HomeMy WebLinkAboutDoc 021 - Ltr re Title III Projects - ForesterTitle III Options
November 3, 2008
On October 3, 2008 President Bush signed into law SRS2008 the Secure Rural Schools
and Community Self-Determination Act. Also, SRS2008 has just three categories of
approved projects, reduced from the 6 categories approved in prior years. The
three approved categories are: (1) Carry out programs under the Firewise
Communities program through education and assistance to homeowners regarding
ways to reduce risks from wildfire; and (2) reimburse counties for the cost of search,
rescue and emergency services, including firefighting, on federal lands; and (3)
develop community wildfire protection plans in coordination with the Forest Service
and/or the BLM. Title III projects are still subject to a 45-day notice and comment
period. Title III has a new requirement for annual certifications by counties that their
Title III projects are in compliance with the statutory requirements.
As a consequence of the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners decision last
year to allocate the Title III dollars to the County Forester, Project Wildfire and
Deschutes County Sheriff Department (see Alternative 2) for four years which runs
through FY 10-11, I have taken the projected totals for the next four years and projected a
budget for that time period.
Recipient 08-09
Title III
remaining
$’s
FY 08-12
projected
totals
08-09
projected
needs
09-10
projected
needs
10-11
projected
needs
11-12
projected
needs
Totals
$536,971 $955,516
+
$536,971
Equals
$1,492,487
$1,492,487
Project
Wildfire
$40,000 +
$20,000
Equals
$60,000
$40,000 +
$20,000
Equals
$60,000
$40,000 +
$20,000
Equals
$60,000
$40,000 +
$20,000
Equals
$60,000
$240,000
Sheriff’s
Department
$75,000 +
$75,000
Equals
$150,000
$75,000 +
$75,000
Equals
$150,000
$75,000 +
$75,000
Equals
$150,000
$75,000 +
$75,000
Equals
$150,000
$600,000
County
Forester
$75,000 +
$75,000
Equals
$150,000
$75,000 +
$75,000
Equals
$150,000
$75,000 +
$75,000
Equals
$150,000
$75,000 +
$75,000
Equals
$150,000
$600,000
Recipient
Totals
$1,240,000
Reserves
FY 12-13
+$252,487
Discussion: After reviewing the historical distribution of Title III dollars since the
beginning of the funding these projected needs match up both with past allocations for
the Sheriff’s Department and projected future needs. The reason for the discrepancy for
both Project Wildfire and the County Forester is in the past we have used grant funding to
supplement both programs. For the grants we currently have and for the foreseeable
future our ability to use grant funding is diminishing for salary and other charges, our
grants go almost 100% to “on-ground efforts” and other program management costs are
no longer allowed as in past years. In 2008 Project Wildfire costs were $61,333 and the
County Forester costs were $159,810. We will continue to maximize grant funding were
practical and legal thus increasing the reserve amount for FY 12-13.
It is important to realize that since the previous six options for distribution of Title III
funding through grants i.e. Heart of Oregon, High Desert Museum, Four Winds
Foundation and Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council are no longer available.
Consequently the most realistic providers of the three criteria in SRS2008 are Project
Wildfire, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Department and the County Forester.
Recommendation: Approve the funding strategy of Title III funds for FY 08-12.
Funding Strategy Approved by Deschutes County BOCC on November 3, 2008.
Title III Options
September 2007
History: Deschutes County has received both Title II and Title III dollars for
approximately five years since the Secure Funding Legislation passed. Recently a one-
year extension gave the counties an additional allocation to buy time which will allow
counties additional time to identify alternative funding strategies for not only Title II and
III projects but the road maintenance funds. Congress is looking at alternative legislative
measures which would replace previous payments based on timber sale receipts but that
outcome in both unpredictable and may be several years before counties see results.
Traditionally Title II and Title III funding has been appropriated on a 70%-30% split
respectively. For 2007 the Deschutes County BOCC reversed the percentage spread and
the total amount available for Title III is approximately $765,000. In previous years Title
III received approximately $250,000 annually which was allocated to the following
recipients:
• Deschutes County Sheriff
• Deschutes County Forester
• Project Wildfire
• Heart of Oregon
• High Desert Museum
• Glades Meadow restoration project.
• Edgington Road District
• Nature Conservancy
• Wolf Tree Education Foundation
• Other education/natural resource initiatives.
Title III dollars can only be spent in specific areas as per the legislation:
• Emergency services on public lands, i.e. Search and Rescue and materials.
• Costs for supervising mandatory community service work on public lands.
• Easements for access or conservation.
• Forest related education.
• Fire prevention and planning.
• Community Forestry.
Alternatives and Strategy: The only thing certain is that the extension of the funding
will be the last Deschutes County will see until Congress passes new legislation. The
timing and funding amounts is unknown, consequently impossible to predict.
Based on the available information there are three viable alternatives to consider:
Alternative 1: Continue with existing process allocating approximately $250,000
annually to qualifying applicants. This would give Deschutes County approximately
three years before Title III funding is exhausted.
Alternative 2: Fund the Deschutes County Sheriff, @ $75,000, the County Forester @
$75,000 and Project Wildfire @ $40,000 annually which will give Deschutes County
approximately four years before Title III funding is exhausted.
Alternative 3: Fund the Deschutes County Sheriff, @ $50,000, the County Forester @
$50,000 and Project Wildfire @ $25,000 annually which will give Deschutes County
approximately five years before Title III funding is exhausted.
Preferred Alternative is 2: Keeping the funding at the identified levels will allow the
Sheriff’s Department, Forester and Project Wildfire to operate at “sufficient levels.”
Both the Forester and Project Wildfire have other grant dollars to supplement the
programs but can not operate with grant funding alone. Project Wildfire has brought in
excess of $1.5 million dollars to Deschutes County thru grant writing efforts we must
maintain this as a viable program because of the success of the program and our
interagency commitments. Having a stable budget for at least four years is an added
advantage from a planning advantage.
The other two alternatives either will not extend Title III funding for a sufficient time
period or in the case of Alternative 3, those dollars amounts for the Sheriff Department or
Forester will result in significantly reduced services and reduce flexibility to utilize grant
funding opportunities.
The consequences of this alternative versus Alternative #1 is programs such as Heart of
Oregon and other worthy endeavors will have to seek alternative funding sources. This
will not be a popular decision but at this point with funding potentially going away, we
simply must take care of existing programs within County government. Project Wildfire
is an anomaly in that the program was created and still currently managed by County
ordinance
Choosing Alternative 2 will allow Deschutes County sufficient time to develop funding
strategies if in fact Title III dollars or other funding schemes completely end.
Alternative 2 chosen by BOCC for FY’s 07-11.