AGENDA DATE: 7/1/2020
TITLE:
Title
Charlottesville-UVA-Albemarle County Emergency Communications Center’s (ECC) Request to retain additional ECC fund balance monies
BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Request from ECC to retain additional ECC fund balance monies
ITEM TYPE: Consent Action Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Richardson, Kamptner, Allshouse L, Saxton
PRESENTER (S): N/A
LEGAL REVIEW: Yes
REVIEWED BY: Jeffrey B. Richardson
BACKGROUND: A 1984 agreement between the County of Albemarle, City of Charlottesville, and University of Virginia (Participants) developed the joint ECC. The ECC operates and maintains the 9-1-1 system for communities within the City of Charlottesville, County of Albemarle, and the University of Virginia.
A 2013 addendum (Attachment A) to the 1984 agreement focused on operational, capital, and 800 MHZ funding support. The addendum also stipulates that the ECC may retain a year-end fund balance not to exceed twenty-five percent (25%) of ECC’s total annual operating budget and requires the ECC Management Board to return to each Participant its share of any carryover funds in excess of those amounts necessary to fund ECC’s reserve fund. The return of such funds to each Participant is to be prorated using the allocation formula calculated pursuant for such fiscal year. In lieu of returning such funds, the Management Board may formally request alternative uses for such carryover funds, subject to the approval of the Participants.
STRATEGIC PLAN: Mission: To enhance the well-being and quality of life for all citizens through the provision of the highest level of public service consistent with the prudent use of public funds.
DISCUSSION: On behalf of the ECC Management Board, the ECC’s Executive Director Sonny Saxton has written a letter to the Board of Supervisors dated June 22, 2020 (Attachment B) to formally request that ECC retain the fund balance (Attachment C) exceeding 25% of the ECC’s total operating budget. The letter includes details regarding the ECC’s FY 19 Audited Fund balance, current and proposed uses of fund balance, and the Executive Director’s recommended use of the fund balance exceeding 25% of the ECC’s total operating budget.
Albemarle’s percentage of this request per the allocation formula the for the fiscal year is $848,134, or 52.2548% of $1,623,074. The funds are requested to be retained by the ECC for purposes specified in the table included below.
The FY 21 Capital Outlay Requests identified in the chart above include:
9-1-1 Telephone Infrastructure Refresh - Multi-year phased project to replace and upgrade the infrastructure and geo-diverse call-handling equipment, including servers, operating systems, networking equipment, and telephony gateways at the primary and backup ECC facilities. This project will run concurrent with the Commonwealth’s statewide transition to a Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) Emergency Services IP Network (ESINet); (Budget $500,000, with planned reimbursement of $150,000 from VA ISP after project completion.);
ECC Fleet Vehicle - Vehicle purchase as part of the ECC’s ongoing fleet management cycle, the existing vehicle is over eleven years old and often used on rough mountainous terrain with signs of wear showing. Purchase will add a SUV-style vehicle with full off-road capability to service remote communication towers as well as light business travel. (Budget $40,000.);
Quality Assurance Screen Recording - Enhancement of quality assurance and compliance review through expansion of archiver/recorder system to allow for computer screen recording within the 9-1-1 center. (Budget $39,000.)
Additional funding is requested to support ECC’s COVID-19 Response and/or critical infrastructure needs. The Emergency Communication Center (ECC) has been engaged in the pandemic response on multiple fronts. Following local, state, and federal disaster declarations in March, the ECC activated the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on behalf of the communities served, as outlined in the Regional Emergency Operations Plan. The EOC is supported by direct funding from the ECC as well as in-kind contributions, donations, and volunteers.
BUDGET IMPACT: The $1,623,074 is available in the ECC’s fund balance. Albemarle County’s percentage is 52.2548%, or $848,134.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends the Board of Supervisors consider the ECC’s request to retain their fund balance that exceeds 25% of the ECC’s total operating budget.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A: 2013 Addendum to the 1984 Joint ECC Agreement
Attachment B: ECC’s June 22, 2020 request letter