Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Manager’s Office

TO:	Tom Markus, City Manager
FROM:	Danielle Buschkoetter, Management Assistant
CC:	Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager Casey Toomay, Assistant City Manager Danelle Dresslar, Community Development Manager Bradly Karr, Programs Analyst
DATE:	October 10, 2017
RE:	Social Service Funding Advisory Board and Community Development Advisory Committee Board Consolidation

Background

One of the priority initiatives adopted with the Strategic Plan was the review of advisory boards and commissions.  On August 8, 2017, the City Commission received a staff report which made certain recommendations regarding potential eliminations and consolidations of advisory boards. At that meeting the City Commission directed staff to bring forward a recommendation to consolidate the Social Service Funding Advisory Board (SSFAB) and the Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC).

Board Responsibilities

Since August 8, 2017, Staff have met to discuss the appropriate process and timing to bring forward that recommendation. While both boards receive applications, and make recommendations for outside agency funding, their guidelines for doing such are significantly different.

The SSFAB is tasked with reviewing and making recommendations to the City Commission on the use of Special Alcohol and Drug Abuse Funds based on guidelines set out in Charter Ordinance No. 33 and use of General Operating Funds for social services. They also review reports sent forth by agencies that received funding and evaluate if funds were used appropriately.

The CDAC is tasked with advising and assisting the City with making funding and policy recommendations to the City Commission regarding Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) funds. They are bound by a number of additional regulations set forth through the Consolidated Plan for the purposes of following CDBG and HOME Program guidelines.

The Consolidated Plan will have to be updated in June of 2018. It is at this point that Staff believe it would be most effective to bring forward a recommendation to combine the SSFAB and the CDAC. The CDAC must follow the parameters outlined in the Consolidated Plan and would therefore give Staff the ability to incorporate this recommendation into the updated Plan.

Implementation Plan

Staff plans on waiting until after June of 2018 to bring forward a formal recommendation to consolidate the two Boards to align with the update to the Consolidated Plan. This will allow each Board to go through the application and recommendation process one final time in their current states. It will also give Staff time to develop a recommended meeting schedule for the consolidated Board, draft the appropriate ordinances, and divide the responsibilities effectively.

While most of the responsibilities are anticipated to be combined in the recommendation, Staff is planning on recommending that the HOME Program funds be move under the purview of the Affordable Housing Advisory Board. That Board consists of local experts and Staff believes they will be better suited to make those recommendations. Additionally, it will alleviate the proposed consolidated Board of some review and help better align purposes.