Resolution 14419CITY OF ALAMEDA RESOLUTION NO. 14 419
AUTHORIZING SACRAMENTO COUNTY TO ACT AS LEAD
APPLICANT FOR A MUNICIPAL FINANCIAL PROGRAM GRANT
WHEREAS, the City of Alameda recognizes that it is in the interest of the
regional, state, and national economy to stimulate the economy; create and
retain jobs; reduce fossil fuel emissions; and reduce total energy usage and
improve energy efficiency within our jurisdiction; and
WHEREAS, State Energy Program (SEP) funds are available through
the California Energy Commission's SEP for grants to eligible local
governments for energy efficiency, energy conservation, renewable energy, and
other energy related projects and activities authorized by the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ( "ARRA'); and
WHEREAS, SEP allows for cities, counties, or groups of cities and
counties in California to apply for SEP funds on behalf of eligible local
governments; and
WHEREAS, the City of Alameda is eligible for SEP funding under the
California Energy Commission's SEP; and
WHEREAS, the City of Alameda is proposing to collaborate with
Sacramento County to implement a program for financing the energg y efficiency,
energy conservation, renewable energy, and other energy related projects and
activities authorized by ARRA, which program is described in Exhibit A for the
purpose of qualifying for SEP funds from the California Energy Commission;
and
WHEREAS, the City of Alameda has considered the application of the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to the approval of the ro ram for
p g
financing energy efficiency, energy conservation, renewable energy, and other
energy related projects and activities authorized by ARRA described in Exhibit
A; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that in compliance with the
CEQA, the City of Alameda finds that the approval of the program for financing
energy efficiency, energy conservation, renewable energy, and other energy
related projects and activities authorized by ARRA described in Exhibit A is not
a "project" under CEQA, because the program does not involve any
y
commitment to a specific project which may result in a potentially significant
physical impact on the environment, as contemplated by Title 14, California
Code of Regulations, Section 15378(b)(4)).
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City of Alameda authorizes
Sacramento County to submit a collaborative application on its behalf to the
California Energy Commission for up to $12,500 in SEP funds for the program
for financing energy efficiency, energy conservation, renewable energy, and
other energy related projects and activities authorized by ARRA described in
Exhibit A.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, if recommended for funding by the
California Energy Commission, the City of Alameda authorizes Sacramento
County to accept a grant award on its behalf and to enter into all necessary
contracts and agreements, and amendments thereto, on its behalf to implement
and carry out the program for financing the project(s) described in Exhibit A.
Exhibit A
California Energy Commission State Energy Program
CaliforniaFIRST Collaborative Proposal
Summary of Proposal Scope & Budget Framework
Description of Program Proposal
Under the lead applicant, Sacramento County, the 14 counties eligible to
participate in the pilot stage of the CaliforniaFIRST Program are collaborating
on a proposal to the California Energy Commission State Energy Program for a
grant of up to $16.6 million. The grant funds will be used to offset initial fees
associated with bond issuance, start -up costs for the 14 counties and all
incorporated cities, an interest rate buy- down, local
marketing /education /training /outreach, local coordination, and grant
administration to support the launch of the CaliforniaFIRST municipal financing
program.
CaliforniaFlRST Program County Participants and Proposal Collaborators
1 Alameda 1 Sacramento v' San Mateo J Ventura
J Fresno 1 San Benito 1 Santa Clara 1 Yolo
f Kern 1 San Diego 1 Santa Cruz
1 Monterey 1 San Luis Obispo 1 Solano
Budget Basics
.
CaliforniaFIRST financing costs and fees ($6M)
Guided by California Communities and the CaliforniaFIRST Program
Administrator Renewable Funding, this program element will
• buy -down the interest rate on the initial round(s) of projects financed by
the CaliforniaFIRST Program,
O cover fixed costs associated with initial bond counsel, bond disclosure,
fiscal agent and bond rating,
• cover legal and validation costs, and
O cover the deployment of technology (web portal) to support local
programs.
2. GrantlContract Administration 8 Steering Committee Liaison: ('.$2.OM)
On behalf of the applicant agency, grant/contractor administration duties include
gathering relevant reporting information from all partner jurisdictions and
CaliforniaFIRST, financial oversight and invoicing, contract administration,
tracking, monitoring, and oversight of deliverables. In addition, the g rant
administrator will serve as the partner liaison between all participating steering
committees to maintain coordination and consistency on the local marketing
efforts between parties as well as provide marketing and contract technical
assistance, training, and advice to participating agencies. The Grant
Administrator will also coordinate local efforts with those programs funded
under the California Comprehensive Residential Building Retrofit Program.
3. Regional Program Coordination & Marketing: ($ &.5M)
In line with the overall project goals, funding has been budgeted on a regional
basis to each of the six primary program regions in the following amounts,
based on total number of Counties:
• Capitol Region (Sacramento/YoJo): $1,800,000
• Central Valley Region (Fresno /Kern): $1,150,000
• Bay Area Region: (Alameda /San Mateo/Santa Clara /Solano): $2,300,000
• North Central Coast Region: (Monterey /Santa Cruz/San Benito):
$1,725,000
• South Central Coast Region: (Ventura/San Luis Obispo): $1,150,000
• Southern California Region: (San Diego): $575,000
This final program element serves to provide each region with the resources
necessary to help facilitate the rapid adoption of energy efficiency and
renewable energy generation system installations throughout the target area by
connecting property owners to any and all available on -the- ground or proposed
resources, and services, providing a streamlined framework for easy navigation,
reduced out -of- pocket expenses, and overall increased cost effectiveness for
both participants and the program overall. The focus of the program wilt be to
create region -wide (or county-wide, where appropriate) cooperative project
design, implementation, marketing, and coordination to maximize economies of
scale, take advantage of overlapping markets, and ultimately allow each dollar
to go further to benefit all parties.
Financing Costs and Fees
A. Financing Costs
As Program Administrator of the California Communities CaliforniaFtRST
Program, Renewable Funding will coordinate and provide program
administration, financing, and legal services to support a robust statewide
municipal financing program. Specific financing costs are concentrated at the
start of the program and result in increased fees to a program participant, and
therefore a higher effective interest rate. In order to lower the interest rate, the
SEP funds will be used to cover bond disclosure counsel, bond rating fees, and
a bond fiscal agent. in addition, a direct interest rate buy -down will be
employed to achieve a bond rate that is equivalent to an A -rated bond, which is
likely to be the bond rating later in the program.
B. Set-up Fees
A funding request equivalent to the city and county set -up fees will be included
in the proposal. The costs for initial legal work and validation proceedings will
be covered by this request. Additionally, the costs of establishing county web
portals, importing local assessor's data, and maintaining the website will be part
of this funding request.
Suggested Major Marketing Program Coordination & Marketing Program
Elements
A. Agency Coordination 1 Steering Committee Participation
In recognition of the additional coordination time required to get new programs
off the ground, individual counties may elect to include a modest amount of staff
time for agency representatives to participate in the program steering
committee and other activities to drive marketing program design,
educational /marketing material development, form and protocol development,
etc. By investing this time at the onset, we are able to develop a self - sustaining
program for the long term. County agencies (that is, auditor /tax
collector /controller) will receive a small percentage, incorporated into each loan,
to cover regular ongoing program administration costs associated with
maintaining the tax roll and collecting annual assessments in years beyond the
grant term. Some jurisdictions may instead wish to contribute this time as
project leveraged funds /resources to increase overall program cost
effectiveness based on their individual needs and resources. Regional
partnership may also elect to use a portion of the resources from this program
element toward informal or formalized staff /personnel training within their
jurisdictions.
B. Education /Outreach/ Marketing
Successful program adoption requires thoughtful design, convenient
procedures, and a robust program education component to encourage and
energize program participation. Achieving this goal, the project team will create
clear, consistent, and thematic program branding imagery, educational and
recruitment tools such as program brochures. The program will be supported
by the CaliforniaFtRST web portal and links to new and existing partner and
complementary websites, frequently asked questions, applications, and /or other
program materials. In addition, the project will engage a wide- stretching
network of partners to promote, recruit, and disseminate program information
utilizing existing mechanisms of door -to -door outreach, community event
tabling, workshops and presentations, or other appropriate energy efficiency
and complementary program participation activities. Major elements might
include:
.� Outreach Promotional Materials: Brochures, Door - hangers, Postcard
Mailers Bill Inserts, etc.
• Program Marketing Advertisements: Print Ads, Radio/TV Ads, PSA
Production
✓ Promotional Outreach Events, Trade Shows or Community Workshops
• Homeowner /Business /Contractor /Staff Training Seminars
Sustainability Site Signage
Green Building and/or LEED Certification Technical Assistance
C. Community Coordinator Partner Liaison /Supplies
The community coordinator is envisioned to serve as the single point regional
program coordinator to unify, inform, collaborate, and engage all program
parties in relation to local coordination and marketing efforts; respond to public
inquiries; facilitate the education, outreach, marketing, recruitment; and promote
program adoption by the target community. In addition the coordinator is
responsible for coordinating with the grant administrator, tracking /reporting
necessary progress and metrics, meeting /exceeding grant milestones and
targets, incorporating required complementary program components, and
working with CaliforniaFl RST to assure QA/QC measures are applied to all
participating properties. Specific tasks will be driven by the overall project
goals as well as the specific needs of each region and may include:
1 Coordination with Grant Administrator /Steering Committee Liaison
• Marketing Coordination with CaliforniaFIRST Municipal Finance District
1 Facilitation of local Regional Steering Committee Members and Partners
1 Assist with Implementation Strategy, Documents, Procedures & Protocols
Development
1 Guide Promotion, Marketing, Education, Recruitment & Program
Information Dissemination
I Link Program Participants to Regional Energy Efficiency & Complementary
Programs
1 Connect to Concurrent Complementary Workforce Development
Training /Graduates
1 Administer Regional Program Budget, Competitive Bidding, Other Program
Transparency Reqs
1 Track and /or compile, Monitor & Evaluate Program Progress, Energy
Savings, GHG Reductions Achieved, Partner Leveraged Funds and
Ancillary Environmental Benefits
Sample County Budget
A sample budget based on the above framework is provided below. Please
note that these amounts are subject to change based on the actual needs of
each participating jurisdiction as well as feedback obtained regarding funder
and partner thresholds for competitiveness.
Component
OveraiI
39%
Gross
Benefit
Per County
$ 428 571.43
Net Benefit
Per County
1.CaiforniaFI RST Costs & Fees
2. Grant Administration & Technical
Assistance
10%
$ 107,142.80
--
3A.Steering Advisory Committee
10%
$ 115,000.00
$
115,000.00
3B. Education, Outreach, Incentives,
Marketing
23%
$ 258,750.00
$
258,750.00
3C. Community Coordination
18%
$ 201,250.00
$
201,250.00
Total
100%
$
1,110, 714.29
$
575,000.00
Grant Development Team:
® County of Sacramento Lead Agency (Applicant), will oversee grant
writing, provide final edits and required signatures, and submit finalized
proposal on behalf of entire collaborative team based on the approved
proposed program scope and budget framework
• Ecology Action Partner Grant Writer (Lead on Marketing), will develop
narrative based on proposed program scope and budget framework,
especially as it pertains to local coordination and marketing project
administration, marketing /contract technical assistance, regional
coordination, and marketing, to meet all grant requirements and maximize
proposal competiveness.
• Renewable Funding Partner Grant Writer (Lead on Finance), will develop
narrative based on proposed program scope and budget framework,
especially for CaliforniaFIRST Program finance - related program elements,
to meet all grant requirements and maximize proposal competiveness.
1, the undersigned, hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly and
regularly adopted and passed by the Council of the City of Alameda during the Regular
Meeting of the City Council on the 3rd day of February, 2010, by the following vote to
wit:
AYES: Councilmembers deHaan, Gilmore, Matarrese, Tam
and Mayor Johnson - 5.
NOES: None.
ABSENT: None.
ABSTENTIONS: None.
IN WITNESS, WHEREOF, 1 have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of
said City this 4th day of February, 2010.
Lara Weisiger,
City of Alame
Clerk