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Planning and Building Department, Airports Division, recommending the Board provide grant award acceptance and advance approval of two grant agreements as part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act distributed through the United States Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, under the Airport Coronavirus Response Grant Program, in the amount of $13,000 for the Placerville Airport and in the amount of $9,000 for the Georgetown Airport, each for a four-year term, and authorize the Planning and Building Department Director, or designee, to execute all associated documents, subject to review and approval by County Counsel.
FUNDING: Federal Aviation Administration Grants. (Federal Funds)
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The Placerville and Georgetown Airports are eligible to receive grants under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (Public Law 116-260). These funds will assist airports to address the COVID-19 public health emergency. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will distribute these grants under the Airport Coronavirus Response Grant Program. The County will receive a grant for $13,000 for the Placerville Airport and $9,000 for the Georgetown Airport to be used for costs related to operations, personnel, cleaning, sanitization, janitorial services, and combating the spread of pathogens at the airports.
The FAA will send grant applications to airport sponsors (the County) and in accordance with Board Policy A-6, Airports Division staff will obtain the Planning and Building Department Director's signature on the grant applications and return them to the FAA. Upon receipt of the signed grant applications, the FAA will expedite its grant award process by preparing two grant offers, send a grant award letter and grant agreement to the County for signature, and include a firm date by which the grant agreements must be signed and returned. This is typically a very compressed time frame of no more than a day or two to return the agreement. The grant agreements are standard federal grant agreements and the County will be unable to make any changes to the grant agreements. Due to this compressed time frame for completing the grant agreement, staff is requesting advance approval of acceptance of these funds. Grant agreements from 2020, which were administered under a similar process, are attached as an example.
Airports Division staff will forward the grant agreements to County Counsel for expedited review, and upon approval, the Planning and Building Department Director, or designee, will execute the original and sponsor copy of each grant agreement, and staff will forward the grant agreements back to County Counsel for the required attorney certification on the grant agreements, which must follow the sponsor’s authorized representative’s signature.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board may decide not to accept these FAA grant funds.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
N/A
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
County Counsel will review and approve the two FAA grant agreements and will provide the required attorney certification on the grant agreements.
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
These grants provide additional funding to support airport operations to address the COVID-19 public health emergency with no requirements for reimbursement or the inclusion of local matching funds. There is no impact to the General Fund and there is no Net County Cost associated with this item. A budget transfer to allocate the grant funds for use in FY 2021-22 will be brought to the Board of Supervisors at a later date.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
1) Upon award of the FAA grants, the Planning and Building Department, Airports Division, will forward the two FAA grant agreements to County Counsel for review and approval.
2) Upon County Counsel’s approval of the two FAA grant agreements, the Planning and Building Department Director, or designee, will execute the two FAA grant agreements and staff will send copies to the Clerk of the Board.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Public Safety, Good Governance, Infrastructure
CONTACT
Chris Perry,
Assistant Director
Planning and Building Department