November 19, 2024
City Council
DATE: November 19, 2024
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin and
Councilmember Soheila Bana (co-sponsor)
Subject:
City of Richmond 2-year Fee Schedule for Membership in
the East Bay Wildfire Coalition
FINANCIAL IMPACT: FY 2025 fee is $3,250 and FY 2026 fee is $5,000 for a total of $8,250 for 2 years of fees. Account string
01203022-400201
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
On November 7, 2023, the Richmond City Council
adopted a resolution approving the Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) to participate in the East Bay
Wildfire Coalition.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The East Bay Wildfire Coalition has been meeting
regularly since April 2024 and has prepared a 2 -year fee schedule based on agency population. The City of
Richmond is being asked to approve its fees (totaling
$8,250) for Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE City of Richmond fees for membership in the
East Bay Wildfire Coalition for a total of $8 ,250 (including $3,250 for Fiscal Year 2025 and $5,000 for Fiscal Year
2026) – Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin (510 -620-
6636) and Councilmember Soheila Bana (510-620-6743).
AGENDA
REPORT
November 19, 2024
DISCUSSION:
On November 7, 2023, the Richmond City Council adopted a resolution and an MOU to join the East Bay Wildfire Coalition (EBWC). EBWC is a collaborative effort to mitigate the risk of wildfire in the East Bay Hills. Current members include Alameda County, Contra Costa County, City Berkeley, City of El Cerrito, City of Hercules, City of Oakland, City of Pinole, City of Richmond and the Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District.
Currently Councilmember McLaughlin is the Richmond representative to this group, with Councilmember Bana being the alternate. The Coalition has been meeting regularly since April 2024 and has set up a website outlining its mission, plans, and meeting schedule.
The website is https://eastbaywildfire.org/ Fire Chiefs of each city, county and/or district serve as advisors to the representatives.
The adopted mission statement of the coalition is as follows:
Recognizing that wildfire does not respect jurisdictional boundaries, the East Bay Wildfire Coalition of Governments (EBWC) is a regional consortium of elected officials representing cities, counties and fire districts committed to safeguarding our communi ties and natural landscapes in the East Bay Hills. We support proactive, science -based, ecologically sound and data -driven approaches to resiliency. Through preparedness, community engagement, education, and collaboration, we support mitigating the increas ing threat of catastrophic wildfires due to the climate crisis.
To do the work envisioned , some professional help will be needed for the organizing, program development, fundraising and management work required to meet the goals of the strategic framework.
The coalition has proposed a 2 -year fee schedule for adoption. This schedule is based on population size with Richmond’s fee for FY 2025 being $3,250 and for FY 2026 being $5,000. The total amount for Richmond for the 2-year fee schedule is $8,250.
This funding is necessary and urgent to the work of the coalition, which is moving swiftly and proactively to prevent and mitigate the risk of wildfires.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – November 7, 2024, adopted resolution and MOU Attachment 2 – East Bay Wildfire Coalition of Governments fee schedule