DATE: July 7, 2020
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Kirk Haynes, Chief Probation Officer
SUBJECT: Amendment to Victim/Witness Assistance Program Grant Agreement
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute First Amendment to Victim Witness Assistance Program Grant Agreement No. A-19-523 with the State of California, Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), effective upon execution with no change in term to September 30, 2020 and decreasing the maximum by $96,866 to a total of $1,562,493.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Approval of the recommend action will decrease the maximum of the grant agreement by removing the required match in funds from the Probation Department. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If the recommended action is not approved, the grant agreement amount will not be decreased, and the required match of funds from the Probation Department will not be waived by Cal OES. This will not create savings of $73,642 in the FY 2019-20 Adopted Budget Probation Grants Org 3432.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The grant agreement is a total of $1,659,359 ($1,562,493 in grant funds from Cal OES and $96,866 in required match funds from the Probation Department). The recommended action removes the required match of $96,866 and decreases the grant agreement amount from $1,659,359 to $1,562,493. Based on the estimated grant expenditures of $1,052,029, Cal OES would no longer require $73,642 in matching funds from Probation in FY 2019-20 for Probation Grants Org 3432. It should be noted that since the grant agreement was effective October 1, 2019, approximately $23,224 in matching funds has already been paid.
DISCUSSION:
On October 8, 2019 your Board authorized the execution of the retroactive grant agreement with Cal OES for the period of October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020, not to exceed the amount of $1,659,359.
The Grant Agreement provides funding for the Fresno County James Rowland Crime Assistance Center (CVAC), which the Probation Department has operated for crime victims and witnesses in Fresno County since 1975. Services include crisis intervention and counseling, emergency assistance and referrals, orientation to the criminal justice system, court and parole hearing support, assistance writing victim impact statements for the Court, criminal case status and disposition, employer and creditor intervention, assistance filing for financial help with the California Victim compensation Program, and information regarding protective and restraining orders.
The grant funds the following positions: one Probation Services Manager, three Senior Victim Witness Advocates, ten Victim Witness Advocates, one Program Technician, one Office Assistant, and three Student Workers. Beginning with FY 2018-19, additional monies were awarded by Cal OES to fund an additional Victim Witness based Mass Victimization Advocate, which has been dedicated to the objective of supporting response readiness in the event of mass victimization/terrorism incidents.
Due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, the impact on the local, state and national economy is unknown, and may be significant. Cal OES is offering grantees the opportunity to waive the match of $96,866, as previously required from the Probation Department by the grant. Waiver of the match would provide savings in the FY 2019-20 Adopted Budget for Probation Grants Org 3432, which in turn will help address any downturn in revenues resulting from this pandemic that may impact next fiscal year.
All other provisions of the grant agreement will remain the same.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #43, October 8, 2019
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Amendment to Agreement with Cal OES
CAO ANALYST:
Samantha Buck