AgdaPkt 2011-03-07 - Laserfiche WebLink

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6.3C REPORT rage To the Honorable Mayor and City Council From the City Manager March 7, 2011 SUBJECT Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnership Program Update and Amendment to the City's Classification Plan for Program Administration RECOMMENDATION Approve by resolution the classification of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) Administrator position. BACKGROUND In spring 2010, Redwood City adopted a new Consolidated Plan which directs the next five years of the CDBG /HOME program. At that time, Councilmembers acknowledged the program's accomplishments and also directed staff to explore opportunities to make program administration more efficient. Recent retirements, along with restructuring of the Planning and Housing organizations, have also resulted in a need to reconsider r a staffing for this activity. focus of these programs includes grant administration and g tY P 9 9 residential rehabilitation loan programs that support the City's low income population. The activities conducted pursuant to the CDBG /HOME program are linked to Council's Strategic Initiatives as presented in Attachment 2. Staff anticipates that the 2011 funding for both programs will be approximately $1.1 million. Up to 20% of the entitlement amount may be used for program administration. Since fall 2010, progress made with respect to program efficiencies and staffing are described below. Countywide Consolidation: There are five entitlement agencies with CDBG /HOME programs in San Mateo County: San Mateo County and the cities of South San Francisco, Daly City, San Mateo, and Redwood City. The CDBG /HOME administrators of these agencies meet regularly and have been working to simplify and coordinate the grant process to benefit both the agencies as well as the recipients through the establishment of a "consortium" approach. The City's CDBG /HOME staff are also implementing process improvements to achieve additional efficiency. Examples of current progress in this area include the following: • 2011 Multi- Jurisdiction Funding Process Alignment: San Mateo County's entitlement agencies consolidated their application requirements and provided shared resources and training to recipients. • Two Year Funding Cycle: Staff is preparing to transition the grant process from an annual to a two -year cycle. This will save significant time and effort for staff and recipients. • Grant Software Management Staff is in the process of purchasing affordable software that will greatly simplify CDBG /HOME administration and monitoring for both the City and recipients. � i