BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:
Title
Evaluation Criteria for Fiscal Year 2017 District Water Conservation Grants for the Safe, Clean Water Program, Project No. 26061008.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
A. Approve the project evaluation criteria related to the Water Conservation Grant Program; and
B. Delegate authority to the District Interim Chief Executive Officer to execute grant agreements in the Fiscal Year 2017 grant cycle consistent with the Water Conservation Program.
Body
SUMMARY:
The Safe, Clean Water and Natural Flood Protection Program (Safe, Clean Water) includes up to $1,000,000 in funding for a Water Conservation Grants Program (Grant Program) over a ten year period. The Grant Program will provide funding to test new and innovative technologies and practices that save water, such as irrigation optimization technology, systems for reusing industrial rinse water, etc. Each grant cycle is scheduled to have $100,000 in available funding, plus any unused funds from previous years.
Staff implemented the first grant cycle, available to public and non-profit entities only, in Fiscal Year 2014 with approved grants totaling $105,000.
In Fiscal Year 2015, in response to the continued drought, staff made two changes: (1) opened the grant cycle to for-profit companies as well as public and non-profit entities and (2) increased the available funding to $250,000. Five grants were approved totaling $223,500.
In Fiscal Year 2016, the available funding was again $250,000, in response to the drought. Three grants were approved totaling $130,000 to the following grantees:
1. City of Mountain View - Advanced Metering Infrastructure Feasibility Study and Pilot ($50,000)
2. Purissima Hillls Water District - Residential Advanced Metering Program ($50,000)
3. Veloctron LLC - Micro Streams Faucet Adapter ($30,000)
Process
The following process has been developed to implement the Grant Program for the Fiscal Year 2017 grant cycle:
1. Request that the Board approve the evaluation criteria and authorize Interim CEO to execute grant agreements.
2. Release request for proposals.
3. Conduct outreach.
4. Receive grant proposals.
5. Establish review team and review grant proposals.
6. Execute contracts (i.e., grant agreements) with successful grant proponents.
7. Report to Board annually on grants awarded and results of program.
Evaluation Criteria
Staff updated the Grant Program Evaluation Criteria in the Fiscal Year 2015 grant cycle to ensure any projects recommended for funding met established minimum grant requirements, a minimum score when reviewed, and were consistent with the District’s mission and ends policies as well as applicable Safe, Clean Water Program objectives. No changes were made to the Evaluation Criteria for Fiscal Year 2016. Staff proposes no changes to the Evaluation Criteria for Fiscal Year 2017.
The Board is requested to review and approve the attached Evaluation Criteria (Attachment 1) prior to their inclusion in a request for proposal for the Fiscal Year 2017 grant cycle. This request for approval is in response to the July 28, 2015 Board discussion on the Board Advisory Ad Hoc Committee’s recommendation for the Board to review project criteria.
Schedule
Staff developed the following schedule for the FY2017 grant cycle:
• September 2016 - Board review and approve the evaluation criteria and authorize the Interim CEO to execute grant agreements
• September 2016 - Release request for proposals for the fourth grant cycle
• November 2016 - Receive grant proposals
• January 2017 - Announce grant recipients
• May 2017 - Execute grant agreements
• May/June 2017 - Report to Board on grant awards and results to date
Outreach
Outreach will include:
• Grant Program notification emails to over 120 stakeholder groups and an additional 387 schools (including public elementary, middle, and high schools, and charter schools) within Santa Clara County
• Grant Program notification letters from the CEO to city managers and executive directors
• Grant Program notification letters from the Board Chair to city mayors and the County of Santa Clara President of the Board of Supervisors
• Grant Program notifications to water retailers in the county
• Press release(s)
• District web page updates with announcement of the grant cycles
• Workshops (if there’s interest from prospective grant applicants) will be held after release of the request for proposals to provide information and answer questions
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The Safe, Clean Water Program includes $1,000,000 for water conservation grants. In Fiscal Year 2014, awards totaled $105,000 but were not disbursed due to delays in execution of the grant agreements. In Fiscal Year 2015, grant awards totaled $223,500 plus the carry forward from Fiscal Year 2014 of $105,000 for a grand total of $328,500. The increase in grant amount in Fiscal Year 2015 was due to increased need for water conservation as a result of the continued drought. In Fiscal Year 2016, grant awards totaled $130,000. The total awarded amount in the first, second and third grant cycles was $458,500. Please see Attachment 2 for a detailed list of grantees.
$100,000 was budgeted in Fiscal Year 2017. This is within the Safe, Clean Water budget of $1,000,000 over ten years approved specifically to fund the Water Conservation Grant Program.
CEQA:
The recommended action does not constitute a project under CEQA because it does not have a potential for resulting in direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: 2017 Evaluation Criteria
Attachment 2: Water Conservation Grant Projects Status
UNCLASSIFIED MANAGER:
Manager
Garth Hall, 408-630-2750