CC - Agendas - City Council - REGULAR - 5/13/2014

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crrvor PRESCOTT�' F�cr%Gr y-1N4mcfinow COUNCIL AGENDA MEMO MEETING DATE/TYPES: VOTING SESSION 5-13-14 DEPARTMENT: Fire AGENDA ITEM: Approval of submission of a 2014 Arizona Wildland Fire Hazardous Fuels Project Grant application to the Arizona Division of Forestry; and ratification of submittal of a grant request to Yavapai County for Title III forest project funding Approved By: Date: Acting Fire Chief: Essex, Dave I05/02/2014, City Manager: McConnell, Craig I -6:0•A 5-5- /I' V • Item Summary The Fire Department is seeking permission to submit a grant application on behalf of the City to the State of Arizona Division of Forestry in the amount of $175,081.00 for wildland fire hazardous fuels reduction. Additionally, the Department is seeking ratification of the prior submittal for grant funds to Yavapai County for $25,000.00 in grant funding for mitigation and education projects eligible for Title III forest project funds. Background The City has been conducting fuels treatments in Prescott for the past 13 years to mitigate wildfire potential. Current information shows that Prescott is one of nine communities in the Southwest at risk from a catastrophic wildfire. The City of Prescott alone has 25,414 residents living in high or extreme Wildland Urban Interface Areas. This equates to 18,301 structures with a total Assessed Valuation of $3,149,747,244 being at risk. Arizona Wildland Fire Hazardous Fuels Proiect Grant —The proposed grant submittal is a 90/10 pass through grant, funded by the Forest Service. The application is for a grant total of $175,081.00, of which $17,508.10 is the required 10% City match ($157,500.00 federal grant funds). This Grant is funded through the Forest Service and the Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which provides funding assistance through the Arizona State Forestry Division for mitigation of fire risk in Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas. In particular, mitigation projects completed through this grant funding to protect Arizona communities through reduction of hazardous fuels. The grant funding process is competitive and places an emphasis on hazard fuel reduction and community protection with priority given to projects identified in current Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP) and located adjacent to National Forest or BLM lands.