Fiscal Note
There is no fiscal impact associated with acceptance of this report. However, it is possible that implementation of some of its recommendations in the future could have fiscal impacts and would require Common Council approval at that time.
Title
Final report on Community Development Division funding process evaluation by Forward Community Investments.
Body
Background
The City of Madison has a strong record of investing resources in efforts designed to help residents overcome any number of economic, social and/or cultural barriers to opportunity. These efforts are typically undertaken by, or in concert with, a network of community partners. And while they are supported with funds derived from available state and federal resources, the single largest contribution comes from the local property tax levy. At present, the total commitment of funds, from all sources, exceeds $12 million annually.
Historically, decisions about how to allocate these resources have been made as part of recurring competitive funding processes, conducted by the Community Development Division and involving five legislative policy committees that oversee the Division’s work. In 2013, largely in response to changing economic, social and cultural dynamics within Madison, and with an eye toward improving the impacts produced by these funding efforts, the Mayor and Common Council commissioned an independent evaluation of CDD’s existing procedures and practices. Funds to support the evaluation were appropriated in the City’s Adopted 2104 Operating Budget. Forward Community Investments (FCI) was selected through a competitive RFP process to conduct the evaluation and produce a report, including potential recommendations for how current practices might be improved.
The first phase of FCI’s work focused on gathering community input on current CDD practices. FCI conducted a series of community conversations, interviews and focus groups with persons who had experience with ...
Click here for full text