize the City’s prorated infrastructure costs and debt financing agreement for FY09/10 through FY2026/27.

3. Authorize Carmel’s field equipment infrastructure and radio costs. The total
estimated cost for above items two and three is $483,402.66.

PASSED AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA on this 7th day of April 2009 by the following roll-call vote:

AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS:

SIGNED:


_________________________
SUE McCLOUD, MAYOR

ATTEST:


____________________________
Heidi Burch, City Clerk