City of Sacramento
City Council - 2PM Report
915 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814
www.cityofsacramento.org
File ID: 2024-01349 8/20/2024 Consent Item 7.
Sacramento Equitable and Resilient Urban Forest Program (G15252000): Grant Subaward Agreement and Budgetary Adjustments
File ID: 2024-01349
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Adopt a Resolution authorizing the City Manager or the City Manager’s designee to: 1) execute a subaward agreement with GreenLatinos to receive grant funding in an amount not to exceed $1,000,000 from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service 2023 Urban and Community Forestry grant program for the Sacramento Equitable and Resilient Urban Forest Program; 2) establish the USDA Urban Forest Grant Project (G15252000), also known as the Sacramento Equitable and Resilient Urban Forest Program, as a new Capital Improvement Project; and 3) increase the revenue and expenditure budgets in the USDA Urban Forest Grant Project (G15252000) by $1,000,000 (Federal Capital Grant, Fund 3703).
Contact: Rachel Patten, Sustainability Program Specialist, (916) 808-5016, [email protected]; Lucinda Willcox, Assistant Director, (916) 808-5052, [email protected]; Department of Public Works Presenter: None
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Resolution
3-GreenLatinos Subaward Agreement
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: In May 2023, the City Council adopted a resolution (Resolution 2023-0164) authorizing the city manager or his designee to apply for a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service 2023 Urban and Community Forestry grant. To successfully administer this program, USDA Forest Service is utilizing outside agencies as pass-through partners to administer the funding to awardees. The USDA Forest Service approved an award of $1 million of 2023 Urban and Community Forestry grant funds to the City as a subrecipient of GreenLatinos, a non-profit organization based in Colorado, who will act as the administering agency/pass-through partner.
File ID: 2024-01349 8/20/2024 Consent Item 7.
The City of Sacramento’s original funding request was for $5 million. The partial award required the City to reduce the scope of the original project to fit within the available funding. Based upon the stated goals and requirements of the grant program, policy objectives of the City, and desired outcomes for community benefits, staff has rescoped a project application with the following key components:
· Tree planting and tree resilience in City parks and other facilities, including the Sacramento Marina. This effort would include tree planting, irrigation system upgrades, and storm restoration in City parks and facilities located within federally recognized disadvantaged communities. Community engagement and education would be a key component of these efforts to increase community stewardship and involvement in tree efforts. · Parking lot greening. This effort would aim to increase shading in parking lots, a key contributor to urban heat islands. This effort would include development of a guide to parking lot development to meet 50% shade requirements, as well as development of a pilot program to provide funding to retrofit existing parking lot(s) by adding trees, focusing on properties in federally disadvantaged communities.
· Community education and tree planting events. Engagement efforts will focus on inclusion of local communities, including multi-lingual efforts to expand tree planting efforts and education about tree care and tree programs in under-canopied communities in federally recognized disadvantaged communities.
Policy Considerations: This grant funding supports the 2040 General Plan policies and programs to proactively prepare for climate change impacts, build community resilience, and invest in an extensive tree canopy, with an emphasis on tree planting to enhance livability, reduce heat, and support air quality benefits.
Economic Impacts: None.
Environmental Considerations: The project activities within this grant are covered under CEQA exemption for minor alteration to land (CEQA Guidelines Section 15304). Appropriate NEPA clearance will take place before the City undertakes project activities.
Sustainability: The recently adopted Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (Resolution No. 2024- 0067) identifies the strategies the City will employ to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, including increasing tree canopy in the City to 35 percent as a carbon sequestration measure. The tree planting, parking lot greening, parks greening, and tree protection/maintenance performed through this grant project will support achievement of the tree canopy goal, increase the community’s ability to adapt to the impacts of climate change especially extreme heat, and ensure climate investments
File ID: 2024-01349 8/20/2024 Consent Item 7.
are targeted to the most vulnerable and historically underrepresented communities.
Commission/Committee Action: None.
Rationale for Recommendation: The USDA is requiring the City to enter into a pass-through funding arrangement with GreenLatinos; therefore, City Council approval of the subaward agreement with GreenLatinos is required to proceed with grant acceptance and contracting. Establishing the CIP and budgetary authority will allow staff to proceed with this project.
Financial Considerations: The City received a USDA Forest Service 2023 Urban and Community Forestry grant for $1,000,000 as a subrecipient to GreenLatinos. There is no match requirement for the grant award since all the funding is targeted to disadvantaged communities, but indirect/overhead costs are not eligible for reimbursement. Staff estimate that up to $200,000 in overhead costs over the next three years will be absorbed from the operating budgets of the supporting departments (primarily Public Works and Youth, Parks, and Community Enrichment). Staff has reviewed operating budgets and has determined that these costs can be accommodated.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
RESOLUTION NO.
Adopted by the Sacramento City Council
Sacramento Equitable and Resilient Urban Forest Program: Grant Subaward Agreement and Budgetary Adjustments
BACKGROUND
A. On May 30, 2023, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2023-0164 authorizing the city manager or his designee to submit a grant application to the United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service 2023 Urban and Community Forestry grant.
B. The City developed a comprehensive project scope and submitted a final application in June 2023 for $5,139,539 to develop the Sacramento Equitable and Resilient Urban Forest Program.
C. USDA Forest Service awarded $1,000,000 of 2023 Urban and Community Forestry grant funds to the City, to be administered by GreenLatinos as the federal grant recipient and pass-through partner.
D. The City will receive the $1,000,000 through a subaward agreement as a sub subrecipient of GreenLatinos.
BASED ON THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE BACKGROUND, THE CITY COUNCIL RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The City Manager or the City Manager’s designee is authorized to execute a subaward agreement with GreenLatinos to receive grant funding in an amount not to exceed $1,000,000 from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service 2023 Urban and Community Forestry grant program for the Sacramento Equitable and Resilient Urban Forest Program. The subaward agreement is attached as exhibit A and is part of this resolution.
Section 2. The City Manager or the City Manager’s designee is authorized to establish the USDA Urban Forest Grant Project (G15252000), also known as the Sacramento Equitable and Resilient Urban Forest Program, as a new Capital Improvement Project.
Section 3. The City Manager or the City Manager’s designee is authorized to increase the revenue and expenditure budgets in the USDA Urban Forest Grant Project (G15252000) by $1,000,000 (Federal Capital Grant, Fund 3703)
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Exhibit A – Subaward Agreement