Capital Area Council of Governments FY 2010 Homeland Security Program Regional Grant Process

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1 Capital Area Council of Governments FY 2010 Homeland Security Program Regional Grant Process General Information Texas uses a regional approach to the State Homeland Security Grant Program, providing an allocation through each Council of Governments (COG) for regional and local projects, subject to approval by the state. The allocation to the Capital Area Council of Governments includes amounts for the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP), the Citizen Corps Program (CCP), and the Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS). Specific use of SHSP and CCP funds is approved by the CAPCOG Executive Committee, and awarded by the state to the selected local and regional projects. For MMRS funds, projects are developed through a Steering Committee of the eligible jurisdiction (in CAPCOG, the only jurisdiction eligible for MMRS funds is the City of Austin). It is possible that matching funds or in-kind services may be required to be eligible for FY2010 HSGP funding. This requirement could total 20%-25% of the grant award. Applicants should identify possible sources of these matching funds as part of the project worksheet development process. When submitting project worksheets, applicants will be required to affirm that they understand this potential matching requirement. Applicants will have until the date of the final allocation to identify the required matching funds. UASI Designation. The cities of Austin and Round Rock and areas within Williamson, Travis, and Hays counties are also eligible for Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grants. UASI grants are awarded directly to the designated urban areas, and not included in the regional allocation. Program Requirements. The program requirements vary between the grants. The State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) is a core assistance program that provides funds to build capabilities at the State and local levels and to implement the goals and objectives included in State Homeland Security Strategies and initiatives in the State Preparedness Report. Activities implemented under SHSP must support terrorism preparedness by building or enhancing capabilities that relate to the prevention of, protection from, or response to, and recovery from terrorism in order to be considered eligible. However, many capabilities which support terrorism preparedness simultaneously support preparedness for other hazards. Grantees must demonstrate this dual-use quality for any activities implemented under this program that are not explicitly focused on terrorism preparedness. Law Enforcement Activities. It is anticipated that the FY2009 requirement that at least 25 percent of the regional allocation for State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) programs must be spent on law enforcement activities will be continued in FY2010. Page 1

2 Preparedness Planning. It is anticipated that the FY2009 requirement that at least 25 percent of the four homeland security programs SHSP, UASI, MMRS, and Citizen Corps Program must be collectively allocated to the Strengthening Preparedness Planning Priority noted below through planning, training and exercise activities will be continued in FY2010. Potential grant sub-recipients should review and be familiar with the Texas Grant Guide when proposing projects for a given grant year. The designated State Administrative Agency (SAA) for administering the Homeland Security Grant Program in Texas is the Governor s Division of Emergency Management (to be renamed Texas Division of Emergency Management, effective September 1, 2009). Homeland Security Program Priorities Each grant year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security sets priorities for grants under the Homeland Security programs. Based upon these criteria, the State of Texas has indicated that the following priorities from FY 2009 will continue to be used for FY 2010 HSGP funding: 1. Strengthen Planning and Citizen Preparedness Capabilities; 2. Strengthen Chemical, Biological, Radiological/Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) Detection, Response, and Decontamination Capabilities; 3. Strengthen Information Sharing and Collaboration Capabilities; and 4. Strengthen Medical Surge and Mass Prophylaxis. It is anticipated that the FY 2009 state and federal requirements that at least 25% of the regional allocation address the federal priority, Strengthening Preparedness Planning, Training, and Exercises will be continued for FY This is in addition to the requirement that 25% of funding be used for Law Enforcement activities. Homeland security activities in the Capital Area Homeland Security Program are also guided by the goals and regional implementation strategies as identified in the current Capital Area Regional Strategic Implementation Plan and the CAPCOG Long Term Interoperability Plan. Identifying Projects for Grants Eligibility. State of Texas guidelines state that potential sub-recipients for FY 2010 SHSP grant funds are incorporated municipalities, counties, federally recognized Indian tribes, and the regional councils of governments (CAPCOG). School districts, transit authorities, ports, hospital districts, and river authorities may be eligible if CAPCOG, a city or county grant recipient, a UASI, or the State Director of Homeland Security determines such funding meets preparedness needs for the region. To ensure Page 2

3 coordination, projects should be submitted through the appropriate jurisdiction (city or county). Any city, county, or federally recognized Indian tribe must have completed the following in order to be eligible for FY 2010 State Homeland Security Grant Program funds: Emergency Management Plan the jurisdiction must have credit from the Governor s Division of Emergency Management (GDEM) for an Emergency Operations Plan at a minimum of the Intermediate level. NIMS compliance the jurisdiction must have adopted NIMS policies and have met and reported NIMCAST requirements online by the federally-mandated deadline, September 30, Texas Regional Response Network (TRRN) the jurisdiction must be participating in the TRRN and have entered any deployable assets costing more than $5,000 that were funded through the Homeland Security Grant Program and must complete the certification form required by the state. Submittal of Project Worksheets. Project worksheets will be distributed by CAPCOG staff in July, 2009, and must be submitted to CAPCOG staff by 5:00 p.m. on August 28, Projects submitted after this deadline will not be considered. Through this process, CAPCOG intends for local jurisdictions to have approximately two months to complete the information and submit their projects. This should allow time for the jurisdiction to have the project worksheet approved by its governing body if required by local policies and procedures. A certifying official of the potential sub-recipient must sign the Grant Project Worksheet for submittal. This can be the county judge, mayor, city manager, chief executive officer or someone authorized to do so by one of the above. Because of the regional focus of the homeland security program, local jurisdictions are encouraged to work through their respective emergency management coordinators when suggesting or seeking funding for a particular project. A jurisdiction may attach letters of support for a project to the project worksheet if desired. Such letters must be limited to two (2) pages and must clearly identify the organization that is supporting the project. Review and Recommendation for Funding. CAPCOG staff will review worksheets for completeness and for project eligibility. This will include verification of a sub-recipient s eligibility to receive SHSP funds as well as whether the expenditures proposed are allowable under federal regulations and guidelines. Committee Consideration. Project worksheets will be submitted to the committees of the Homeland Security Task Force to be discussed and prioritized. Projects will be prioritized based upon criteria as set out by each committee, which may include such considerations as: Compatibility with regional goals and approach Role or importance to regional response planning Immediacy of need Cost effectiveness Page 3

4 Enhancement of existing systems or capabilities Ability to sustain the project after the grant funding expires Ability to meet state priorities Additional criteria as determined by a committee Applicants for grant funds will be informed and invited to the committee meetings when the project proposals are to be discussed. Prioritization of Projects. Chairs of the Homeland Security Task Force committees will meet jointly with the Strategic Directions Committee in early October, 2009 to review and prioritize all projects proposed and eligible for funding. Drafting of Investment Justifications. CAPCOG staff will review the prioritized list of projects and group them according to their relation to state and federal homeland security priorities and investment strategies. If specific federal and state priorities and strategies have not been announced, the FY2009 priorities and strategies will be used as the basis for this grouping. Using forms provided by the state, CAPCOG staff will draft Investment Justifications (IJs) for FY2010. The Investment Justifications and the prioritized project list will be submitted to the Homeland Security Task Force at its November 5, 2009, meeting for review. Following its review, the HSTF will recommend a final list of IJs to the Executive Committee for approval. At the same meeting, the HSTF will recommend the preliminary prioritization of projects for approval by the Executive Committee at its November 11, 2009 meeting. All projects submitted will continue to be listed throughout the process, regardless of how many are funded. Final Project Allocation. The SAA is expected to provide CAPCOG with a target allocation amount in December, The final allocation is expected in July, Upon receipt of the final allocation, IJs for the region will be revised to reflect the regional allocation. These revised IJs and their associated projects will be reviewed at a joint meeting of the HSTF Strategic Directions Committee and the HSTF committee chairs. Applicants will be required to present their plan for meeting matching funds requirement at that time. If matching funds have not been identified, the project will be removed from consideration prior to final approval. If the elimination of one or more projects makes additional funds available, additional projects will be selected for funding. This selection will be based upon the previously-approved priorities and the IJs will be adjusted accordingly. Following this meeting, a revised recommendation will be made to the HSTF which will, in turn, review the recommendation, make revisions as needed, and forward to the CAPCOG Executive Committee for approval. Projects approved for funding will be submitted by CAPCOG staff to the State Administrative Agency for approval. Once approved, the SAA will send sub-recipient agreements directly to the jurisdictions for signature. Page 4

5 Performance Period and Closeout Responsibilities. Sub-recipients of SHSP grant funds are responsible for meeting grant deadlines, ordering required equipment, reporting online or to data calls as required by the state, complying with audits, maintaining records, and all other sub-recipient requirements as specified in the agreement with the state. In addition to regional planning and grant administration duties as required by the state, CAPCOG staff members provide support to the sub-recipients to include informing them of state and federal guidance and deadlines, assisting with eligibility requirements, assisting with online reporting, providing liaison with the SAA, compiling information from or for data calls, supporting the Homeland Security Task Force and committees, and coordinating among projects and/or among jurisdictions involved in a project. The performance period for SHSP is officially two years, with purchases allowed for FY 2010 from October 1, 2010 to November 30, Invoicing and contract closeout must be completed by February 28, Reporting on Grant Progress. Sub-recipients will report on grant progress to the SAA and CAPCOG each quarter of the performance period (January, April, July, October). Unused Funds. At any point during the performance period, the sub-recipient may request to use funds for another project. This may occur whether these funds remain from costs savings in an initial project or whether needs have changed and the initial project is unnecessary or of a lower priority. Using grant funds for another purpose other than the project initially awarded will require approval of the Homeland Security Task Force and the CAPCOG Executive Committee. Sub-recipients will report on unused funds to CAPCOG six months prior to the close of the performance period (July of the 2 nd year). The Homeland Security Task Force may reallocate unused funds to other projects in the region. Page 5

6 Timeline Item SAA develops list of priorities Target Dates/Deadlines June, 2009 (Proposed) Project Worksheets released to jurisdictions Thursday, 7/2/2009 Project Worksheet workshop Tuesday, 7/7/2009 Jurisdictions prepare Project Worksheets Monday, 7/6/2009-Friday, 8/28/2009 Project Worksheets due to CAPCOG Friday, 8/28/2009, 5:00 p.m. HSTF committees prioritize projects Tuesday, 9/1/2009-Friday, 10/2/2009 SDC-Committee Chairs meet-pre-ij Wednesday, 10/7/2009 SAA releases target allocation October, 2010-December, 2010 (Proposed) HSTF recommends IJs Thursday, 11/5/2009 Executive Committee approves IJs Wednesday, 11/11/2009 IJs due to SAA DHS/SAA releases final grant guidance Monday, 11/16/2009 (Proposed) March, 2010 (Proposed) Jurisdiction budget process March, 2010-September, 2010 SDC-Committee Chairs meet-final review July, 2010 or August, 2010 HSTF recommends projects-final Thursday, 8/5/2010 or Thursday, 9/2/2010 SAA releases final award August, 2010 (Proposed) Executive Committee approves projects Wednesday, 8/11/2010 or Wednesday, 9/8/2010 Performance period 10/1/2010-2/28/2013 County Fiscal Year begins Friday, 10/1/2010 Page 6