Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Michael P. Callagy, County Executive
Subject: Use of District-Discretionary Measure K Funds - Supervisorial District 5
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Measure K: Adopt a resolution authorizing a one-time grant of district-discretionary Measure K funds not to exceed $750,000 to the Broadmoor Police Protection District to fund the continued operation of the Broadmoor Police Department, providing an exception to the criteria for district-discretionary Measure K funds to allow for advanced payment, and authorizing the County Executive or designee to execute the grant agreement.
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BACKGROUND:
Measure K is the half-cent general sales tax initially approved by San Mateo County voters in November 2012 and extended in November 2016 for a total of thirty years.
The Board of Supervisors held study sessions on Measure K expenditures and approved funds for the fiscal year (FY) 2023-24 budget cycle, divided equally among the five supervisorial districts, for one-time district-discretionary needs and projects. District 5 has submitted a request to use a portion of its district-discretionary Measure K funds as shown below and described in the Project Summary section of this memorandum:
|
District/Project |
Amount |
|
District 5 (Supervisor David J. Canepa) - Broadmoor Police Protection District (District): to fund the District’s continued police protection operations |
$750,000 |
This item is consistent with the criteria for district-discretionary Measure K funds approved by the Board in December 2018, with the following exception: the District has requested that the grant be made as an up front, rather than reimbursement, payment. This request is made in order to maintain the District’s financial viability. This payment structure requires Board approval because the criteria for district-discretionary Measure K funds approved by the Board in December 2018 provided for reimbursement payments. The Board may approve this exception to the criteria by adopting the resolution.
The District is a public agency operating within the County, and Supervisor Canepa indicates that neither he, any of his family members nor, any of his staff serve as an officer or director of the District and none of them play a policy role for the District.
PROJECT SUMMARY:
This is a request to authorize a grant to the District, and a resulting grant agreement, in an amount not to exceed $750,000, to provide for the continued operation of the District and prevent its permanent closure. The County Executive’s Office will administer and manage the proposed agreement.
The District has not previously received Measure K district-discretionary funding.
The District was established in 1949 and it currently provides police protection services to nearly 4,490 residents in the unincorporated area of Broadmoor Village in northern San Mateo County, adjacent to Colma, and three small parcels in Daly City. The Sheriff’s Office, which provides police protection to other unincorporated areas of the County areas, is not responsible for law enforcement services in Broadmoor.
The District receives a portion of the general property tax increment from the San Mateo County tax roll, as well as funding from a voter approved Special Policing Tax assessment. The District also receives federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, under the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), and revenues from the Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund (ERAF).
The District does not receive sales tax revenue and it receives only minimal funding from enforcement actions, such as citations and vehicle tows.
It receives no funding from the County or adjacent local law enforcement agencies unless an emergency arises. However, it is common for the District’s officers to respond to calls for service at the Colma BART Station and the District receives no funding from BART to deal with the associated crime issues and the unhoused population, which are significant issues. Additionally, District officers are frequently called to respond to incidents located on SamTrans buses and bus stops in unincorporated areas outside of the District’s jurisdictional boundaries, within areas that are the responsibility of the County Sheriff’s Office.
The District has faced significant recent financial challenges, including budget deficits in five of the previous six years, as identified in a special study commissioned by the Local Agency Formation Commission.
However, the District’s leadership has reported on steps it is taking to stabilize its financial circumstances. The following measures have been implemented or are in progress to address the financial challenges faced by the District:
1. Reduced staffing by eliminating 2 full-time positions and 0.5 of a Commander position.
2. Suspended operations of non-critical staff that augment patrol and furloughed investigations staff.
3. Immediate reduction of some staff members’ positions from full-time hours to part-time.
4. Further reduced of the Commander position to .25 FTE (10 hours per week).
5. Implemented efforts to reduce overtime expenditures.
6. Reinstituted the Reserve Police Officer program (currently have 1 reserve officer with 2 in the immediate hiring phase).
7. Building volunteer staff (currently 2 volunteers who handle facilities and vehicles).
8. Developing plans to drastically reduce the District’s vehicle fleet.
9. Awaiting funding from the COPS Grant, ERAF funds, and the County.
10. Raising the District’s Special Policing Tax Assessment 5 percent, the maximum increase allowable by law, commencing in December 2023.
11. Working with vendors to extend the timelines for paying outstanding bills.
The District has noted that while it has experienced budget issues in the past, this is the first time in its 75-year history that funds are being sought from the County to maintain District operations. The near-term plan to stabilize District finances is to develop and place on the March 2024 ballot a measure to increase the Special Policing Tax Assessment. However, at this time, the unincorporated Broadmoor community is in need of uninterrupted public safety services.
District 5 has informed the District that this grant is one-time only, and that the District will need to find other sources of funding going forward. The District will use the Measure K grant as follows:
• Fund continued law enforcement operations.
• Develop disaster preparedness, prevention, response, recovery, and mitigation plans.
• Combat organized retail theft.
• Restructure pending operating liabilities to achieve financially sustainable operations.
The project or services funded by this district-discretionary grant will be implemented or provided during the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
Total Measure K Request: Not to Exceed $750,000
The release of funds will be contingent on the execution of an agreement providing for the County’s confirmation of the expenditure of funds for the purposes stated herein. The County will disburse the funds to the following organization for the purposes described above:
Police Commission President James Kucharszky
Broadmoor Police Department
388 88th Street
Broadmoor. CA 94015-1717
E-mail: jkucharszky@pd.broadmoor.ca.us <mailto:jkucharszky@pd.broadmoor.ca.us>
(Office): 650-755-3840
PERFORMANCE MEASURES:
|
Description |
Target |
|
Fund continued operation of Broadmoor Police Department during the 2023-2024 fiscal year. |
Complete |
The County Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved the agreement and resolution as to form.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There are sufficient Measure K funds for this specific FY 2023-24 Measure K request. These funds are budgeted in the Non-Departmental Services FY 2023-24 Adopted Budget.