City of Lawrence, KS

Community Development Advisory Committee

February 13, 2014 Minutes (City Commission Room)

MEMBERS PRESENT:		Linda Bush, Alex Delaney, Steven Koprince, Quinn Miller, James Minor, Julie Mitchell, Vern Norwood, Travis Weller, Patrick Wilbur

MEMBERS ABSENT:		None

STAFF PRESENT:		Danelle Dresslar, Brad Karr

PUBLIC PRESENT:		Rich Minder (Success by Six), Anna VanSchoelandt (Willow Domestic Violence Center), Marc Jasperson (Lawrence Habitat for Humanity), Pat Miller (Pinckney Neighborhood Association)

Chair Minor called the meeting to order at 5:32 p.m.

1. Introductions.

Members introduced themselves.

2. Approval of the January 23, 2014 Minutes.

Wilbur moved to approve the CDAC meeting minutes from January 23, 2014. The motion was seconded by Delaney and passed 9-0.

3. Discussion of 2014 CDBG Public Service allocations.

Dresslar handed out a spreadsheet with information about past allocation amounts for each of the neighborhood associations. Delaney had asked that this information be provided to the committee.

Bush asked if Dresslar had been notified by some of the neighborhoods what their beginning bank balances were. Dresslar said that Brook Creek Neighborhood Association (BNA) had $337 and East Lawrence Neighborhood Association (ELNA) had $2,500. Bush asked if North Lawrence Improvement Association (NLIA) had reported their beginning bank balance. Delaney stated that $3,980 was listed on NLIA’s grant application as their beginning balance. Oread Neighborhood Association (ONA) listed their beginning bank balance as $3,413. Dresslar commented that the neighborhoods should not be penalized for having a bank balance when the committee is deciding the amount of allocations. Some neighborhoods have a lot of fundraising activities which help their yearly budget. Bush said that she is more looking at the amount requested versus their total budget, factoring in the amount raised by other means. Delaney said he would like an explanation from the neighborhood associations that have a large bank balance, and have had that balance for several years, what they are saving the money for. Bush said that she agreed with Dresslar about not penalizing a neighborhood for having a balance in the bank; she said there are reasons for them to keep a cushion in the bank to aid in unforeseen expenses. Wilbur said his concern is when a neighbor receives an allocation, but then does not spend it.

Wilbur moved to zero fund 4a, Oread Neighborhood Association (ONA), Operating/Planning Coordinator Expenses. Bush seconded the motion. The motion passed 7-2.

Minor asked if a representative of each neighborhood association should be asked to come and meet with the committee. Dresslar said that they can come to any meeting and speak to the committee. Norwood asked how they are notified of the committee’s decisions. Dresslar said that the minutes of each meeting are posted on the City of Lawrence website, and the association can sign up for an email notification when the minutes are posted. Dresslar reminded the committee that these recommendations are not final until approved by the City Commission. Delaney reminded the committee to keep this in mind; the allocations might have to be refigured. Norwood said that refiguring the allocations is part of the process.

Minor suggested they discuss BCNA next. The committee discussed the proposed neighborhood survey in relation to other programs that need funding. Delaney moved to zero fund 1b, Brook Creek Neighborhood Association (BCNA), Neighborhood Survey. Norwood seconded the motion. The motion passed 9-0.

Mitchell said that BCNA does have new officers this year, and a new Facebook page.

ELNA was discussed next. Bush said that she was impressed that ELNA was only asking for funding to cover the newsletter and coordinator expenses and that all other expenses were being covered by their fundraising efforts. Minor indicated that he thought the ELNA application was well spelled out and descriptive, listing the 6 newsletters per year and 6 neighborhood meetings. Miller moved to 100% fund 2a, East Lawrence Neighborhood Association (ELNA), Operating/Coordinator Expenses. No second was received. The motion failed.

Delaney stated that it might be better if they look for other items to zero fund, before allocating any money. Miller asked if a general percentage had been discussed of what level to fund each neighborhood association. Bush said using the same flat percentage across the board does not reward the neighborhoods who craft a better proposal of funds than others. Weller agreed that he does not like the idea of using a flat percentage across the board; he felt it could lead to budgets getting inflated in future years to offset the flat percentage. Minor asked if no flat percentage is used, what should be focused on in each application to determine a starting point. Norwood agreed that it should not be a straight across the board percentage because that would hurt the neighborhoods that work harder than others to raise funds and hold meetings. Delaney again asked if there were any applications that should not be funded. If those could be determined first, the amount of money left to allocate would be easier to figure. Miller said that in past years, the committee had become bogged down with trying to determine an allocation amount for every item listed on the grant applications. He said a starting point needs to be determined, or they would run out time.

Bush said she loved the idea of the Pearl Clark Garden Improvements, but the time frame is not appropriate for this grant cycle. They would like to use the money to build in March, but the grant money is not awarded until August. She also said that their budget is not clearly delineated with respect to how they would use the CDGB funds. Bush moved to zero fund 7a, Common Ground, Pearl Clark Garden Improvements. Wilbur seconded the motion. The motion passed 9-0.

Delaney asked how much the Lawrence Community Shelter (LCS) was allocated last year. Dresslar said $44,025. Delaney suggested funding the LCS at $45,000. Bush said she was thinking more like $41,000 in her preliminary calculations. Weller suggested $48,500, which is what they had listed for staff expenses. Weller moved to fund 10a, Lawrence Community Shelter (LCS), Operating Expenses at $48,500. Minor seconded the motion. The motion passed 9-0.

Miller asked if they should consider Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. (HCCI) and Ballard Community Services next. Minor also suggested discussing Douglas County AIDS Project (DCAP) as well. Dresslar said that both Ballard and DCAP use all of their grant funds to go directly to help people with rent and utilities. Dresslar also said that last year was the first year that HCCI did not use all of their grant allocation. They had some staffing changes, and the number of consultations decreased as a result. They have now resolved the staffing issues, and expect to resume using all of the allocated funds. Delaney said that if they give both Ballard and HCCI 50% of their request, the committee would be getting closer to resolving the shortfall in funds. Bush asked why only give Ballard and HCCI 50% when LCS got more than 50% of their request. Norwood suggested lowering LCS to $40,000, so others do not get cut as much.

Delaney said he supports the playground improvements of item 12a. He suggested that they give 100% funding to Willow Domestic Violence Center for the playground improvements.

Minor suggested they finish Ballard and HCCI allocations before moving on. Minor moved to fund 6a, Ballard Community Services, Emergency Service Council at $10,000 and 9a, Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. (HCCI), Tenant-Landlord Counseling and Education Programs at $12,220. Miller seconded the motion. The motion passed 8-1.

Anna VanSchoelandt with the Willow Domestic Violence Center spoke to the committee about the proposed playground improvements. In the past, the focus of their grant allocations was for the immediate needs of the shelter, including electrical and plumbing repairs. This year they would like to focus on the children, who also receive services at the center. They would like to have a safe place for kids to get back to being kids. The improved playground would give an outdoor location to work on their curriculum of being active, non-violent communication, and increasing the children’s self-confidence. Gravel was installed about 10 years ago when they moved into the location, but has now all worn away. They would like to replace that to make it safe for the children to play. Minor asked who would be doing the work. VanSchoelandt said they spoke with several different landscape companies, but they are thinking of working with Professional Landscape Services (PLS). They have worked with them before, and understand the confidentiality and sensitive nature of what they do at the center. Weller moved to 100% fund 12a, Willow Domestic Violence Center, Playground Improvements at $1,963. Delaney seconded the motion. The motion passed 8-0. Norwood abstained due to volunteer work she performs at the shelter.

Minor spoke in support of DCAP, and all they do in the community. Weller thought they should fund DCAP at the amount they received last year, $4533. Delaney said if they reduced LCS to $40,000, only a little bit would have to be removed from the other applications to correct the shortfall. Minor stated there is a growth in homeless at the community shelter, and what they provide is needed in the community. Minor suggested maybe $44,000 would be better. Norwood moved to fund 10a, Lawrence Community Shelter (LCS), Operating Expenses at $44,000. Minor seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-4.

Rich Minder of Success by Six spoke to the committee about their application. He said they partner with a lot of the other applicants for these CDBG funds, and it is difficult to see anybody get their funding request reduced or denied. Success by Six collaborates with many different agencies to reach as many families with young children as they can. He is very confident that anything that is received in allocations would get spent to help these families. Weller asked if they were a new organization, since they have never asked for CDBG money before. Minder indicated that Success by Six was started in 1998, and has an annual budget of a little over $1.2 million. Most of those funds come from tobacco settlement money and United Way funds. Weller asked how any allocated funds would be spent. Minder said the money would go to rent and utility assistance for families. Weller moved to fund 11a, Success by Six, Housing Assistance fund at $10,000. Norwood seconded the motion. The motion passed 9-0.

Norwood moved to fund 10a, Lawrence Community Shelter (LCS), Operating Expenses at $40,000. Bush seconded the motion. The motion passed 8-1.

Weller moved to fund 8a, Douglas County AIDS Project (DCAP), Emergency Assistance Program at $5,000. Minor seconded the motion. The motion passed 7-2.

Pat Miller, President of the Pinckney Neighborhood Association (PNA) spoke to the committee about neighborhood efforts to obtain a new coordinator. Neighborhood volunteers are getting burnt out and without resources to fundraise or hire a coordinator, the neighborhood is at a disadvantage. Volunteers are trying to publish a newsletter right now, but it has taken weeks to pull together the information. Often times the information in the newsletter is out of date by the time it is printing and mailed. Bush commented that a problem with the printer’s machinery has hampered getting out the most recent newsletter. Weller asked about the cost listed on the PNA application for the newsletters. He commented that the $4,540 to print the newsletters is higher than other neighborhoods pay for their newsletters. Pat Miller said they are averaging about $1,000 per newsletter, plus they mail one postcard a year for special events. She said they mail to about 1,550 residential addresses. Dresslar listed the population for each neighborhood association: BCNA 4,941; ELNA 3,195; NLIA 2,157; ONA 4,749; PNA 3,587. Pat Miller indicated that some neighborhoods have businesses that help out in printing the newsletters. She said that Lawrence Memorial Hospital (LMH) has offered printing services to PNA, but the timing of their printing schedule did not work for the PNA newsletter. Minor asked if other businesses besides LMH had been contacted to aid in printing of the newsletter. Pat Miller said that their volunteers lack a coordinated effort to effectively contact other neighborhood businesses.

Bush suggested that they fund the neighborhood associations at the requested amounts for communications and coordinator expenses only. She suggested $6,550 for BCNA; $8,500 for ELNA; $4,900 for NLIA; $7740 for PNA. She said she reduced the coordinator expenses for ELNA, to fall in line with other coordinator expenses. Weller suggested reducing ELNA to $8,100, to match the next highest coordinator expense, which is BCNA at $3,600.

Minor moved to fund 1a, Brook Creek Neighborhood Association (BCNA), Operation/Coordinator Expenses at $6,550; to fund 2a, East Lawrence Neighborhood Association (ELNA), Operating/Coordinator Expenses at $8,100; to fund 3a, North Lawrence Improvement Association (NLIA), Operating/Coordinator Expenses at $4,900; to zero fund 4a, Oread Neighborhood Association (ONA), Operating/Planning Coordinator Expenses; to fund 5a, Pinckney Neighborhood Association (PNA), Operating/Coordinator Expenses at $7,740; to fund 6a, Ballard Community Services, Emergency Service Council at $10,000; to zero fund 7a, Common Ground, Pearl Clark Garden Improvements; to fund 8a, Douglas County AIDS Project (DCAP), Emergency Assistance Program at $4,258; to fund 9a, Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. (HCCI), Tenant-Landlord Counseling and Education Programs at $12,220; to fund 10a, Lawrence Community Shelter (LCS), Operating Expenses at $40,000; to fund 11a, Success by Six, Housing Assistance Fund at $10,000; to fund 12a, Willow Domestic Violence Center, Playground Improvements at $1,963. Norwood seconded the motion. The motion passed 9-0.

4. Public Comment.

Marc Jasperson, Executive Director of Lawrence Habitat for Humanity spoke to the committee about reconsidering zero funding their application for HOME funds. Norwood asked how a partial funding would impact their operations. Jasperson explained that they requested $17,000 per foundation for three new homes. If allocated less than the $51,000 requested, they could reduce the number of new homes, or still do three homes with less CDBG funds spread across the projects. He indicated that the CDBG funds are important as both seed money for the new foundations, and also to be listed on applications for other grants. Minor asked how many homes they build a year. Jasperson indicated that three or four new homes are built each year. They are currently building the 83^rd home in 25 years of operation. Wilbur explained that the reason he moved to zero fund the application was for the survival of the other HOME programs. He felt that Lawrence Habitat for Humanity does a tremendous job in public awareness and fundraising, while the other programs do not have that advantage. Jasperson acknowledge that they do have other sources of funding, but the HOME funds are significant to them and in turn the community. Bush thanked Jasperson for speaking, and indicated that all allocation items would be revisited, including Lawrence Habitat for Humanity, before the final recommendations are made.

5. Miscellaneous/Calendar.

The next meeting of the CDAC will be February 27, 2014. The meeting will not start until 6:00 p.m. due to a Public Works Department public meeting in the City Commission room.

The committee asked if a copy of the updated table of contents could be emailed to each member.

Capital Improvement allocations will be discussed at the next meeting. The following meeting will be to revisit and wrap up any changes to the allocations. The public hearing would then be the last meeting in April, 2014.

6. Adjourn.

Minor moved to adjourn the February 13, 2014 meeting of the CDAC at 7:00 p.m. Weller seconded the motion. The motion passed 9-0.

Attendance Record

Members

Jan 9

Jan 23

Feb 13

Feb 27

Mar 13

Mar 27

Apr 10

Apr 24

May

Jun

July

Linda Bush

Alex Delaney

Steven Koprince

Quinn Miller

Julie Mitchell

James Minor

Vern Norwood

Travis Weller

Patrick Wilbur

E Excused Absence

U Unexcused Absence

X Meeting Cancelled – Weather Conditions

- Meeting Cancelled – Committee Vote/No Business

* First meeting after appointment

** Last Meeting Prior to expired term

^ Last Meeting