REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 08/03/2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Fire Department
SUBJECT:
Title
Inter-Agency Instructional Services Agreement between the Riverside Community College District / Moreno Valley College and the City of Corona to provide District-approved continuing education and specialized training to the Corona Fire Department.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
City Council consideration of an Inter-Agency Instructional Services Agreement (ISA) between the Riverside Community College District / Moreno Valley College and the City of Corona. This agreement provides District-approved continuing education and specialized training to the Corona Fire Department. An ISA is mutually beneficial as the instructional costs are shared between the involved parties, and the students receive college credit.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Approve an Instructional Services Agreement between Riverside Community College District / Moreno Valley College and the City of Corona.
b. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute all documents under the Inter-Agency Instructional Services Agreement between Riverside Community College District / Moreno Valley College and the City of Corona.
c. Approve an appropriation and estimated revenue increase in the amount of $30,240 from the General Fund to the Fire Department Operating Budget.
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BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
Numerous California community college districts have arrangements with public agencies known as “instructional service agreements” (ISA). This agreement allows an outside organization to partner with a community college to provide collegiate-level training for its employees. ISAs are mutually beneficial as the instructional costs are shared, and students receive college credit. ISAs provide a mechanism for a portion of the State of California educational allotment of funding to be shared with partner agencies.
Many Southern California fire departments have existing ISAs with local community colleges to facilitate training and continuing education for their employees. In 2006, the City of Corona entered into an ISA with the Rancho Santiago Community Services District for fire department training. The ISA was not renewed and expired in 2016 due to a new requirement that future ISAs must be with an agency’s corresponding community college district. Riverside Community College District / Moreno Valley College (RCCD/MVC) has current ISAs with the City of Murrieta Fire Department, the City of Riverside Fire Department, and the Riverside County Fire Department.
ANALYSIS:
The Corona Fire Department (CFD) seeks to enter an ISA with RCCD/MVC to obtain cost recovery for eligible training conducted in-house by the CFD training division. RCCD/MVC will involve the fire department as an independent contractor to provide in-service training, continuing education, and specialized training instruction for fire, rescue, and emergency medical services.
Corona Fire Captains and Chief Officers with six years of experience in the fire service will be recognized as “experts in the field” and qualify under RCCD/MVC “equivalency” requirements as “non-paid instructors of record.” CFD personnel who attend in-service training, continuing education, or specialized training hosted by the CFD training division will be enrolled with RCCD/MVC and be subject to the standard tuition fee of $46/unit. The RCCD/MVC will reimburse the fire department $3.50 per instructional hour (48 hours for one instruction unit) or $168 per unit. The net difference between the tuition and the instructional rate is $122 for every 48 hours of instruction. RCCD/MVC would invoice the CFD training division quarterly for the student tuition fees derived from the fire department’s quarterly submitted training hours reports. The revenues generated under this agreement will cover the necessary tuition expenses for the CFD; the remaining revenue will be used to purchase supplies and equipment to enhance the CFD’s training program.
In FY 2023, anticipated revenues of $30,240 will be generated, equating to 180 units or 8,640 instructional hours. College tuition expenses of $8,280 will be funded by the instructional revenue. The balance of $21,960 will be allocated toward additional CFD training and associated materials and equipment.
The ISA will provide an ongoing, dedicated revenue source to sustain and enhance fire department training activities.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Approval of the recommended actions will result in an appropriation and estimated revenue increase in the amount of $30,240 from the General Fund to the Fire Department’s FY 2023 Training and Safety budget. Recurring revenues generated by the ISA will be appropriated annually in the Fire Department’s Training and Safety operating budget to fund recurring tuition costs and training activities. There is sufficient available fund balance for the recommended actions.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action merely approves an agreement for District-approved continuing education and specialized training for the Fire Department, and there is no possibility that this project will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: JUSTIN MCGOUGH, DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF
REVIEWED BY: BRIAN YOUNG, FIRE CHIEF
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Instructional Services Agreement (ISA)