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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 12i - Annual Subscriber Agreement and Fees for ICI DATE: June 18, 2024 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Roy Nakamura, Chief of Police By: Amber Abeyta, Management Analyst SUBJECT: AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THE INTERAGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INTEROPERABILITY (“ICI”) SYSTEM ANNUAL SUBSCRIBER AGREEMENT AND FEES FOR A FIVE-YEAR PERIOD, IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $325,000 OVER THE FIVE-YEAR PERIOD CEQA: Not a Project Recommendation: Approve SUMMARY The Arcadia Police Department’s Agreement with the Interagency Communications Interoperability (“ICI”) System Joint Powers Authority for wireless communication use, expired on March 1, 2024. The City and other partner agencies benefit from ICI’s infrastructure, which provides for a wide area interoperable radio system. It is recommended that the City Council approve Amendment No. 1 to renew the ICI Annual Subscriber Agreement and fees, for a five-year period beginning July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2029, in an amount not to exceed $325,000 over the term of the agreement. BACKGROUND The Interagency Communications Interoperability (“ICI”) System is a regional Land Mobile Radio (“LMR”) system that provides coverage through the Los Angeles County region to member, subscriber, and affiliated agencies. ICI is a California Joint Powers Authority, which was formed in 2003 and became operational in 2004. The concept of ICI was formulated by a group of the member agency leaders who shared a common need to replace their aging infrastructure. Governance Member entities own the system infrastructure and Subscriber Member entities make use of the system through access agreements. The members of ICI consist of the Cities of Beverly Hills, Burbank, Culver City, Glendale, Montebello, Pasadena, Pomona, and the San Gabriel Valley JPA group, which consists of the Cities of Azusa, Covina, Glendora, Irwindale, La Verne, and West Covina. In addition to the 13 Member cities of the JPA, another 10 cities in Los Angeles County utilize the system as Annual Subscriber Agreement and Fees for ICI June 18, 2024 Page 2 of 3 Subscribers for their police and/or fire agencies, including the Cities of Arcadia, Alhambra, Claremont, Monrovia, Monterey Park, San Fernando, San Gabriel, San Marino, Sierra Madre, and South Pasadena. Presently, there are more than 120 public safety agencies consisting of police, fire, public works, and public utility agencies, supported by ICI. These agencies represent 41 individual cities and several thousand first responders within Los Angeles County. The ICI system supports Police, Fire, Emergency Medical Services, General Government, and Public Utility resources in its member and subscriber communities. ICI is a full- service system sustaining both first and second responder resources on a single interoperable communications platform. There are some 28,000 radios affiliated with the system, including regional mutual aid resources. ICI is a shared system with components purchased and constructed by individual cities, linked together through a microwave network to provide regional coverage. Overall, the system has a regional footprint that allows agencies wide area coverage with interoperability at the cost of a small municipal system. The ICI system provides radio service to nearly the entirety of Los Angeles County's 4,500 square mile area, with excellent coverage in the urban and suburban areas of the entire operational area. Employing high-level, high-power repeater sites, the regional coverage footprint of the ICI system is robust throughout the entire county and beyond, reaching several miles into the adjoining Counties of San Bernardino, Orange, and Ventura. DISCUSSION The Department’s radios (mobile and handheld) previously ran off the City’s repeater site at Santa Anita Ridge, located above Arcadia on the South/Eastern slopes of Mt. Wilson. The City owns the repeater site, which houses two repeaters with interchangeable connections that can support each other during times of need. There is no cost to run the repeater site other than maintenance, which is performed on an as- needed basis. While the annual cost tends to be nominal, the need to upgrade and update the repeater site from time-to-time can be significant. More importantly, the City’s standalone system is only useful within City limits and a small range beyond. Given the regional nature of policing investigations, training, and court appearances, officers are often outside of City limits, but still require a means of communicating with the dispatch center as well as other officers. The upgraded digital solution, a fiber optic network provided by ICI, expands the radio connection's coverage. This enhancement enables crystal-clear calls from Santa Monica to Rancho Cucamonga. Officers in various cities can now communicate as if they are in close proximity. Such precise communication was not possible with the City's previous connection. To ensure clear and efficient communication, the City finds significant value in the ICI subscriber fees. Annual Subscriber Agreement and Fees for ICI June 18, 2024 Page 3 of 3 As a subscriber agency, Arcadia is required to pay annual fees. These fees are determined by the ICI Governance Board and were set when the Agreement was renewed in March 2024. The subscriber fees are calculated at a rate of $300 per radio, per year ($25 per radio, per month). Currently, the Department has 185 radio connections but is permitted 200 connections, which can be adjusted based on the Department's needs such as staffing changes or multiple radio connections per vehicle. It is possible that subscriber fees may increase in the future; however, the projected cost for the new five-year Agreement is not expected to exceed $65,000 annually. This amount covers 200 radio connections and a $5,000 contingency for additional connections or potential cost increases. The City will only pay for the actual number of connections used each year at the applicable annual rate set by ICI. Furthermore, the proposed rate remains unchanged and matches the cost from the previous five-year agreement. It should be noted that the Agreement expired on March 1, 2024, but the City’s subscriber fees and coverage are paid through June 30, 2024. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS The proposed action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), as it can be seen with certainty that it will have no impact on the environment. FISCAL IMPACT Sufficient funds ($65,000) for the first year of the Agreement have been allocated in the Department’s FY 2024-25 Operating Budget. Future years will be budgeted as needed in the Police Department’s General Fund Operating Budget. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council determine that this action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”); and approve Amendment No. 1 of the Interagency Communications Interoperability (“ICI”) System Agreement and fees for a five-year period, in an amount not to exceed $325,000 over the five-year period. Attachment: Copy of ICI Subscriber Agreement and Amendment No. 1. AMENDMENT NO. 1 WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS USE AND MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE INTERAGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INTEROPERABILITY SYSTEM AUTHORITY, JPA AND THE CITY OF ARCADIA FOR PURPOSES OF OPERATING LAW ENFORCEMENT RESOURCES UPON THE ICI SYSTEM NETWORK THIS AMMENDMENT #1 (“Amendment”) is made and entered into this 1st day of March, 2024, (“Effective Date”), by and between the Interagency Communications Interoperability System (ICI System), JPA, and the City of Arcadia (“Subscriber”). RECITALS 1. Whereas on March 1, 2019, ICI System and the City of Arcadia entered into a Subscriber Agreement for purposes of the Arcadia Police Department operating upon the ICI System Network for regional public safety communications. The Agreement expired March 1, 2024; and 2. Whereas the parties desire to extend the term of the Agreement. AGREEMENT ICI System and the City of Arcadia agree as follows: Section 1.0 Term is amended as follows: Section 1.1 The Term of this Agreement shall be for a period of five years, commencing March 1, 2024. All other terms of the Agreement remain as set forth . WHEREFORE, the parties have caused this Amendment to be duly executed on the date set forth opposite their signature. Digital Signatures.    A signed copy of this Agreement or any amendment thereto bearing a digital signature, shall be deemed to have the same legal effect as delivery of an original executed copy of this Agreement or such amendment thereto for all purposes, and each digital signature should be given the same legal force and effect as a handwritten signature. ICI SYSTEM, JPA CITY OF ARCADIA _____________________________ _____________________________ Chair, Governance Board Authorized Representative Date: ________________________ Date:________________________