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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09. 20-307 JULY 14, 2020 20-307 RESOLUTION (CARRIED 7-0 LOST LAID OVER WITHDRAWN ) PURPOSE: APPROVE AGREEMENT FOR CORONAVIRUS AID,RELIEF AND ECONOMIC SECURITY (CARES) ACT FUNDING THROUGH THE WISCONSIN ELECTIONS COMMISSION (WEC) FOR THE 2020 ELECTION YEAR INITIATED BY: CITY CLERK'S OFFICE WHEREAS, under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act,the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) was awarded funds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus for the 2020 Federal election cycle; and WHEREAS, WEC authorized $4.1 million in a WEC CARES subgrant program to be made available to municipalities to offset pandemic-related elections costs; and WHEREAS, the City of Oshkosh has incurred and reasonably anticipates occurring additional extraordinary costs related to the response to and prevention of the spread of coronavirus virus in relation to the 2020 elections which are eligible for reimbursement under the terms of the WEC CARES subgrant program. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Common Council of the City of Oshkosh that the attached Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) Cares Subgrant Agreement, Terms and Certification, for Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act Funding for pandemic-related expenditures for the 2020 elections is hereby approved and the proper City officials are hereby authorized to execute and deliver the agreement in substantially the same form as attached hereto, any changes in the execution copy being deemed approved by their respective signatures, and said City officials are authorized and directed to take those steps necessary to implement the terms and conditions of the Agreement. The proper City officials are hereby authorized and directed to provide any and all information required and to execute any and all documents required by the WEC or the Federal Government for the purposes of same, and are further authorized and directed to accept grant funds pursuant to the terms of the Agreement. CITY HALL •„ 215 Church Avenue P.O Box 1130 ' Oshkosh WI 54902-1130 1" PAMELA R UBRIG City Clerk 4116 Os h kos h ANGELA J.JOECKEL Deputy City Clerk VACANT Election Specialist TERRE C.BOETTCHER PT Election Clerk Phone.(920)236-5011 Fax.(920)236-5039 TO• Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM. Pamela R. Ubrig, City Clerk DATE. July 10, 2020 RE. Wisconsin Elections Commission CARES Subgrant BACKGROUND Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Wisconsin Elections Commission(WEC)was awarded funds on April 6,2020 to prevent,prepare for, and respond to coronavirus for the 2020 Federal election cycle. WEC authorized $4.1 million in a WEC CARES subgrant program for municipalities to offset pandemic-related election costs. The approved WEC CARES subgrant program provides a$200 base amount plus an additional $1.10/per registered voter as of June 1, 2020. Municipalities will document all election pandemic-related expenses from January 20, 2020 to November 30, 2020 that falls under the authorized uses. These expenditures will be tracked on the WEC CARES Expenditure Tracking template. WEC will require a check-in (tracking report) from municipalities between the August and November elections that will be due on September 15, 2020 and the final report due December 1, 2020. ANALYSIS The following are WEC authorized uses of the grant funds: • Additional ballot supplies, printing and postage costs • Additional cleaning supplies, cleaning services and protection • Additional staffing • Additional mailing for public communications • Additional absentee drop-boxes • Additional space leasing • Acquisition of additional equipment FISCAL IMPACT None as there are no matching funds required. This one-time subgrant will help offset the additional costs that will be incurred as the Clerk's office prepares for the upcoming elections RECOMMENDATION If approved, I will submit the application, accept the grant funds as allocated, track expenses and purchases along with completing the required reports. s ectfully Submitted, , Approved. Pamela R. Ubrig Mark A. Rohloff City Clerk City Manager ��N E� - c Q I n �o Wisconsin Elections Commission * * Z 212 East Washington Avenue I Third Floor I P.O.Box 7984 1 Madison,WI 53707-7984 �'oMM ss1 o� (608) 266-8005 1 elections@wi.gov I elections.wi.gov i 2020 HAVA CORONAVIRUS AID, RELIEF AND ECONOMIC SECURITY (CARES) SUBGRANT PROGRAM WEC CARES SUBGRANT AGREEMENT, TERMS AND CERTIFICATION The purpose of this agreement is to certify that my jurisdiction will use the CARES Subgrant funds solely for costs incurred due to the pandemic affecting the 2020 federal elections and in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 2, and the Wisconsin Election Commission's (the Commission's)documentation retention and reporting requirements. I. ALLOWABLE USES Purpose and Use of Funds. The CARES Act makes clear that grant funds are for ADDITIONAL costs associated with the national emergency related to coronavirus and are to be spent "to prevent,prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally,for the 2020 Federal election cycle." Additional costs are those incurred outside of the jurisdiction's budgeted costs for the 2020 federal elections or those costs that are solely incurred due to the pandemic. For the purpose of this subgrant, those allowable uses span the period January 20,2020 through November 30,2020 and include the seven following categories: 1. ADDITIONAL BALLOT SUPPLIES,PRINTING,AND POSTAGE COSTS for higher levels of absentee or vote by mail processes, including printers, scanners, and envelope openers costing less than$5000 per unit. 2. ADDITIONAL CLEANING SUPPLIES, CLEANING SERVICES AND PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT including additional disinfectants,wipes,paper towels, deep cleaning services for polling places pre-and post-election,masks,gloves, gowns, face shields,plexiglass, thermometers and other equipment for staff and poll workers' virus protection for in-person absentee voting sites, election day polling places and absentee central-count locations. 3. ADDITIONAL STAFFING FOR PROCESSING of higher levels of absentee ballot requests and absentee ballot tabulation, as expanded hours,overtime,Hazard Pay and associated benefits costs for election staff and poll workers or unbudgeted temporary election staff or poll workers and for additional staffing for cleaning polling locations and creating other protective measures. 4. ADDITIONAL MAILINGS FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION of changes in registration, absentee ballot request options,or voting procedures, including information on coronavirus precautions being implemented during the voting process. Wisconsin Elections Commissioners Ann S.Jacobs,chair I Marge Bostelmann I Julie M.Glancey I Dean Knudson I Robert Spindell I Mark L. Thomsen Administrator Meagan Wolfe 2 5. ADDITIONAL ABSENTEE DROP-BOXES, installation,and security. 6. ADDITIONAL SPACE LEASING for new polling places when existing sites are closed or relocated due to the pandemic. 7. ACQUISITION OF ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT necessary to process the higher volume of absentee ballots. This includes new automated letter opening equipment,paper folding machines,high speed or central count tabulators, and mobile IT equipment. (This "Equipment"category defined as costing equal or greater than$5000 per unit. Equipment costs less than$5000 should instead be reported under the applicable category above,most likely Additional Ballot Supplies. Additional reporting and documentation are required for allowable equipment purchases as outlined in the below referenced CFR sections.) Per the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 2 (2 CFR) §200.33: "Equipment means tangible personal property(including information technology systems)having a useful life of more than one year and a per-unit acquisition cost which equals or exceeds the lesser of the capitalization level established by the non-Federal entity for financial statement purposes,or$5,000. See also§§200.12 Capital assets,200.20 Computing devices,200.48 General purpose equipment,200.58 Information technology systems,200.89 Special purpose equipment, and 200.94 Supplies." II. DOCUMENTATION,AUDIT,AND REPORTING DOCUMENTATION: The receiving jurisdiction must maintain all documentation of purchases made using subgrant funds provided by this subgrant until December 31,2024. Documentation includes receipts,invoices,payroll reports, etc. and notations to document that claimed expenditures are due to the pandemic. A standard inventory list of all items purchased using subgrant funds must be created and maintained by the jurisdiction for purposes of any state or federal audit. Such original purchasing documentation and inventory lists shall be retained by the receiving jurisdiction until the WEC authorizes destruction of said records. AUDIT: All subgrant funds are subject to audit by the Commission and/or the federal government to ensure funds have been spent appropriately and in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws. Pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 5.05(11), if the federal government objects to the use of any funds provided to a municipality under the subgrant,the municipality shall repay the amount of the subgrant to the Commission. REPORTING: September 15, 2020 and December 1,2020. A Check-In is due September 15,2020 that covers the period of January 20,2020—September 1, 2020. The final report is due December 1, 2020, covering January 20,2020—November 30,2020. By those two deadlines, all receiving jurisdictions must complete and submit to the Commission the WEC CARES Subgrant Expenditures Reporting template for the corresponding period reporting the total pandemic-related election expenditures claimed in the seven categories listed below and detailed above: Wisconsin Elections Commissioners Ann S.Jacobs, chair I Marge Bostelmann I Julie M. Glancey I Dean Knudson I Robert Spindell I Mark L. Thomsen Administrator Meagan Wolfe 3 1. Ballots/Ballot Supplies/Printing/Postage 2. Cleaning Supplies& Services/Protective Equipment 3. Additional Staffing 4. Public Communications 5. Absentee Ballot Drop-Boxes 6. Additional Leasing 7. Equipment III. TIMELINES • EXPENDITURE PERIOD: January 20, 2020—November 30,2020. Allowable expenses must have been incurred between January 20,2020 through November 30,2020. All bills/invoices do NOT have to be paid by November 30,2020,but the expenses need to be incurred by that date to qualify under the subgrant. • SUBGRANT AGREEMENT RETURN DEADLINE: September 1,2020. The Commission will expedite the disbursement of funds as the agreements are received. Commission staff will award subgrants as a$200 base subgrant plus an additional$1.10 per registered voter as of June I,2020. Subgrant allocation is within the sole discretion of the Commission staff administering the subgrant program. Subgrant funds may be received through electronic transfer to a jurisdiction's shared revenues account(if available) or a physical check may be sent to a jurisdiction's shared revenues location. For questions related to the processing of subgrant checks,please contact the Commission's financial team via the WEC Help Desk at(608)261- 2028 or elections.finance(a�wi.gov • PANDEMIC EXPENDITURE REPORTING DEADLINES: Check-In September 15,2020 and Final Report December 1,2020. The jurisdiction's final report of all sufficiently documented pandemic expenditures in the seven categories listed in Section II of this agreement, is due December 1,2020. This deadline allows the Commission's financial staff to meets its federal grant reporting deadlines,therefore it is important for jurisdictions to file the final expenditure report on time. The Commission will provide to participating jurisdictions a template report, and the jurisdiction will fill in the seven total expenditure amounts for the seven categories in Section II of this agreement. This is an important deadline. If a report is not received by December 1, 2020,the jurisdiction may be required to return all subgrant funds received. The same report is to be used for the September 15,2020 Check-In but covering the period of January 20,2020— September 1,2020. • RETURN OF UNUSED FUNDS: December 15,2020. Jurisdictions must return any unused subgrant funds by December 15, 2020. Also, if a jurisdiction fails to submit a Pandemic Expenditure Report by December 1,2020,the jurisdiction may be required to return all subgrant funds received. Wisconsin Elections Commissioners Ann S.Jacobs, chair I Marge Bostelmann I Julie M. Glancey I Dean Knudson I Robert Spindell I Mark L. Thomsen Administrator Meagan Wolfe 4 IV. CERTIFICATIONS Federal and State law require jurisdictions receiving subgrants to certify that they will comply with the terms of the subgrant. By signing and returning this agreement,your jurisdiction certifies the following: • As the receiving jurisdiction,we certify that we will solely use the WEC CARES Subgrant funds for costs incurred due to the pandemic affecting the 2020 federal elections. • As the receiving jurisdiction,we certify that we do or will have the necessary processes and systems in place to comply with the reporting requirements. • As the receiving jurisdiction,we will maintain all documentation of purchases made using subgrant funds provided in this subgrant until December 31, 2024. • As the receiving jurisdiction,we will return any unused funds by December 15,2020. • As the receiving jurisdiction,by September 15,2020 and December 1,2020 we will submit to the Commission a simple report of the total expenditures in the seven categories detailed above: 1. Ballots/Ballot Supplies/Printing/Postage,2. Cleaning/PPE, 3. Staffing,4. Public Communications, 5.Absentee Ballot Drop-Boxes, 6. Space Leasing/Polling Place Relocation, and 7. Equipment. • As the receiving jurisdiction,we further certify that we will follow all state and federal laws, including adherence to all applicable federal requirements including Office of Management and Budget(OMB)guidance: Title 2 C.F.R. Subtitle A, Chapter II,Part 200-Uniform Administrative Requirements,Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 C.F.R. § 200) found here: (htlps://www.govinfo.gov/gpp/collection/cfr/2019/) V. SIGNATURE Please enter your name and the date of certification below to certify the above and return via your official email address to elections.finance(ae,wi.gov. Receiving Jurisdiction's Name and County Signature Date (Authorized Representative of Jurisdiction) Wisconsin Elections Commissioners Ann S.Jacobs, chair I Marge Bostelmann I Julie M. Glancey I Dean Knudson I Robert Spindell I Mark L. Thomsen Administrator Meagan Wolfe