Fiscal Note
This amendment provides $12,000 in funding from the Contingent Reserve to the Mayor's Office operating budget for development of a strategic plan for the community gardens program.
Funding of $12,000 is available in the 2014 adopted City operating budget, which has appropriated $1,200,000 in funding for the Contingent Reserve. The current uncommitted balance in the Contingent Reserve is $796,387 which will be reduced to $784,387 upon the adoption of this amendment. There is no net impact on the tax levy.
The 2014 City operating budget will be amended as follows:
($12,000) GN01-57600-971000 - Reduce Contingent Reserve
$12,000 GN01-54950-082000 - Increase Consulting Services Expense: Mayor's Office
Title
Amending the 2014 operating budget to appropriate $12,000 from the Contingent Reserve to the Mayor's Office and authorizing the Mayor to execute a contract to purchase the services of a facilitator for the purposes of developing a strategic plan for the future structure and funding of a community gardens program.
Body
WHEREAS, the Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin operated a community gardens program for over twenty years in Madison and Dane County;
WHEREAS, the City of Madison has supported the community gardens program through over $50,000 yearly in Community Development Block Grant funds;
WHEREAS, the Community Action Coalition ended the community gardens program, and contract with the City of Madison, effective May 30, 2014;
WHEREAS, community gardens remain critical to providing access to food, building community, and developing leadership within many Madison neighborhoods;
WHEREAS, on March 6, 2014, the City of Madison Community Gardens Committee convened a community gardens community conversation, in which over fifty stakeholders attended to discuss the future of the community gardens program,
WHEREAS, the message from the community was clear that vital components of a community gardens program should focus on underserved communities and include community development, youth engagement and employment, leadership training, and access to food,
WHEREAS, over twenty participants in the March 6 meeting volunteered to be a part of a community-based planning committee that would develop an action plan for addressing gaps in 2014 and a vision in structure and funding for a program for 2015 and beyond;
WHEREAS, after several meeting of that planning committee and its work groups, a preliminary structure of a program developed that involved the City of Madison, Dane County University of Wisconsin Extension, and Community Groundworks playing equal parts in collaboration;
WHEREAS, within the collaboration it became clear that strategic planning is necessary to deepen the collaboration by determining formal roles, funding structures, and eventually signing Memorandums of Understanding that outline above,
WHEREAS, that the strategic planning needs to be instructed by an expert in the field of developing deep, multi-organizational collaborations in order to reach a resolution in a timely manner that addresses all of the goals of the community,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mayor is authorized to execute a contract with a facilitator for strategic planning of a community gardens program that will include the City of Madison, Dane County UW-Extension, and Community Groundworks, along with other key stakeholders, including, but not limited to, individual community garden leaders,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that funds shall be allocated from Contingent Reserve in the amount up to, but not to exceed, $12,000 to the Mayor's Office 2014 Operating Budget for the purposes of executing said contract.
BE FINALLY RESOLVED, that the results of the strategic planning process shall be reported to the Madison Food Policy Council, Mayor, and Common Council no later than January 30, 2015.