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05/20/1997 (2) \. ..'. . ,.'.'.. ',': '., '....;...:',....;~.I..~~.:_~',:~,.., ,..':' ",., ,',.:",:.. . '.', .', ....' '.' '.: . I, '-. '.'.'. .: '" ;'. ,\ '. .. II ,\ , , , ' , " " .'.... c .,. ..... c...."'........~.....l"llr~.i\,~.!,~..:~.,.,. ~'".I. ,,"J-I;,:f~ ....,~ ,,:..\ .,:. , : , I NAHAB 'N,eighborhood & Affordable Housing Advisory Board MINUTES Date , \ ~()40 , . ~ c '..' ,:'-' ""'" ':.,..,",'.,.",',:,',' ',".',:.."',:..:,:'.,>,'~,.,,";,'.:,,,:> ""\' ,:",: '" '.":"',.'",..","":.' ,-' ,," ,',' : ' '.' " , ", \ \ ,..'" ,,'. " ' ," "~-I ' ' '1'-' ',.','.".- J " , , , ' ',' ,.' ,..+. ":" ".'."" ..' .\~ ". ...' < '.. }', ,,'. " ~ NEIGHBORHOOD & AFFORDABLE HOUSING ADVISORY BOARD MEETING CITY OF CLEARWATER May 20, 1997 Present: Mayme W. Hodges Howard Groth Rev. William Graham Milly Joplin Bertha Kelley Shirley Moran Mary Myhill William Turner, Sr. Alan J. Ferri Patricia 0, Sullivan Chair Vice.Chair Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Housing and Urban Development Director Board Reporter Absent: Warren Hunt Board Member The Chair called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. at City Hall. To provide continuity for research. items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. ITEM #2 - Aporoval of Minutes 1" f,,~ I.. ;., Member Joplin moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of April 15. 1997, as recorded and submitted in written summation to each board member. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. ITEM #3 - Old Business Assistance Plan a) Brownfield Program Report CHUD (Clearwater Housing & Urban Development) Director Alan Ferri reported the City has entered into the first subgrantee contract ur-Ider the Brownfield program with Career Options of Pinellas, Inc. (FKA Pinellas Private Industry Council) to prepare an inventory of existing job training, placement, education, and support services in Clearwater, particularly in the Brownfield area. Once duplicative services and gaps are identified, Career Options will make recommendations to link Brownfield redevelopment with the placement of community workers in created jobs. o Mr. Ferri reported the State Legislature has passed a Brownfield Act covering 5 pilot communities. Clearwater is an existing EPA designee and qualifies for the program. In addition to the $100,000 EPA Brownfield grant, the City will be eligible for $ 500,000 in State assistance to cover items identified in the City's EPA~approved Brownfield plan, including job creation, the establishment of financing resources to remediate contaminated sites, area business expansion, development of a mathematical model of the area's current economy to draft trends, and environmental site assessments for market ready property mna05d97 1 OS/20/97 ~ with contamination concerns. Mr. Ferri said $S-million in new Penny for Plnellas money also is committed. In response to a question, Mr. Ferri said Career Options also will administer the State's WAGES (Work and Gain Economic Self Sufficiency) program for Pinellas County and also will serve as County coordinator for JTPA (Job Training Partnership Act). In response to a question, Mr. Ferri said remarks regarding positive community responses to the Brownfield program were based on staff's general impression of people's reaction to the availability of this resource and the program's goal. Staff has discussed the program with many groups including NAHAB (Neighborhood & Affordable Housing Advisory Board), the North Greenwood Task Force, the South Greenwood Citizen's Alliance, and a large number of area property owners, community bankers, realtors, and private developers. A tour of major Brownfield sites will be a part of the site visits. b) SHIP (State Housing Initiatives Partnership) Local Housing Assistance Plan The new 3-year SHIP plan is in place. Annual updates of the disposition of funds will be presented to NAHAB as part of the Consolidated Plan final report. Only $120,000 annually of SHIP funds can be used to help families with 80% and 120% of medium income. The majority of funds are directed to low income people. The City is requirod to spend 7S% of SHIP funds on home ownership and 60% on new construction or rehabilitation. 1 ':~!J.. ~":~.)., ITEM #4 - New Business a) Subgrantee Presentation Questions Mr. Ferri said a NAHAB member had recommended developing 5 questions to ask each agency during site visits. Consensus was to ask what agencies plan to do if their request for these funds is denied. In response to a suggestion, Mr. Ferri said each agency reports the number of clients they serve on the application. He suggested discussing this issue during site visits. It was recommended NAHAB compare the size of requests with the number of clients served. It was suggested agencies report how long programs have been in existence. In response to a suggestion, Mr. Ferri said agencies address committed funds in the application. In response to a suggestion, Mr. Ferri said only housing and economic development groups can request reimbursement for administration expenses which averages between 10% and 15%. Salary costs for the direct delivery of services are not considered administrative costs. CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds cannot be used to purchase equipment. It was suggested that agencies identify how much of their income is used to serve the community directly. Mr. Ferri noted the applications' , budget sheet lists program delivery expenses and plans for using the requested funds. He said members can lower scores for agencies they feel provide incomplete budget detail. o mnaOSd97 2 OS/20/97 .:;c.\); t7;} Mr. Ferri reviewed the list of questions under consideration: 1) What will happen to the program if it does not receive this funding?; 2) How many clients are served by the program and cost per unit of service?; 3) How long has the program been in existence?; 4) What is the amount of leverage the agency has for other committed funds?; 5) What other agencies perform similar service and to what degree do they perform that service?; 6) Who are the agencies' strategic partners; and 71 What marketing efforts are being planned for this program? '\ ~ In response to a question, Mr. Ferri said Fair Housing is a federal government mandate. Agencies requesting Fair Housing funding receive a substantial bonus. Fair Housing must be identified as an administrative, not a program, fee and the service must further a Fair Housing agenda i.e., education of landlords and tenants, public program for realtors and bankers, etc. It was suggested that applicants identify other Pinellas County agencies that provide the same or similar services. In response to a question, Mr. Ferri said staff has evaluated all bids and construction plans related to agency requests for public facilities development. Staff's report considers if the requested work is needed, if the cost is within the market range, and if any code or zoning problems exist. As Federal funds will be used, construction workers must be paid wages that comply with federal statutes. It was recommended applicants list partnerships with other agencies and detail their marketing plans. In response to a question, Mr. Ferri said agencies incur bills before submitting them tQ the City for reimbursement. Staff does the underwriting for every loan before subgrantees authorize them. Staff evaluates each agency's record and bookkeeping to be certain each is in compliance with Federal and State statutes. Mr. Ferri planned to provide each applicant a written copy of the questions and act as monitor during the site visits. He encouraged members to ask questions. He expressed concern regarding major reductions in federal funding, noting local needs will not diminish and new resources must be developed. In response to a question, Mr. Ferri said the TRC (Technical Review Committee) is invited to attend the site visits and formal presentations. TRC questions will be forwarded to the NAHAS Chair for fielding. b) Subgrantee Activity Reports Mr. Ferri reviewed the submission check list. As of April 1997, Mustard Seed Foundation is no longer applicable as the organization's 6-month extension from a prior year's contract has expired. Due to changes to Worker's Compensation insurance requirements for temporary agen..ies, this program no longer is feasible. The balance of approximately $21,000 will be reprogrammed to this year's allocation. o mna05d97 3 OS/20/97 . " Hi.., ~ " ;i~~ r.:l'!'~~ o Concern was expressed financial reports from CNHS (Clearwater Neighborhood Housing Services) are consistently late. Mr. Ferri suggested applicants will take notice of the filing requirement if NAHAS members deduct points due to tardiness. The City's contract with funded agencies allows funds to be recaptured. Up to this point, this has not been done. Mr. Ferri will notify NAHAS should this occur. In response to a question, Mr. Ferri said all agencies were credited with on time reports for the first 3 months due to a distribution delay. It was recommended agencies be charged a penalty for filing reports late. It was noted extenuating circumstances could occur. Mr. Ferri said CNHS has not been able to produce the required documentation due to dramatic staff changes, The Homeless Emergency Project and Habitat for Humanity have not drawn any funds, Clearwater Homeless Intervention Program has had no activity while they redesign their project. Res Haven has been working to obtain State agency approvals. In response to a question, Mr. Ferri indicated most reports marked "late" have not been received. It was recommended the check list identify which reports have not been submitted. Mr. Ferri said agency requests for reimbursement are processed through the City's General Ledger and CHUO's accounting. Staff can review subgrantee expenditures from the General Ledger and identify if targets are being reached. The 2-sheet financial forms are available in an Excel format and are easy to complete. It was felt penalties for tardiness should be significant. Contracts with subgrantees indicate grants are subject to penalties and recapture. Concern was expressed subgrantees are ignoring the submission deadlines without penalty. Concern was expressed NAHAS members are unaware of unsubmitted reports under quarterly accounting. It was subgrantees must be made to realize these reports are important, A check list update was requested prior to NAHAS scoring the applications. In response to a question, Mr. Ferri said it was unfeasible for funds set aside for Mustard Seed to be redistributed to homeless programs. State law increasing insurance requirements for temporary help had made the program undoable. In response to a question, Mr. Ferri said Tampa Bay COC expenses were related to the purchase of two properties which they will rehabilitate and sell. A portion of the agency's income is dedicated to down payment assistance, averaging between $1,200 and $1,700 each. In response to a question, Mr. Ferri said the CRT (Community Response Team) now bases their service counts on issues. The ~RT has completed a list of problem properties in North and South Greenwood. He said it is difficult to attract City employees to positions dependent on outside funding. He recommended members voice concerns about spending and reporting issues during site visits and agency presentations. ITEM #5 - Board Member MonitorinQ Reports - None. ITEM #6 - Announcements a) Next Scheduled Regular Meeting The next meeting is scheduled on June 17, 1997. mna05d97 4 05/20/97 , , , (., " ~" "j".' ".i,....,.:.:~.~'~..........,..:~_-1........,': .,' /.' , '. '. , ", :'..'.''t '.'.. '., ~.I"": '., ,'. '," ".. I"'::. .' I'! .,:,,','--' ,~~':./;I,/'(:.{::~,i4?:;/)/:;~~; ;,( :<: .' t ,'. ': / : . ',1. / "i:t~ ~ . I' ,., l , . . : I, ~, c' . ~ , ' ~ b) Site Visit M June 2, 1997 In response to a question, Mr. Ferri said the Site Visit schedule has not been finalized. NAHAB mer:nbers will meet at 9:00 a.m. at City Hall. c) Subgrantee Presentations - June 9, 1997 Presentations are scheduled in Chambers, beginning at 7:00 p.m. d) Evaluations - June 1 a, 1997 Evaluations are scheduled in Chambers, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Reappointment of members Members Groth and Joplin and Chair Hodges were congratulated for being reappointed for four-year terms. Budget process t~ Jj.(JI/ Mr. Ferri announced the City Commission is holding public meetings on May 21, May 27, and May 29, 1997, in various locations to discuss the Vision Statement and gather public input on the budget. In response to a question, Mr. Ferri said some projects are slated for action after the extension of the Penny for Pinellas tax. ITEM #7 - Adiourn The meeting adjourned at 11 :17 a.m. Chai Neighborhood & Affordab Advisory Board .,,,'1 U mna05d97 ' 5 OS/20/97