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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommunity Development Block Grant Commission - Minutes - 11/14/20131 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING APPROVED Minutes 215 N. MASON STREET, FORT COLLINS November 14, 2013, 6:30 P.M. COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Kay Rios, Chair Gordon Coombes Anita Basham Jamaal Curry Robert Browning Margaret Long COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: Catherine Costlow Kristin Stephens STAFF: Sharon Thomas; Heidi Phelps OTHERS PRESENT: Kate Jeracki, Note Taker The meeting was called to order by Chair Kay Rios at 6:34 p.m. with a quorum present. PUBLIC COMMENT None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES No minutes of the October deliberations were available. Recommendations were forwarded to City Council by staff for final allocation decision on November 19th. COMPETITIVE PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS The Commission reviewed draft copies of the proposed FY2014 Spring Public Service and Housing Applications. Chair Kay Rios complimented staff on the excellent work on the updates; the Commission agreed. Bob Browning said that it looked like the suggestions he sent via email had been incorporated into the draft. Some additional inputs:  Add a question about what evaluation tools the applicant uses to measure the success of the program. Results of the last evaluation, if available.  Add a list of previous awards from the City for this project. Heidi Phelps pointed out the difference between the Board of Director’s Approval (Housing and Public Facility applications) and the Acknowledgement of the request by the applicant’s Board of Directors (all applications) is to ensure that the entity’s Board is aware of what is contained in the application, as well as the fact that a request is being made on behalf of the organization. 2 Sharon Thomas said the final application will be determined by the technical capabilities of ZoomGrants, as well as input from the City’s legal department. She added that there is still time to make more adjustments, since the application will not go live until after the first of the year. She thanked the Commission for its careful consideration and suggestions to improve the application. Gordon Coombs and Jamaal Curry presented the results of their research into options for having applicants pre‐record their five‐minute presentations, to: allow them to polish their pitches, allow the Commissioners more time and flexibility to review the requests in more depth, and allow more time for the in‐person question‐and‐answer session with the Commission and the applicant. The major disadvantages identified by the subcommittee were the potential cost of creating a video presentation and the loss of potential personal interaction between applicants and Commissioners. The Commission also compared two possible partner networks for video production: the City’s Cable Channel 14 and Fort Collins Public Access Network. Advantages identified with FCPAN: the $40 fee is an annual fee that allows the organization to use the facilities for an entire year; the videos will be run on Channel 97 as well as used for the presentation, giving the applicants additional exposure; and the production session includes training. The City’s fee is $50 per hour, with an estimate that staff could complete three five‐minute presentations in one hour; applicants would just have to show up and staff would take care of all production for them. Kay Rios asked the Commission to think about whether they could require all applicants to submit a video presentation or have an in‐person presentation option available. Her concern was the nominal fee for production available through either potential partner might be seen as an application fee, which is not allowed under HUD rules. Sharon Thomas said there is money in the budget to allow the City to pay for video production, so there would be no additional cost to the applicants. Bob Browning was concerned that the video production time would still be an expense to the applicants in terms of time away from the office. Kay Rios pointed out that it would be no different than the time spent on preparing a traditional grant application. Margaret Long added that while the video component might add some time to the process, it will give the applicant a better shot at sharing about what their program is, why it is important to the community, and what the requested grant money will help them do. Anita Basham said that previous video presentations have been extremely helpful in her understanding of the applicants’ requests; they allow her to take her time listening to the presentation, go back to parts that might have been unclear, and develop better questions for the applicants in the follow‐up session. 3 Gordon Coombs suggested the Commission set specific guidelines for the presentations ‐‐five‐minute limit, no special effects, just what the applicant needs to address to help the Commission evaluate the application‐‐so the process doesn’t turn into a competition for the fanciest video. Long asked how quickly FCPAN could provide training, and if it would be possible to get all the applicants in for the Spring 2014 Competitive Process cycle. Sharon Thomas pointed out that the technical assistance portion of the cycle is set for the first two weeks in February, with applications available to Commissioners in early March. Ms. Thomas said that staff could give notice of the requirement with the applications, which will be available in early January, so applicants can build it into their timelines. The Commission agreed that staff should survey previous applicants for their opinion before asking for approval from City Council. Sharon Thomas said she could have results of an email survey available for the December meeting. Gordon Coombs will put together policies and procedures and a detailed timeline for implementation. Bob Browning moved that the CDBG Commission proceed with the next steps proposed by the video presentation subcommittee, beginning with a survey of previous applicants. The video presentations will be mandatory for all applicants and the City will pay for the production. Margaret Long seconded. The motion was approved unanimously. STAFF REPORTS AND PROJECT UPDATES Sharon Thomas reported that Janet Freeman will be replacing Jennifer Harvey as administrative assistant. She also distributed planning calendars for 2014. Heidi Thomas reported on the Community Gaps Analysis, which she said contained shocking data on how many people in need are not receiving services available from the City, especially in the areas of domestic violence and child abuse. She will send the complete report to the Commission for input, when available. Thomas said the next budgetary cycle has begun, and she is proposing a slightly different BFO offer to strengthen the Human Services side of the department. She said she may need input from the Commission as the offer is developed. Thomas also said the Competitive Process recommendations had been pulled from Council’s consent agenda on November 19, so she asked the Commission members who could make it be present. She said Council just wants to give some visibility to where the large amount of approved money is going, to highlight the good that is being done in the community. 4 Heidi Phelps provided an update on the Elderhaus Public Facilities project, which could be affected by the proposed widening of Shields Street. NEXT MEETING Next meeting set for Thursday, December 12, 2013, 6:30 p.m., location to be determined. Meeting adjourned at 7:39 p.m.