TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Eve R. Irvine, Chief of Police
Robert Espinosa, Fire Chief
SUBJECT:Title
Resolution Withdrawing Membership from the Los Angeles Regional Communications System (LA-RICS) Joint Powers Authority (Police Chief Irvine).
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 14-0058
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 14-0058 withdrawing membership from the Los Angeles Regional Communications System (LA-RICS) Joint Powers Authority (JPA).
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There is no fiscal impact associated with the recommended action. If the City elects to remain a member of LA-RICS, there would be a significant fiscal impact (exact dollar amount unknown).
BACKGROUND:
On March 4, 2009, Manhattan Beach City Council adopted Resolution No. 6178 approving the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communication System (LA-RICS) Joint Powers Agreement (JPA), thus authorizing the City's membership in the LA-RICS Authority. Initial membership in the JPA did not require an expenditure of funds; if and when a cost was applied to members, the City would have the ability to opt out before being financially committed.
At the time of formation, LA-RICS membership consisted of 82 member cities, the County of Los Angeles, University of California Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles and Inglewood School Districts. The effort was primarily funded through several Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) grants and State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP) grants.
The original concept of LA-RICS was to create a county-wide interoperable communication system using land mobile radios (LMR) for first responders. LMR is a system that aligns with Manhattan Beach and South Bay Regional Public Communication Authority (SBRPCA) technological needs and would enhance current day-to-day operations. However, subsequent to LA-RICS being created, LA-RICS applied for and was awarded a $153 million grant for Broad Band LTE (Long Term Evolution) data system. The awarding of the grant changed LA-RICS' focus considerably, and LTE is not a technology that the City of Manhattan Beach or SBRPCA uses.
Because the $153 million LTE grant has strict spending deadlines for the full construction of the LTE system, the LMR system has become a second priority. Most of the funding to date has been spent on the environmental, design, and project management consulting efforts for the LTE system. The LTE grant and the LA-RICS JPA require a "funding plan" to be approved and adopted by the Board before construction contracts can be authorized.
DISCUSSION:
On May 28, 2014, the LA-RICS Governance Board adopted a funding plan, projecting the cost of continued participation in LA-RICS. The funding plan was distributed to the member agencies by June 2, 2014. The Board of Directors gave agencies 180 days from funding plan distribution (June 2) to opt-out, for an opt-out deadline of November 29, 2014.
There are a lot of unknowns to the LA-RICS system, including uncertainty about how much it would cost the City of Manhattan Beach (estimated to be significant) and what we will get for the money. The cost figures put forth by LA-RICS assume certain grant funding remains available to subsidize the system. Additionally, the current configuration and proposed pricing of the system assumes that all 82 cities and other agencies in Los Angeles County remain participants of the LA-RICS system.
As members withdraw from the system, the costs borne by the remaining participating agencies will rise. The LTE system will require immediate member contribution in order to meet the 10% grant matching requirement of $15.3 million (spread amongst an indeterminate number of agencies, depending on which agencies withdraw). The JPA has language that states that member agencies are responsible for liabilities incurred. It is unclear in both the JPA and the funding plan what liabilities would apply (office space leases, construction costs, loss of grant funds, etc.) Furthermore, if certain strategic assets and locations are lost by agencies withdrawing, the system may need to be redesigned and costs adjusted accordingly.
There is also substantial financial investment related to equipment purchase - LA-RICS will only provide the backbone system for both the LMR and LTE systems. The purchase of LA-RICS compatible equipment to operate on the system would still be the responsibility of individual member agencies.
The South Bay region currently has a well-functioning interoperable communication system. There are other available options to enhance our communication system in the future, aside from our current membership in LA-RICS. The LA-RICS LTE grant requires that LA-RICS services must be offered to non-member agencies on a subscription basis. Additionally, there is a possibility of enhancing the current system by interfacing with Interagency Communications Interoperability System (ICIS). ICIS has a Joint Powers Agreement with over 15 cities, including Culver City, Beverly Hills, Burbank, Pasadena, and Glendale.
Due to the uncertainties of the LA-RICS service and the significant and indeterminable costs associated with such service, staff recommends withdrawing participation in the LA-RICS JPA and authorizing the City Manager to execute all necessary documents to effectuate an immediate withdrawal from the LA-RICS JPA.
Please note that withdrawing from LA-RICS is unrelated to, and does not affect, the City's ownership/membership in the South Bay Regional Public Communications Authority (RCC).
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 14-0058 withdrawing membership from the Los Angeles Regional Communications System (LA-RICS) Joint Powers Authority (JPA).
Attachment
1. Resolution No. 14-0058