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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 2004.02.05 - 27486REPORT (MISC. 104026) February 5, 2004 BY: Public Services Committee, Hugh D. Crawford, Chairperson IN RE: MR #04026 — BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS — REPRESENTATION CONCERNS ON THE STATE PLANNING TEAM FOR HOMELAND SECURITY GRANTS To the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen: The Public Services Committee, having reviewed Miscellaneous Resolution #04026 on January 27, 2004, reports with a recommendation that the resolution be adopted. Chairperson, on behalf of the Public Services Committee, I move acceptance of the foregoing report. PUBLIC SERVICES COMMITTEE Public Services Committee Vote: Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote. REPORT (MISC. 104026) February 5, 2004 BY: General Government Committee, William R. Patterson, Chairperson IN RE: MR #04026 — BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS — REPRESENTATION CONCERNS ON THE STATE PLANNING TEAM FOR HOMELAND SECURITY GRANTS To the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen: The General Government Committee, having reviewed Miscellaneous Resolution #04026 on January 26, 2004, reports with a recommendation that the resolution be amended, as follows: 1. Change the 1 st BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED paragraph, as follows: BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners requests that the funding formulas be based primarily upon population, critical infrastructure and vulnerability,for the additional reasons as stated in Attachment A. 2. Change the last BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED paragraph, as follows: BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners hereby requests that the Oakland County Clerk forward copies of this adopted resolution to Wayne County, Macomb County, St. Clair County, Monroe County, Washtenaw County, Governor Granholm, the Oakland County delegation to the State legislature, U.S. Senators and Congressmen representing Oakland County, Oakland County cities, villages and townships, fire chiefs and police chiefs of Oakland County, SEMCOG, Michigan Association of Counties and the lobbyists for Oakland County. Chairperson, on behalf of the General Government Committee, I move acceptance of the foregoing report. GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE General Government Committee Vote: Motion carried on a roll call vote with Bullard absent. EXHIBIT A TO MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTION No. 04026 ON EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND PREPAREDNESS — REPRESENTATION CONCERNS ON THE STATE PLANNING TEAM FOR HOMELAND SECURITY GRANTS OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN January 28, 2004 The State Planning Team on Homeland Security (SPT) is expected to develop plans and related funding formula derived from the federal Homeland Security grants to be released to Michigan in the very near term. The issues cited below have been expressed by various associations of police. fire / EMS and emergency managers from throughout the State — not just Oakland County. The principal concern involves SPT representation from the southeast Michigan first responder community (police / fire / EMS) and the southeast Michigan county emergency management offices. One of the critical decisions facing the SPT is the determination of a funding allocation formula for distributing $62 million in federal Homeland Security grants. The State is permitted to use `up to' 20% of the grant proceeds for their needs, or roughly $12 million. The County understands that the State intends on using the full 20% allowed under the grant. The remaining amount will be distributed to the counties based upon the formula under development. Historically, the County has received approximately 3% of the previous Homeland Security grants, despite having 11% of the State's population and even a greater percentage of the State's taxable value (roughly 17%, or 'economic infrastructure"). The following are a listing of the representation concerns expressed in the above Board of Commissioners' miscellaneous resolution. SPT REPRESENTATION The SPT is comprised of State departmental directors and various Michigan State Police (MSP) appointed individuals largely from constituent associations. For example, the representative for counties in Michigan is from Berrien County. Representation appointed by the first responder community will validate homeland security issues and related allocation formulas to address those issues and engender support of that community. The representation would provide Oakland County and other counties and first responders' input into the special needs of the region when the Homeland Security grant allocations are developed. Berrien County, for example, has received distributions from a segment of the previous grants as this County is a part of the Regional Response Team initiative. The 2002 funds allocated from the 80% share by the MSP for all Regional Response Teams were $1.7 million. The City of Troy is a member of the Regional Response Team, The MSP Emergency Management Division has already used $1.7 million from the county and local 80% funds in 2002 and is using $5.0 million from the 2003 Part II grant funds to support the Regional Response Team initiative as well. Local input has not been solicited from the first responder community prior to these distributions being made. The City of Detroit emergency management director, who is a retired MSP lieutenant, has been characterized as the southeast Michigan regional representative on the SPT by an MSP official. Another MSP official has indicated he is only on the SPT because of the Urban Area Security Initiative Act. The City of Detroit was directly awarded $13.8 million from the federal government for homeland security. The County has received little information from the City of Detroit emergency management director concerning the SPT activities, despite requests from County Emergency Response and Preparedness personnel. Additionally, there has been no attempt from the City's Emergency Management Director to solicit comments, concerns, or recommended actions to be taken for southeast Michigan to the SPT. CLOSED MEETINGS The SPT meetings are by invitation only due to the nature of the discussions involving homeland security, which may involve sensitive discussions on vulnerabilities. Closing the SPT meetings and having no direct representation selected from the constituency communities has created suspicions on the part of the first responder community that can easily be resolved with representation. These suspicions have been reinforced with data showing that the 2001, 2002, and 2003 federal grant allocation formulas have resulted in a per MSP trooper amount greater than the first responder amounts in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties for weapons of mass destruction equipment. CONFLICT OF INTEREST The State departments, including the MSP, are likely to benefit from the Homeland Security grants. With the MSP selecting the SPT representatives and the meetings being closed, the appearance of a conflict of interest is obvious. Certainly, representation derived from southeastern Michigan would challenge the programs being funding out of the 20% share of the Homeland Security grant. CONSORTIA The Governor stated in her January 27, 2004 State of the State address, the following: "There will be more cuts in the coming budget. So now is the time for quiet courageous local leadership to get beyond turf and politics to promote efficiency and stretch dollars to maximize services to the public. Therefore, local governments should be compelled to consider new partnerships with one another: pooling resources, sharing services, technology office space, and even employees." The County agrees with this goal and has for years encouraged consortia in police, fire and Emergency Medical Services operations, as well as non-public safety initiatives. The County would encourage the MSP to heed the goals set by the Governor in one of the 2 most critical areas — Homeland Security. The State is in a unique position to encourage the development of county-based consortia such as CLEMIS or the mutual aid consortia built in Oakland County surrounding the costly equipment purchased out of a Board of Commissioners appropriation of roughly $1.7 million. Discussions with MSP personnel have indicated no consideration or encouragement of local first responders to provide for sharing of equipment, services, mutual aid agreements, or other similar actions as a condition of the grant receipt. Accordingly, it is probable that the grants will serve individual first responder activities but create enclaves to the detriment of public safety. Consortia assist in developing regional mutual aid plans, standardizing equipment used, and assists in breaking down cultural barriers involving certain cultural (that is, 'turf') barriers — for example, full-time, volunteer and public safety firefighting functions. By releasing the funds to counties without commitments to work towards consortia, the State will be providing for equipment and training funds involving individual first responder departments that will be more costly in the long run. FORMULA CONSIDERATIONS The following are a few considerations in the development of the formula that could have been raised through a local representative on the SPT: • Vulnerability Assessments. The Homeland Security grants formula for the "80% component" of the grant may include a provision for the vulnerability assessments performed in the fall of 2003. The County supports this approach but expresses a concern that this is a subjective area of the formula. SPT representation would help to ensure that a 'fairs allocation based on vulnerability is considered uniformly in the process. • Formula Constituency Group. The funding allocation formula has yet to be finalized. However, it is nearing completion. Once the formula is set, changing the formula will result in 'winners' and 'losers' as is the case in any formula allocation methodology. By fixing the formula without representation selected by those represented, it will result in developing a constituency group ensuring the status quo in Homeland Security grant distributions well into the future. Contact — Robert Daddow, Assistant Deputy County Executive Oakland County, Michigan Telephone — 248 / 858-1650 Email — daddowr(a),co.oakland.mi.us 3 MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTION # 04026 January 22, 2004 By: Commissioner Hugh D. Crawford, District #9 IN RE: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS - REPRESENTATION CONCERNS ON THE STATE PLANNING TEAM FOR HOMELAND SECURITY GRANTS TO: OAKLAND COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen: WHEREAS the terrorist incidents occurring in New York and Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon on September 11,200] has caused the United States to develop programs and bolster first responder capabilities related to fighting terrorism and weapons of mass destruction; and WHEREAS substantial federal finding has been released under the U. S. Department of Homeland Security, through the Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP), for the State Homeland Security Grant Program to support our first responder abilities to respond to a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear or Explosive (CBRNE) related event; and WHEREAS the Michigan State Police Emergency Management Division (MSP EMD) has appointed a State Planning Team (SPT) with individuals not representative of the counties in southeast Michigan, which make up approximately 60 percent of the State's population as well as 80 plus percent of the State's critical infrastructure; and WHEREAS MSP EMD is directing the SPT to prioritize, determine funding formulas, and direct future grant money without the participation and input of the local communities in southeast Michigan as it relates to risk, vulnerable areas, threats, and equipment shortfalls; and WHEREAS MSP EMD has closed the meetings of the SPT to the communities (including first responders, defined as police, fire and emergency medical services personnel) who provided the needs and vulnerability assessment information under the premise of Homeland Security which provides protection from disclosure information relating to critical infrastructure; and WHEREAS proportionate population and critical infrastructure based funding should be directed to the first responder community to encourage building mutual aid consortia to address approaches, organization, and procedures for preventing terrorist use of nuclear weapons, detecting chemical and biological materials and attacks, and improving response capabilities; and WHEREAS Oakland County represents 11% of the State population and only receives approximately 3% of the Homeland Security funding based upon the current grant formulas developed by the State; and WHEREAS once the Homeland Security formula is set for allocating resources, the formula will develop entrenched constituency groups in its defense; and WHEREAS the MSP and other State departments are represented on the SPT and receiving Homeland Security funds for State programs; and WHEREAS the County has developed effective mutual aid consortia by encouraging cooperative relationships with the first responders through grants provided to the local governmental units with both County General Fund appropriations from the Board of Commissioners and funds received through the State; and WHEREAS the County would encourage the State to actively work in building local consortia and/or supporting local consortia already in existence; and WHEREAS the County's significant experience in building consortia and the experience of other counties, including first responders and emergency managers, would benefit in development of mutual aid relationships in the ease of an emergency: and WHEREAS many other organizations involving police, fire/EMS and emergency management functions have called for representation on the SPT; and WHEREAS State representatives have asserted that the City of Detroit emergency manager sits on the SPT to represent urban emergency management interests and the six county region (despite having no input from those counties); and NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners requests and urges that the region of southeast Michigan be adequately represented on the SPT for the purpose of objectivity in fund distribution and adequate assessments of vulnerability. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners requests that the funding formulas be based primarily upon population, critical infrastructure and vulnerability. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the SPT meetings be open to the first responder community for all but the most sensitive homeland security discussions. nty Commissioner District # aVand County Commissioner Diftrict # ORkland Cour-114r Corrimissioner District # I Oakland County Commissioner District # OakTand County Commissioner District # Oakland County Commissioner Dispfa# 4171 Oakland County Commis#tler District # - Affli° ...011110r‘ fr. an. County Commissioner District # 1(1:and County Commissio ;Oct It Dis Oakland7•Anty ommissioner District # I _5 Oakland Cou '6istrict # I. missioner BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners hereby requests that the Oakland County Clerk forward copies of this adopted resolution to Wayne County, Macomb County, St, Clair County, Monroe County, Washtenaw County, Governor Granholm and the Oakland County delegation to the State Legislature. Chairperson, I move the adoption of the foregoing resolution. ) Oakland County Commissioner District # Oakland County Commissioner District 14„1 R P6A-(4411 Oakland County Commissioner District # ,10, 4, Oakland County Commission District # County Conimissioner if CommVoner Hugh D. Crawfo{d, District #9 e,_ittt 441, Oakland Co4C3ssioner District # 4,,e5 r le) Oaklarkl Cq nty Commissioner District # Oakland County Commissioner District 4 Oakland County District #2/ ssioner /14:‹ Oakland Cou. y Commissioner District # 0241- Oakland Coun Commissioner D , V , _ . , / 0./. • i ' /NIA ,. ' LI Aca , 1 'akland 4V+unt ommissioner District 4 6 ii District # District # District # Oakland County Commissioner District # Oakland County Commissioner District # Oakland County Commissioner Oakland County Commissioner District # District Oakland County Commissioner Oakland County Commissioner District # District # Oakland County Commissioner Oakland County Commissioner District # District # Oakland County Commissioner Oakland County Commissioner District # District # Oakland County Commissioner Oakland County Commissioner District # District # Oakland County Commissioner Oakland County Commissioner District # District # Oakland County Commissioner Oakland County Commissioner Resolution #04026 January 22, 2004 The Chairperson referred the resolution to the General Government Committee and the Public Services Committee. There were no objections. 44/ G. William Caddell, County Clerk Resolution #04026 February 5, 2004 Moved by Webster supported by Crawford the resolution be adopted. Moved by Webster supported by Crawford the Public Services Report be accepted. A sufficient majority having voted therefore, the report was accepted. Moved by Webster supported by Crawford the General Government Committee Report be accepted. A sufficient majority having voted therefore, the report was accepted. Moved by Webster supported by Crawford the resolution be amended to coincide with the recommendation in the General Government Committee Report. A sufficient majority having voted therefore, the amendment carried. Vote on resolution as amended: AYES: Crawford, Douglas, Gregory, Hatchett, Jamian, Knollenberg, KowaII, Law, Long, McMillin, Moffitt, Moss, Potter, Rogers, Scott, Suarez, Webster, Wilson, Zack, Bullard, Coleman, Coulter. (22) NAYS: None. (0) A sufficient majority having voted therefore, the resolution, as amended was adopted. III NT NMI WRY MI ACM STATE OF MICHIGAN) COUNTY OF OAKLAND) I, G. William Caddell, Clerk of the County of Oakland, do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is a true and accurate copy of a resolution adopted by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners on February 5, 2004 with the original record thereof now remaining in my office. In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the ,seal ofithe County of Oakland at Pontiac, Michigan this 5th day of February, 2004.