Title
a. Receive a presentation from the Department of Emergency Management and the Workforce Development Board on the Pajaro Unmet Needs Disaster Assistance Program; and
b. Authorize the Director of the Department of Emergency Management to execute an Agreement with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Monterey for $3,000,000 to administer and fund the Pajaro Unmet Needs Individual and Household Disaster Assistance Program, with a term of March 15, 2024, through August 15, 2025, including non-standard payment terms; and
c. Authorize and direct the Auditor Controller to issue a payment to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Monterey in the amount of $750,000 upon contract execution without an invoice in order to expedite payment of disaster assistance claims to eligible recipients; and
d. Authorize the Director of the Department of Emergency Management to execute an Agreement with Community Bridges for $3,000,000 to administer and fund the Pajaro Unmet Needs Individual and Household Disaster Assistance Program, with a term of March 15, 2024, through August 15, 2025, including non-standard payment terms; and
e. Authorize and direct the Auditor Controller to issue a payment to Community Bridges in the amount of $750,000 upon contract execution without an invoice in order to expedite payment of disaster assistance claims to eligible recipients; and
f. Authorize the Director of the Department of Emergency Management to sign up to four (4) amendments to these Agreements with Community Bridges and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Monterey, where the total amendments do not exceed the aggregate combined contract amount of $6,000,000 and do not significantly alter the scope of work; and
g. Authorize and direct the Auditor-Controller to increase appropriations and revenues by $3,000,000 in the Department of Emergency Management’s FY 2023-24 Adopted Budget (001-1040-8588-DEM001) for the Pajaro Unmet Needs Individual and Household Disaster Assistance Program (administered by the Monterey County Department of Emergency Management), financed by an operating transfer from AB 102 2023 Winter Storms Flood Relief (WS) Program #WS23 01 0270 Grant (BSA 2720 sub BSA WSFR) (4/5th vote required); and
h. Authorize and direct the Auditor-Controller to increase appropriations and revenues by $3,000,000 in the County Administrative Office's FY 2023-24 Adopted Budget (021-1050-8478-CAO030) for the Pajaro Unmet Needs Small Business Disaster Assistance Program (administered by the Monterey County Workforce Development Board), financed by an operating transfer from AB 102 2023 Winter Storms Flood Relief (WS) Program #WS23 01 0270 Grant (BSA 2720 sub BSA WSFR) (4/5th vote required); and
i. Direct the Auditor-Controller to expedite payments issued in support of the Pajaro Unmet Needs Program for Small Businesses.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Receive a presentation from the Department of Emergency Management and the Workforce Development Board on the Pajaro Unmet Needs Disaster Assistance Program; and
b. Authorize the Director of the Department of Emergency Management to execute an Agreement with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Monterey for $3,000,000 to administer and fund the Pajaro Unmet Needs Individual and Household Disaster Assistance Program, with a term of March 15, 2024, through August 15, 2025, including non-standard payment terms; and
c. Authorize and direct the Auditor Controller to issue a payment to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Monterey in the amount of $750,000 upon contract execution without an invoice in order to expedite payment of disaster assistance claims to eligible recipients; and
d. Authorize the Director of the Department of Emergency Management to execute an Agreement with Community Bridges for $3,000,000 to administer and fund the Pajaro Unmet Needs Individual and Household Disaster Assistance Program, with a term of March 15, 2024, through August 15, 2025, including non-standard payment terms; and
e. Authorize and direct the Auditor Controller to issue a payment to Community Bridges in the amount of $750,000 upon contract execution without an invoice in order to expedite payment of disaster assistance claims to eligible recipients; and
f. Authorize the Director of the Department of Emergency Management to sign up to four (4) amendments to these Agreements with Community Bridges and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Monterey, where the total amendments do not exceed the aggregate combined contract amount of $6,000,000 and do not significantly alter the scope of work; and
g. Authorize and direct the Auditor-Controller to increase appropriations and revenues by $3,000,000 in the Department of Emergency Management’s FY 2023-24 Adopted Budget (001-1040-8588-DEM001) for the Pajaro Unmet Needs Individual and Household Disaster Assistance Program (administered by the Monterey County Department of Emergency Management), financed by an operating transfer from AB 102 2023 Winter Storms Flood Relief (WS) Program #WS23 01 0270 Grant (BSA 2720 sub BSA WSFR) (4/5th vote required); and
h. Authorize and direct the Auditor-Controller to increase appropriations and revenues by $3,000,000 in the County Administrative Office's FY 2023-24 Adopted Budget (021-1050-8478-CAO030) for the Pajaro Unmet Needs Small Business Disaster Assistance Program (administered by the Monterey County Workforce Development Board), financed by an operating transfer from AB 102 2023 Winter Storms Flood Relief (WS) Program #WS23 01 0270 Grant (BSA 2720 sub BSA WSFR) (4/5th vote required); and
i. Direct the Auditor-Controller to expedite payments issued in support of the Pajaro Unmet Needs Program for Small Businesses.
SUMMARY:
On March 10, 2023, the unincorporated community of Pajaro experienced major flood damage which impacted households, businesses, local infrastructure, and personal property. California Assembly Bill 102 (AB 102) allocated funding to the County of Monterey to support flood relief for the community of Pajaro. This amount is available for assistance to individuals, households, and the community, including direct relief to all residents and workers, regardless of citizenship status. Funding provided shall not be in duplication or replacement of benefits available or received through other existing assistance programs. In December of 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved an allocation of $10,000,000 to support individual and business recovery, to be administered by Non-Profit Disaster Case Management Agencies and the Monterey County Workforce Development Board.
DISCUSSION:
In December of 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved an allocation of $10,000,000 to support individual and business recovery, to be administered by Non-Profit Disaster Case Management Agencies and the Monterey County Workforce Development Board. The Pajaro Unmet Needs Disaster Assistance Program will have two main components: Individual & Household Assistance, budgeted at $6 million, and Small Business Assistance, budgeted at $4 million.
|
Assistance Category |
Assistance Type |
Budget |
Administrator |
|
|
|
Direct |
Admin |
|
|
Individual & Household Assistance |
Unmet Needs Assistance |
$4,400,000 |
$600,000 |
Catholic Charities, Community Bridges |
|
|
Evacuation Food Spoilage Assistance |
$1,000,000 |
|
Community Bridges |
|
Small Business Assistance |
Business Unmet Needs Assistance |
$3,200,000 |
$300,000 |
Workforce Development Board |
|
|
Business Beautification Assistance |
$500,000 |
|
|
|
Total |
$9,100,000 |
$900,000 |
$10,000,000 |
Application Process: Households and businesses must submit an application in order to be eligible for funding. The County will conduct outreach in the community on the application process during the month of March and will open an in-person Application Center in late March. Support will be onsite to assist with completion of the Initial Household Assistance Application and the Business Assistance Application.
Individual and Households Disaster Assistance: Individual and Household Assistance is intended to mitigate and address remaining unmet flood needs that have not been met by other sources of available flood assistance. Unmet flood needs are damages, expenses, and losses related to the flood event whose costs exceeded flood assistance received by households. In order to prevent duplication of benefits, which is not allowable under FEMA and this funding allocation, households must disclose assistance already received for flood-related expenses or attest that they have not received any services. Assistance will be distributed in two phases. Phase 1 Assistance, Evacuation Food Spoilage Assistance, will be made available for households who were evacuated in relation to the Pajaro Levee breach. Phase 2, Unmet Needs Assistance, will be made available for households who suffered flood damages in the following categories: home repair, personal property loss, vehicle repair/replacement, and housing assistance. Assistance will be considered for households that suffered verified losses related to failure of the Pajaro Levee regardless of citizenship status. More information on the Individuals and Households Disaster Assistance Program is provided in Attachment B.
Small Business Disaster Assistance: The Pajaro Small Business Disaster Assistance Program will be administered by the Monterey County Workforce Development Board (MCWDB) with the goal of assisting small businesses in their recovery from the flooding and preventing the permanent closure of businesses post disaster. Business Assistance will be available to Pajaro businesses that suffered flood damages and have remaining unmet needs that cannot be covered by another source of funding. Business Assistance will provide assistance in the following categories: equipment loss, inventory loss, structural damages, and revenue loss. Assistance will also be made available for business beautification. MCWDB will distribute $3.7 million in the form of grants to qualified small businesses in the Pajaro area. The MCWDB will retain $300,000 (7.5%) of the allocation to be utilized for administrative expenses required to manage the program. Any unspent administrative funds will be reallocated to provide additional grants. More information on the Small Business Disaster Assistance Program is provided in Attachment C.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Administrative Office, County Counsel, and Risk Management have reviewed and approved as to form. Auditor-Controller’s Office reviewed the attached contracts but does not agree to the non-standard payment provisions.
FINANCING:
There will be no impact on the General Fund from this action. Project funding will come from the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) via the 2023 Winter Storm Flood Relief (WS) Program #WS23 01 0270.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
X Economic Development
___ Administration
X Health & Human Services
___ Infrastructure
___ Public Safety
Prepared by: Laura Emmons, Emergency Services Manager
Approved by: Kelsey A. Scanlon, Director of Emergency Management, x1902
Approved by: Christopher Donnelly, Executive Director of the Workforce Development Board, x6644
Approved by: Nick Chiulos, Chief Assistant County Administrative Officer, x5145
Attachments:
Attachment A: Resolution
Attachment B: Individuals and Households Disaster Assistance Program Summary
Attachment C: Small Business Disaster Assistance Program Summary
Attachment D: Community Bridges Contract
Attachment E: Catholic Charities Contract
Attachment F: Presentation