Title
El Dorado County Air Quality Management District (AQMD) recommending the Board, acting as the AQMD Board of Directors, award seven (7) eligible grant projects for the replacement of eleven (11) public school buses, and authorize the Air Pollution Control Officer to execute agreements with school districts, contingent upon approvals by County Counsel and Risk Management, which do not increase the funding amounts in excess of the awards.
FUNDING: AB923 DMV Surcharge Funds.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
On March 21, 2006, the AQMD Board approved a two-dollar ($2) DMV registration surcharge and the acceptance of AB923 funding (Legistar 06-0463 / Resolution #079-2006). The AB 923 legislation stipulates that the funding may be used by air districts for projects in four different clean air categories, including the purchase of new cleaner school buses. AQMD receives approximately $400,000 of AB923 funding annually.
On September 5, 2022, AQMD issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for El Dorado County public school districts to apply for FY 2022-23 & FY 2023-24 AB923 funds to replace old high polluting buses with new lower emission buses. The application period closed November 11, 2022. After these proposals were received, it was determined by AQMD staff that the original RFP was too restrictive, disallowing proposals for previously retrofitted busses which are now allowed to be funded by AB923 grant funding.
A revised RFP was re-released on January 13, 2023, with the application period closing on January 27, 2023. Twenty-one (21) applications from seven (7) school districts were received, requesting a total of $3,465,000. AQMD evaluated and ranked the applications (Attachment E) pursuant to 2008 Lower-Emission School Bus Program (LESBP) Guidelines. One application was withdrawn from consideration by the school district as all required documentation could not be provided to AQMD. Cost effectiveness (grant dollars per pound of emissions reduced) ranged f...
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