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Committee endorses retroactive FEMA grant to buy underwater ROV for police Marine Unit
Summary
The Budget Committee recommended acceptance of a $298,000 FEMA grant (with a 25% match) to purchase an underwater remotely operated vehicle for the Police Marine Unit; staff said total project cost is approximately $398,000 including an optional one-year support plan.
The committee endorsed a retroactive Department of Homeland Security/FEMA grant allowing the Police Department to accept $298,000 to purchase an underwater remotely operated vehicle for the Marine Unit.
Andy Mullen and CFO Patrick Leung explained the award includes a required 25% match and an optional one-year support plan priced at $25,000; Leung said the total project budget is approximately $398,000 if the optional support is included and that the department would absorb future support costs if it elects to continue support beyond the grant period. Presenters said the new ROV would replace a 12-year-old unit and provide improved capability to inspect piers, seawalls and moored vessels, reducing the need to deploy divers.
Supervisors pressed staff on why the acceptance is retroactive (grant start date 09/01/2019); staff said timing reflected award notification and internal calendaring steps—reviews by the department, the police commission and the budget committee—and cautioned that Board members may ask about retroactivity when the item reaches the full Board. The committee moved the accept-and-expend resolution to the Board with a positive recommendation.
