To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Vincent Smith, Community Development Director
Prepared By: Vincent Smith, Community Development Director
TITLE:
Title
Napa Countywide Climate Action Program Joint Powers Agreement
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Authorize the Mayor to sign a Cooperative Joint Powers Agreement to Establish, Fund and Administer the Napa Countywide Climate Action Program.
Body
DISCUSSION:
The City Council has appointed Vice Mayor Liz Alessio and Council Member Bernie Narvaez to serve as the City of Napa’s representatives on the regional Napa Climate Action Committee (CAC). This committee has been meeting for over a year and has recommended the creation of a more formal structure to address organizational and operational issues to assist the committee in accomplishing its core goals and objectives. They are recommending creation of a “Cooperative Joint Powers Agreement to Fund and Administer the Napa Countywide Climate Action Program” (JPA) between the County of Napa and each individual city/town. The formal agreement outlines the scope of the Climate Action Program, governance structure, and funding structure for the program going forward.
As outlined in the Agreement, the purpose of this Agreement is to establish a collaborative framework to allow the Member Agencies to work with each other and with community organizations, businesses, schools, and regional partners and jurisdictions on coordinated actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit the adverse effects of future climate change. The Climate Action Committee (CAC) shall act as a community round table or forum for the sharing of information, providing public education, promoting events and grants relevant to climate change, developing a regional greenhouse gas inventory, and identifying mutually agreed upon climate goals and action items for consideration by the individual Member Agencies. A working group made up of staff from each Member Agency will assist the CAC in working on the greenhouse gas inventory, developing draft mutual goals and action items, preparing joint draft ordinances or policies for consideration by individual Member Agencies, and supporting regional sustainability efforts.
Specific administrative and planning functions of the Countywide Climate Action Program (CCAP) are more particularly described in the JPA as follows:
Ø Coordinate with Local Programs through the CAC. The CAC includes representatives from all Agencies who meet monthly to discuss common issues and identify solutions.
Ø Manage and implement the Joint Powers Agreement regarding those tasks to be performed at a countywide level by the CAC and coordinate with Parties regarding tasks to be performed on an individual municipal level.
Ø Develop and manage annual budgets and budget forecasts for work performed at the CAC.
Ø Develop supporting scopes of work for activities performed at the countywide level by the CCAP.
Ø Develop and manage contracts for activities performed at the countywide level by outside contractors and consultants. Oversee contractors; facilitate review of deliverables by permittees; approve final deliverables; and review and approve invoices.
Ø Track CCAP expenditures throughout the year and provide mid-year and end of year actual expenditures’ accounting.
Ø Facilitate CAC meetings (work groups, sub-committees), prepare agendas and minutes, and staff and broadcast meetings.
Ø Disseminate information (e.g., training and/or workshop announcements), schedule presenters, and develop materials (e.g., brochures and/or electronic media) at the countywide level to the Parties and public.
Ø Make presentations to municipal city and town councils, as requested.
Ø Facilitate and encourage municipal implementation of plans and projects developed at the countywide level by the CCAP.
Ø Coordinate with other city, county, regional, and state agencies to stay informed of changes in State climate action policies and regulations, and/or recent court decisions, and provide regular updates to the CAC on this information.
Ø Track progress on CCAP measurable goals.
Under the Countywide Program structure, the Countywide Program will be responsible for facilitating the development of common regional climate action goals and standards for adoption by each member agency. Each individual jurisdiction is responsible for implementing specific climate action policies and tasks that may specifically be required to comply with State climate action requirements.
The proposed JPA will be advised by a twelve-member standing committee comprised of two elected officials from each participating jurisdiction. The CAC’s activities will be subject to the Brown Act. Staffing and administrative support, including legal counsel will be provided by the County of Napa. The cost allocation methodology for the program shall be based on the County contributing 33% of actual CCAP Program Administration costs and member agencies sharing the remaining 67% cost allocated on a fifty percent (50%) equal share and fifty percent (50%) proportional population share exclusive of the unincorporated area population. The City of Napa’s cost share estimate is in the range of 29.9% of the total CCAP administration cost under this cost methodology which is estimated to be approximately $17,665.
At its April 23, 2021 meeting, the members of the Napa Countywide Climate Action Committee took action to approve the proposed JPA with the understanding that there may be some final edits to the JPA based on ongoing Attorney and/or Manager review. The City’s representatives to the Countywide Climate Action Committee support approval of entering into this JPA. Use of a JPA structure such as this is a fairly common structure for regional partnerships.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
As noted above, participation in the CCAC will have an initial financial impact of approximately $17,665.
CEQA:
The Community Development Director has determined that the Recommended Action described in this Agenda Report is not a project (pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378) since it does not result in a physical change in the environment.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
ATCH 1 - Napa Countywide Cooperative Joint Powers Agreement
NOTIFICATION:
None.