MEETING DATE
2/20/2014 |
BUREAU SUBMITTING THIS REPORT
Training Delivery and Compliance Services Bureau |
RESEARCHED BY (PRINT NAME)
Frank Decker |
REVIEWED BY (PRINT NAME)
Alan Deal |
REPORT DATE
01/31/2014 |
APPROVED BY
Robert A. Stresak |
DATE APPROVED
2/5/2014 |
PURPOSE
Information Only |
FINANCIAL IMPACT
No
|
| ISSUE: |
| This is an informational
report on the Commission Reimbursement Plan review. |
| BACKGROUND: |
The Peace Officer
Training Fund (POTF) was created in the State Treasury by enabling legislation,
P.C. 13520, for the costs of administration and for grants to local
governments. Financial aid to local governments and districts as described
is structured as reimbursement for expenditures directly related to compliance
with Commission standards and participation in training courses. California
Penal Code 13523 authorizes the Commission to allocate aid to cities, counties
and districts that have applied and qualify for aid pursuant to Commission
Regulations. The Commission shall grant aid that is “equally
proportionate among the cities, counties and districts.” The Commission
established reimbursement as the means of providing aid to eligible local
agencies.
Since the inception of
reimbursement, each course has been certified with a specific POST
reimbursement plan. The reimbursement program is structured in five
different plans that provide reimbursement for a combination of costs (e.g. per
diem, travel, tuition, and backfill) associated with training. The
Commission establishes the rates of reimbursement for the various categories of
expenses.
The reimbursement plans
are:
- Plan I: per diem,
travel, tuition, and backfill
- Plan II: per diem,
travel, and backfill
- Plan III: per
diem, travel and tuition
- Plan IV: per diem
and travel
- Plan V: per diem, travel, tuition and development costs
The per diem reimbursement includes an
allocation for lodging, meals and incidentals. It is paid at a flat rate
for all ranks and categories of personnel. Travel reimbursement is paid
for travel to and from the training.
Plan
V, as approved by the Commission in 1993, was originally designed to relieve
departments of the need to pay tuition in advance of sending officers to
training presented by other law enforcement agencies. This was, and is,
especially beneficial to departments with strained or depleted training
budgets. Plan V also reimburses “Training Presentation Costs” to
agencies that develop and present training. Colleges, universities, private
presenters, other public entities and joint powers agencies were excluded from
receiving Training Presentation Costs. |
| ANALYSIS: |
Training
courses are certified to local law enforcement agencies, joint power
authorities, community colleges and private presenters. Presenters are
encouraged to affiliate with a community college to reduce presentation costs
and minimize the impact to the Peace Officer Training Fund. The
affiliation of POST certified training with a community college extends the
capability of local agencies and academies to deliver training. Private
presenters may be considered for training courses that cannot be met by local
law enforcement agencies or community colleges.
When
a training course is submitted for POST certification, specific factors are
evaluated before certification is granted. These include determination of
the training need, appropriateness of course content, methods of instruction,
number of students per course, adequacy of testing or evaluation process and
presentation cost.
POST
staff has extensive experience with all reimbursement plans. Staff
monitors expenditures and revenue, and has effectively managed the budget and
reimbursement program through years of fiscal difficulties and fluctuating
revenues.
Staff
has determined a phased approach to this review is in order. Staff
is currently reviewing and updating Commission Regulations 1052 and 1053 defining
Instructor-Led Training and Self-Paced (on-line delivered) Training
courses. Discussions have been held with the Consortium Advisory Council
and the Instructor Standards Advisory Council. Once
these Regulations are finalized and vetted with stakeholders they will be
submitted to the Commission for approval. Staff will then commence a
review of Commission Regulations and Procedures pertaining to course budgets
and reimbursement plans.
Several challenges have recently occurred that affect this project: (1) The state per diem and lodging rates have increased, resulting in an un-budgeted increase in reimbursement costs. (2) POST is facing an approximately 8 million dollar deficit which will cause a reduction to all reimbursement plans through at least FY 2014-15. While staff continues with this project in a phased approach, these short term variables must be considered in the overall scope of the reimbursement plan review.
As
part of this process, staff has also reviewed contract training courses. Since Plan V was approved in 1993, the number
of POST-certified training courses has substantially increased, and there has
been a corresponding rise in the number of contract training courses, from 63 in
FY 1992-93 to 106 in FY 2012-13. As a
consequence of the expanded use of contract training courses, the cost of these
courses has increased from $3.4 million to $22.1 million in the same time
period. Contract training courses are labor-intensive and costly to administer.
Additionally, in recent years, state contracting regulations have become
increasingly difficult to navigate. To shift away from this time-consuming and
costly model of contracting for course presentations and maximize the use of
reimbursement Plan V, the Commission approved adding colleges, universities,
private presenters, other public entities and joint powers agencies as entities
that may receive training presentation costs at its July 16, 2013 meeting.
The revision to Plan V has been approved by
the Office of Administrative Law with an effective date of April 1, 2014. Converting contract training courses to
reimbursement Plan V will have the effect of accelerating review of course
material and budgets, and enable staff to deliver training in a fraction of the
time required to execute a contract.
It is the intent of staff to ensure the Commission reimbursement program is
current and consistent with the requirements of Penal Code 13523 so that grant
aid continues to be “equally proportionate among the cities, counties and
districts.”
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| RECOMMENDATION: |
| This report is presented
for information only. No action is required. |
| ATTACHMENT(S): |
| Name: |
Type: |
| No Attachments Available |
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