COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Office of Public Safety Communications

DATE:

November 16, 2009

BOARD MEETING DATE:

December 1, 2009

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Jaime D. Young, Public Safety Communications Director

SUBJECT:

Second Amendment to the Agreement With the San Mateo County Pre-Hospital Care Medical Group for 911 Communications Services

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt a resolution authorizing the President of the Board to execute the Second Amendment to the agreement between the County of San Mateo and the San Mateo County Pre-Hospital Care Medical Group JPA for 911 Communications Services extending the term through January 31, 2010.

BACKGROUND:

PSC has and continues to provide all fire suppression, medical, hazardous materials and rescue fire communications to the San Mateo County Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Care Group Joint Powers Authority (JPA), under contract, since 1999. That contract expired July 1, 2009. The Board approved the First Amendment to the agreement between the County and the (JPA) for 911 Communications Services on June 23, 2009. Although the First Amendment was put in place in anticipation that a long-term contract would be executed by its expiration, unanticipated delays resulted in the First Amendment recently expiring without ratifying long-term contract.

DISCUSSION:

This Second Amendment provides the JPA with uninterrupted emergency public safety dispatch services through January 31, 2010. The County and JPA continue to negotiate a long-term contract for such services that is expected to be executed on or before the expiration of this Second Amendment.

The quarterly payment of $361,271 is based on the rates that were in effect in 2008. The Second Amendment provides that the parties may negotiate a retroactive rate increase to compensate the County for services provided until the new long-term agreement is in place.

During the life of the original contract, the fee structure and formula changed to include billing from the County to the JPA for fire suppression dispatch, which was previously billed to each individual agency. This restructure allowed for one invoice from the County to the JPA instead of 15 invoices (one to each agency). As a result of this and the increased cost of services, the initial annual amount of $319,000 has increased substantially, to the current quarterly payment in the Second Amendment of $361,271 (approximately $1.45 million annualized).

County Counsel has reviewed and approved the recommended Second Amendment and Resolution as to legal form.

The approval of this amendment contributes to ‘Shared Vision 2025’ of a Healthy Community by providing contracted fire suppression and fire first response communications services to all fire agencies in San Mateo County. Along with the six law enforcement agencies and contracted ambulance dispatch, PSC continues to strive for cost effective and efficient consolidation of communications services.

Performance Measure(s):

Measure

FY 2008-09
Actual

FY 2009-10
Projected

Percent of high priority calls dispatched within established time frames:

• Fire

• Medical

94%

94%

94%

94%

FISCAL IMPACT:

This action will result in the County receiving payments in the amount of $361,271 per quarter. There is no Net County Cost associated with this action.