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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-09-25 - AGENDA REPORTS - GRANT PROGRAMS (2)CONSENT CALENDAR DATE: SUBJECT: DEPARTMENT: Agenda Item: 8 CITY OF SANTA CLARITA AGENDA REPORT City Manager Approval: Item to be presented by: September 25, 2012 Rick Gould CITY OF SANTA CLARITA GRANT PROGRAMS Parks, Recreation, and Community Services RECOMMENDED ACTION City Council approve the recommended streamlined process for the City of Santa Clarita Grant programs . BACKGROUND The City of Santa Clarita has two grant programs - Community Services Grants and Arts Grants. The Community Services Grant program is a community outreach program designed to assist community-based, nonprofit organizations with providing services to Santa Clarita residents. The program provides funding assistance primarily for services to, or directly benefiting, residents living in the City of Santa Clarita. The grant limit for this program has typically been set at $5,000. The Arts Grant program has two funding categories. The first category, City of Santa Clarita Presents, is for organizations who utilize the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons for public artistic performances. The second category, Community Arts, is for organizations who provide programs and projects for the benefit of the Santa Clarita community. There is no pre -determined amount of funding for either grant category. The maximum grant to any organization has historically been $7,500. Neither of the City's grant programs are intended to provide ongoing organization support. At the February 28, 2012, City Council meeting, Council asked staff to evaluate the City's grant programs in an effort to streamline the application review process. Staff reviewed the process and researched common grant making practices by other agencies. Staff has proposed recommendations to ensure the procedures for both programs are in alignment and that the evaluation and funding processes are completed objectively. More importantly, the proposed revised process is in compliance with Government Code Sections 1090 and 1091 which deal with conflicts of interest in the contract -making process. Section 1090 provides that an officer or employee may not make a contract in which he or she has a financial interest. This Section, under certain circumstances, can apply to employees and board members of organizations that might apply for awards of grants. If Section 1090 applies, the contract/grant cannot be awarded by the City, even if the officer or employee involved does not participate in the matter. Section 1091 provides various "remote interest" exceptions to the general prohibition of Section 1090. A public official with only a "remote interest" in a contract does not have a financial interest for purposes of Section 1090, so the contract/grant can still be awarded by the City. A Councilmember or Commissioner who serves on the executive board of a group applying for grant funding is considered to have a "remote interest" if that group is a nonprofit corporation. In order to utilize the Section 1091 exceptions, the individual with the "remote interest" must disclose the interest on the record before the City Council takes action on a contract/grant and the individual cannot influence or attempt to influence another member of the City Council with regard to the award of the contract/grant. Given the complexity of these rules and in order to achieve a consistent, streamlined system for two different grant programs, the following changes to the grant process are proposed: 1. Program areas or funding priorities for Community Services Grants and Arts Grants will be set per the City Council Grant Subcommittee's direction. Historically, the Arts Commission has set the funding priority for the Arts Grants and has utilized the City of Santa Clarita Presents category to help offset the costs of arts organizations' performances at the Performing Arts Center, while using the remaining funds to fund applicants in the Community Arts categories. 2. Parks, Recreation, and Community Services staff will conduct an initial review of all applications for eligibility and completeness. Proposals not meeting all requirements will not be considered for funding. 3. Applications meeting the initial review will then be evaluated and rated by a Grant Review Panel. The Grant Review Panel for the Community Services Grants is comprised of the Council Grant Subcommittee; a Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Commissioner; and City staff members with grant experience from different departments. For consistency, staff recommends that the Grant Review Panel for the Arts Grants program minor the Community Services Grants panel by utilizing an Arts Commissioner as a representative to the Arts Grants. Steps will be taken to ensure that all individuals who rate the proposals do not have an interest or "remote interest" in any of the applicant organizations. If a rater is determined to have interest or "remote interest" in an organization submitting a grant application, the rater will not rate that application, and the score will be determined by averaging the scores of the eligible raters. The evaluation will be based on the application and related materials submitted by applicants. 4. The Grant Review Panel's scores will be averaged and ranked numerically. The form for this process will be part of the Request for Proposals packet to show how applications will be rated. 5. The Grant Review Panel may recommend awarding grants only for applications that score above a set threshold. Based on the merits of each application, the Panel may recommend a grant at the amount requested, or for a lesser amount. 6. Staff will review the Panel's recommendations to align proposed grant awards with available funds and for consistency with granting policies and guidelines. The Community Services Grant and Arts Grants application scores and proposals recommended for funding will be presented to the City Council Grant Subcommittee. The Subcommittee will formulate recommendations to City Council based on the ranked scores of the proposals and consideration of funding priorities. Councilmembers with a "remote interest" will not participate in any changes or recommendations which affect those organizations proposed for grant funding. 8. The City Council will make the final funding decisions based on the ranked scores of the proposals and consideration of funding priorities. A grant cannot be awarded to an organization in which a Councilmember has an "interest" as described in section 1090. However, with regard to any organizations in which a Councilmember has a "remote interest" as defined in Government Code section 1091, such Councilmember will refrain from participating in the discussion or voting concerning such organization, and a separate vote concerning any award to that organization will be conducted. 9. Grant awards become final only if and when City Council approves them. Applicants will be notified of City Council's funding decisions shortly after Council's approval. ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS Other action as determined by the Council. FISCAL IMPACT None by this action.