HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8091 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8091
U" TE�FO
oa +ry To the Mayor and Members of the City Council September 23,1997
r!X"$ Subject: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT: REQUEST FOR
1871
PROPOSAL PROCESS
At the September 9, 1997 meeting of the Safety and Community Development Committee
(SCDC), the Committee approved a staff recommendation that proposes a delay of an "open"
Request for Proposal process for CDBG funds for the next fiscal year which begins June 1, 1998,
Specifically,the staff recommendation to the Committee was as follows:
1. Delay issuance of an open Request for Proposal for CDBG funds.
2. Allow staff and the Community Development Council (CDC) to review and make
recommendations on currently funded CDBG programs.
3. Review recommendations on currently funded CDBG handed programs with the SCDC
in February and decide on whether to issue an open RFP for the spring.
As you may know, during the months of September and October each year over the last few
years, the City of Fort Worth has advertised a request for proposal (RFP) process that invites non-
profit agencies on a "come one, come all" basis to apply for CDBG funding to operate various
eligible programs within the City. Generally the closing date for the RFP process is in late
October or early November. During the each of the last four(4) years, the City has received an
average of ninety-six (96) proposals from this open solicitation process. The responses to the
Or RFP become the pool of requests from which the CDBG budget is developed. The staff in
conjunction with the CDC reviews the RFP's. From this review, a budget is formulated and
presented to the City Council in mid-March for review and for final approval in April.
Normally, when it is announced, the Request for Proposal indicates that the entire allocation is
open to a competitive process. What we have experienced in the past is a raising of expectations
to newer agencies that may not materialize because of the demand for the CDBG funds. Last
year, for example,the City received $13,450,729 in requests for CDBG, ESG, and HOPWA grant
funds,as compared to an allocation of$8,604,000 for these three grants. The majority of the$13
million in requests was for CDBG funds. Typically,the final budget includes a recommendation
to continue funding programs that were funded the previous year as well as a few new programs.
We are nearing the time when the City normally advertises and releases an RFP for three (3)
federal grants: CDBG; Emergency Shelter Grant Program (ESG); and for Housing Opportunities
for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA). This year, as in the last two (2)years, the CDBG allocation
for the next fiscal year that begins June 1, 1998 will possibly be reduced as Congress wrestles
with reductions in the federal budget. Generally, a reduction in CDBG funding h ` sulfe-d,nti"� . .,,.,
City passing on this reduction to those agencies currently funded. With a thin q
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reduction in the City's CDBG allocation very likely, the ability to fund n Pro, .i9"
somewhat threatened without considering large reductions in or a discontinuatio of soX of the
currently funded programs.
mg11Fn RV T14F C1TV MANA(;FR FORT WORTH TFXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8091
cx` TE
o� +> To the Mayor and Members of the City Council September 23, 1997
Page 2
* X * Subject: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT: REQUEST FOR
7613 PROPOSAL PROCESS
To better manage a pending reduction, staff has recommended that the City delay the issuance of
an open RFP until after the allocation is known. The City is usually notified in January each year
of the allocation for the following fiscal year which begins June 1st. Until an allocation is
known, staff would recommend that only currently funded programs be allowed to respond to an
abbreviated RFP by no later than October 15, 1997. All other interested agencies would not be
allowed to apply for CDBG funding at this time. Immediately, staff and the CDC will began
reviewing and evaluating the performance of the currently funded programs and review the
response to the abbreviated RFP. This review would be conducted with an eye toward making
preliminary funding decisions for Safety and Community Development Committee review on the
continuation of currently funded programs by the end of January, 1998. At that time, the City
should have notice from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development indicating the
allocation amount for the fiscal year starting June 1, 1998. During their February meeting, the
recommendations would be brought back to the Safety and Community Development Committee
to determine if changes are needed to the proposed staff/CDC recommendations and to determine
whether sufficient funds are available to issue an open solicitation and Request for Proposal to all
interested parties.
With regard to the ESG and HOPWA programs, the staff would still propose to issue the
solicitation for these grants in late September or early October, 1997. These grants are not
expected to be impacted by any substantial cuts this fiscal year.
As stated above, the recommendation to delay issuance of an open RFP for the CDBG grant was
approved by the Safety and Community Development Committee at their September 9, 1997
meeting. The staff is proposing to proceed with this recommendation unless directed otherwise
by the City Council. Staff will be available at the Pre-Council meeting of September 23, 1997 to
answer any questions you may have. Should you need additional information, please contact Joe
Paniagua at 871-6168.
P
Bob Terrell
City Manager
— ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH,TEXAS