Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Shruti Dhapodkar, Director, Department of Emergency Management
Subject: Second Amendment to the Agreement with the City and County of San Francisco for 9-1-1 Dispatch Services at San Francisco International Airport
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing the President of the Board of Supervisors to execute a Second Amendment to the agreement with the City and County of San Francisco, acting through its Airport Commission, for 9-1-1 dispatch services related to emergencies at the San Francisco International Airport, extending the term through November 9, 2028, and increasing the not-to-exceed amount by $1,250,000 to $3,750,000.
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BACKGROUND:
The City and County of San Francisco owns and operates San Francisco International Airport (SFO) through its Airport Commission. The County of San Mateo operates the Public Safety Communications (PSC) Dispatch Center, which receives and processes computer-aided dispatch incidents for emergency response services in the County, including incidents at SFO.
On November 10, 2020, the Airport Commission approved an intergovernmental agreement (Resolution No. 20-0212) under which the Airport reimburses the County for SFO’s allocable share of PSC costs associated with computer-aided dispatch incidents at the Airport that require emergency medical services and ambulance transportation. Law enforcement and fire responses, and incidents cancelled before any unit is dispatched, are excluded. The original term of the agreement was from November 10, 2020 through November 9, 2026, with one two-year extension option held by the City, and a not-to-exceed amount of $2,000,000.
On January 26, 2021, this Board, by Resolution No. 077965, authorized the President of the Board to execute that Agreement and authorized the County Executive or designee to execute amendments modifying the County’s maximum fiscal obligation by no more than $25,000 in the aggregate, and/or modifying the term or services within the approved fiscal provisions.
On November 18, 2025, the Airport Commission approved Modification No. 1 (Resolution No. 25-0204), increasing the not-to-exceed amount to $2,500,000 and updating standard contractual clauses.
The agreement’s current term expires November 9, 2026. The Airport Commission has prepared Modification No. 2 and has requested that the County, as vendor, execute that modification first. The Commission will then take the County-executed modification forward for Airport Commission approval.
DISCUSSION:
The Department of Emergency Management is bringing this amendment to the Board because the Agreement is a revenue contract in which the County provides dispatch services in exchange for payment from SFO. The San Mateo County Operational Area Emergency Services Council (ESC) receives the revenue to deliver countywide emergency management programs and operations. Under Administrative Memorandum B-1, Section V.A.4, agreements of that type that exceed the threshold in Section 25502.5 of the California Government Code (currently $200,000) require Board approval. Department-head authority does not extend above that threshold.
Modification No. 2 would:
• Exercise the two-year option and extend the Agreement through November 9, 2028; and
• Increase the not-to-exceed amount from $2,500,000 to $3,750,000; and
• Retain the funding levels that have been in place, but replace the prior formula-based invoice (which used Airport computer-aided dispatch incidents as a percentage of total computer-aided dispatch incidents, applied to net PSC operating cost) with a fixed quarterly invoice of $105,000, equal to $420,000 per year, with an annual true-up at the end of each fiscal year as needed; and
• Update standard City contractual clauses, including data-security, confidentiality, and related definitions.
The services themselves do not change.
The County will continue to dispatch qualifying emergency medical and ambulance responses to incidents at the Airport through the PSC Dispatch Center. The fixed quarterly amount is intended to make billing more predictable for both the Airport and the County while remaining consistent with the Federal Aviation Administration Revenue Use Policy, which requires that the rate be based on a cost-allocation methodology applied consistently to comparable cost centers and that it not exceed the cost of serving the Airport. The parties will meet and confer in the event of significant budget changes.
This is an intergovernmental agreement with another public agency for services the County uniquely provides as the operator of the Operational Area PSC Dispatch Center. A competitive solicitation is not applicable. No waiver of Chapters 2.84, 2.85, 2.88, or 2.89 of the Ordinance Code is requested.
The County Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved the resolution and agreement modification as to form.
COMMUNITY IMPACT:
This amendment keeps in place the long-standing arrangement under which SFO reimburses the County for dispatching emergency medical responses to the Airport. SFO sits in San Mateo County. Continuity of PSC dispatch at the Airport supports timely emergency medical response for travelers, airport workers, and County residents, and avoids a break in cost recovery for a service the County already provides. The simplified billing process reduces administrative effort for both agencies without changing how calls are handled in the field.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with executing the Second Amendment. This is a revenue agreement. Under Modification No. 2, the County will invoice the Airport $105,000 each quarter ($420,000 annually), subject to an annual true-up. The not-to-exceed amount for the full life of the Agreement would increase by $1,250,000, from $2,500,000 to $3,750,000, covering the remainder of the current term and the two-year extension through November 9, 2028. Revenue supports PSC Dispatch Center operations. No General Fund appropriation or Appropriation Transfer Request is required for this action.