Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Carolyn Bloede, Director, Office of Sustainability
Subject: Recognizing Unanticipated Revenue from the California Department of Conservation
RECOMMENDATION:
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Approve an Appropriation Transfer Request (ATR) recognizing unanticipated revenue in the amount of $169,468 for FY 2020-21 from the California Department of Conservation Local and Regional Planning Project grant program to develop a Working Lands component of the County’s Community Climate Action Plan.
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BACKGROUND:
The County is proactively preparing for climate change in numerous ways. There remains an urgent need to slow the production of greenhouse gases. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, improved agricultural practices can make a significant contribution to the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at a relatively low cost.
In October 2019, the Office of Sustainability was awarded a grant from the Department of Conservation to incorporate agricultural activities into the County’s Community Climate Action Plan and to develop a Working Lands Chapter. The Chapter will include an analysis of potential carbon sequestration on crop and ranch lands, as well as strategies to increase sequestration activities. The grant was awarded to the County in partnership with Santa Clara County, the Carbon Cycle Institute, the San Mateo Resource Conservation District, the Guadalupe Coyote Resource Conservation District, and the Loma Prieta Resource Conservation District.
On February 25, 2020, the Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution (Resolution No. 077249) to accept $169,468 in grant funds from the Department of Conservation and approved an Appropriation Transfer Request (ATR) for these funds for FY 2019-20. Based on an administrative error, these funds did not get carried over to FY 2020-21. This ATR corrects the error by carrying over the funds from FY 2019-20 to FY 2020-21.
DISCUSSION:
The grant project, “Integrating Agriculture into Climate Action Planning” is underway and on track to be completed in 2021. This ATR will ensure that the funds are available to complete the project successfully. The project is managed by staff at the Office of Sustainability and will be among the first of its kind in the State. This effort represents an opportunity for the County to lead the region and the State in confronting climate change and involving the agricultural sector in innovative ways to meet the County’s climate goals.
County Counsel has reviewed and approved this memorandum as to form.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no new Net County Cost associated with the ATR. The ATR will recognize unanticipated revenue in the amount of $169,468 from the FY 2019-20 Office of Sustainability Adopted Budget to the FY 2020-21 Office of Sustainability Adopted Budget. The funds will be carried forward into the FY 2021-22 Recommended and Adopted Budgets.