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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 02/02/2021 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 023, 2021, APPROPRI Agenda Item 7 Item # 7 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY February 2, 2021 City Council STAFF Nina Bodenhamer, City Give Director John Duval, Legal SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 023, 2021, Appropriating Philanthropic Revenue Received by City Give and Authorizing a Transfer to be Used for Ongoing COVID -19 Community Relief and Recovery. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to appropriate $100,000 in philanthropic revenue in the General Fund City Give Reserves for Covid-19 community relief and recover y received from donor Broadcom, Inc. The intent of the charitable gift, facilitated and secured by City Give and as designated by Broadcom Inc., is to support the critical and expanded needs of essential community services and organizations resulting from the pandemic. It’s the donor’s determination the City possess unique knowledge of urgent community gaps and can serve as a critical gateway as to how monies can be effectively and immediately applied to local Covid -19 relief and recovery. Per the donor’s designation, the City will distribute $50,000 of the total gift to two community partners: CARE Housing to be used toward eviction prevention and on-site learning hubs to provide Internet access and academic support to K-12 students, and Meals on Wheels in support of their mission to provide meals to homebound seniors. The remaining $50,000 will be awarded at $25,000 each to the Utilities Payment Assistance Program in the Utility Customer Service & Admin Fund and to the Digital Access and Equity Program in the General Fund in support of the City’s partnership with Code for America. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION The purpose of this item is to appropriate $100,000 in philanthropic revenue in the General Fund City Give Reserves for COVID-19 community relief and recovery. The intent of the charitable gift is designated by the donor, Broadcom Inc., to support the critical and essential needs of our residents during this unprecedented national and community crisis. CARE Housing: $25,000 CARE Housing maintains seven high-quality, affordable rental communities across Fort Collins to meet the needs of individuals, families, seniors and people living with disabilities with low and very lo w incomes. The CARE Eviction Prevention fund provides housing stability through financial counseling and payment assistance for outstanding rent balances. Funding will also support CARE Learning Hubs which offer remote school-aged learners with on-site internet, computer access and academic support. CARE Learning Hubs are a partnership with The Matthews House and the Boys & Girls’ Club for staffing and transportation to ensure students in need have opportunities for rich and robust digital access. Agenda Item 7 Item # 7 Page 2 City of Fort Collins - Code for America: $25,000 Recently, the City was selected by Code for America as a recipient of a 20/21 Fellowship to develop an online application to the City’s Digital Equity program. This online application will enroll income -qualified residents in a discounted rate for Connexion internet service but also serve as a footprint for a single point of entry to all City income-qualified programs. Our partnership with Code for America will produce a digital portal for enrollment and income verification which, in turn, allows the City to more effectively serve its lowest income earners through a wide range of programs including discounted recreation access and annual grocery tax rebates. Fort Collins Utilities Payment Assistance Program: $25,000 More families and individuals than ever before are navigating financial insecurity and are unable to pay their electric and water bills. Currently, over 3,500 Fort Collins households are in danger of having their utilities shut off. Nearly double the number of households facing disconnect this time last year. Due to the public spotlight this community crisis has received across the state and in our community, many organizations and agencies are working to protect utility customers from discontinued se rvices, including the waiver of late and reconnection fees since April, and a State moratorium on cutoffs. However, outstanding utility debt continues to amass. The Payment Assistance Fund provides debt relief to residents with outstanding utility electric and water charges. Meals on Wheels: $25,000 Meals on Wheels Fort Collins provides nutritious, hot noontime meals and social interaction to Fort Collins seniors and eligible clients in their homes five days a week. A long -standing partnership with UC Health is a critical aspect of this community collaboration as meal preparation is overseen by PVH Dietetic and kitchen staff. Last year, Meals on Wheels delivered over 50,000 meals through the tremendous commitment of over 200 volunteers. And, like many direct service community providers, the pandemic has created extreme increased demand for meals. Although the social aspect of their service is not currently viable, the meal delivery to seniors is more critical than ever before: clients are not only food ins ecure, but they also represent those most vulnerable to the pandemic. CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS This Ordinance will appropriate $100,000 of unanticipated philanthropic revenue from General Fund, City Give Reserves account for: (i) the transfer of $25,000 to the Fort Collins Utilities Payment Assistance Program in the Utility Customer Service & Admin Fund, (ii) the appropriation of $25,000 for the City’s Digital Access & Equity Program, and (iii) the appropriation of $50,000 for grants of $25,000 each to comm unity partners CARE Housing and Meals on Wheels (as detailed above). The funds have been received and accepted per City Give Administrative and Financial Policy. -1- ORDINANCE NO. 023, 2021 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROPRIATING PHILANTHROPIC REVENUE RECEIVED BY CITY GIVE AND AUTHORIZING A TRANSFER TO BE USED FOR ONGOING COVID-19 COMMUNITY RELIEF AND RECOVERY WHEREAS, the City has received from Broadcom Inc. a donation of $100,000 to be used by the City for COVID-19 community relief and recovery (the “Donation”); and WHEREAS, the Donation has been deposited in the City Gives Reserves account in the City’s General Fund; and WHEREAS, Broadcom Inc. and the City have identified together four different uses of the Donation with $25,000 to be paid to the community partner CARE Housing to be used for eviction prevention and onsite learning hubs providing access to the Internet and academic support to K-12 students, $25,000 to be paid to the community partner Meals on Wheels to be used in support of its mission to provide meals to homebound seniors, $25,000 to be used by the City in its Utilities Payment Assistance Program, and $25,000 to be used by the City in its Digital Access and Equity Program; and WHEREAS, the individual grants to the community partners and the City’s use of its share of the Donation, as directed in this Ordinance, will benefit the health, safety and welfare of the residents of Fort Collins and will serve the public purposes of supporting eviction prevention and providing onsite learning hubs to provide access to the Internet and academic support to K - 12 students in Fort Collins, providing nutritious meals to home-bound seniors in Fort Collins, assisting financially the City’s utility customers in danger of having their services disconnected due the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and supporting the City’s partnership with Code for America to provide discounted Connexion Internet service to low- income residents; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9 of the City Charter permits the City Council, upon recommendation of the City Manager, to make supplemental appropriations by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year, provided the total amount of such supplemental appropriations, in combination with all previous appropriations for that fiscal year, does not exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received during the fiscal year; and WHEREAS, the City Manager has recommended the appropriations described herein and determined these appropriations are available and previously unappropriated from the General Fund and the Utility Customer Service & Admin Fund, as applicable, and will not cause th e total amount appropriated General Fund and the Utility Customer Service & Admin Fund, as applicable, to exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received in these funds during this fiscal year; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 10 of the City Charter authorizes the City Council to transfer by ordinance any unexpended and unencumbered appropriated amount or portion thereof from one fund or capital project account to another fund or capital project account, provided that -2- the purpose for which the transferred funds are to be expended remains unchanged; and WHEREAS, the City Manager has recommended the transfer described herein and determined that the purpose for which the transferred funds are to be expended remains unchanged. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and findings contained in the recitals set forth above. Section 2. That there is hereby appropriated from unanticipated philanthropic revenue in the General Fund, City Give Reserves account, the sum of TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($25,000) to be used as a grant to the City’s community partner CARE Housing for eviction prevention and for onsite learning hubs providing access to the Internet and academic support to K-12 students. Section 3. That there is hereby appropriated from unanticipated philanthropic revenue in the General Fund, City Give Reserves account, the sum of TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($25,000) to be used as a grant to the City’s community partner Meals on Wheels in support of its mission to provide meals to homebound seniors. Section 4. That there is hereby appropriated from unanticipated philanthropic revenue in the General Fund, City Give Reserves account, the sum of TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($25,000) for transfer to the Utility Customer Service & Admin Fund and appropriated therein for the Utilities Payment Assistance Program. Section 5. That there is hereby appropriated from unanticipated philanthropic revenue in the General Fund, City Give Reserves account, the sum of TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($25,000) to be used in the City’s Digital Access and Equity Program. Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 2nd day of February, A.D. 2021, and to be presented for final passage on the 16th day of February, A.D. 2021. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk -3- Passed and adopted on final reading on the 16th day of February, A.D. 2021. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk