Title
Support the request to:
a. Receive a COVID-19 financial impact report on the Health Department for FY 2019-20 and FY 2020-21; and
b. Authorize the Auditor-Controller, County Administrative Office, and Office of Emergency Services (OES) to seek reimbursement from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) for COVID-19 reassigned employees that were budgeted as funded from an external source such as grants or statutorily dedicated funds.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Budget Committee support the request to:
a. Receive a COVID-19 financial impact report on the Health Department for FY 2019-20 and FY 2020-21; and
b. Authorize the Auditor-Controller, County Administrative Office, and Office of Emergency Services (OES) to seek reimbursement from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) for COVID-19 reassigned employees that were budgeted as funded from an external source such as grants or statutorily dedicated funds.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
The Health Department is actively involved in the County's COVID-19 response efforts and, through its Health Officer, is leading many of the strategies around testing, contact tracing, case investigation, issuance of Health Officer orders, review of industry guidance, community education, and other public health strategies. Many of these efforts are being led by staff in its Public Health Bureau (PH).
PH is primarily funded by grants and statutorily dedicated monies. PH has assigned COVID-19 duties to newly hired unbudgeted temporary employees. PH also reassigned regular employees usually funded by grants. Because the regular employees are no longer working on their usually assigned grant duties, their costs are no longer eligible to be reimbursed by their grants. This results in reduced revenue for the County.
The County may be eligible for FEMA reimbursement as it provides for the reimburse...
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