Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution accepts the recommendations of the Community Development Division’s Conference Committee and authorizes a total of $2,469,690 in contracted services with neighborhood centers. The $2.47 million will be disbursed among 15 neighborhood centers, with $1.31 million contributing towards neighborhood center support and $1.16 million contributing towards school-age child and youth development programs at those neighborhood centers. The contracts were selected following a request for proposals (RFP) process released by the Community Development Division in June 2019. The 2020 Executive Operating Budget fully funds the proposed contracts.
Title
Accepting the recommendations of the Community Development Division (CDD) Conference Committee regarding the allocation of City funds, beginning in 2020, for neighborhood center “Center Support” payments and for payments to neighborhood centers that support School-Age Child and Youth Development programs.
Body
The proposed resolution accepts the CDD Conference Committee’s recommendations to designate city-funded neighborhood centers as either Tier 1 or Tier 2 facilities and authorize corresponding allocations for Center Support and Child and Youth Development funds in accordance with the “Neighborhood Center Support Policy Paper” and “School-Age Child and Youth Development Policy Paper” adopted by the Common Council on June 11, 2019 in RES-19-00428, Legistar File #55944.
Neighborhood Centers provide a broad range of programming and activities, many of which are focused on low- and moderate- income families. City investments in these efforts improve the availability of quality out-of-school-time programming, access to experiences and relationships that contribute to positive youth engagement and development, and the presence in neighborhoods of organizations that focus on building community and improving the quality of life for City residents.
The goal of the Neighborhood Center and School-Age Child and Youth Development funding process was to begin to implement new funding frameworks that better articulate performance expectations for contracted agencies, reflect best practices and community input, and improve transparency in funding structures by more clearly describing expectations for funded agencies. These frameworks are presented in the “Neighborhood Center Support Policy Paper” and “School-Age Child and Youth Development Policy Paper” adopted by the Common Council on June 11, 2019 in RES-19-00428. Pursuant to the direction provided in the policy papers, the CDD conducted a funding process to designate city-funded neighborhood centers as either Tier 1 or Tier 2 facilities and to allocate Center Support and School-Age Child and Youth Development funds accordingly.
WHEREAS, the City of Madison has a long-standing commitment of financial support to a group of 15 neighborhood centers as part of its strategy to build community, strengthen neighborhoods and improve the quality of life for disadvantaged individuals and families; and
WHEREAS, the City’s 2019 Adopted Operating Budget appropriates more than $1.3 million for Center Support distributed among 15 neighborhood centers located throughout the City, a sum that represents 51% of the City’s total annual financial commitments to these centers; and
WHEREAS, the City’s 2019 Adopted Operating Budget also appropriates about $870,000 to support ongoing School-Age Child and Youth Development programs operated by or at neighborhood centers; and
WHEREAS, on June 11, 2019, the Common Council adopted RES-19-00248, which approved the “Neighborhood Center Support Policy Paper” outlining the parameters of a new funding structure through which the City will allocate Center Support payments; and
WHEREAS, the new framework also simplifies and offers consistency to the Center Support payment structure by adopting a two-tiered approach that standardizes payment levels for centers based on shared attributes and characteristics; and
WHEREAS, the new framework seeks to insulate each of the 15 currently supported centers from funding reductions by refraining from redistributing funds among centers, and by allowing centers under certain circumstances to transfer Center Support dollars for use in program support; and
WHEREAS, through the adoption of RES-19-00248, the Council also approved the “School-Age Child and Youth Development Policy Paper”, which sets forth the desired program structures, effective practices, and cost estimates for a school-age child and youth development program continuum offered by neighborhood centers, as well as other community based organizations, for which the City will offer financial support; and
WHEREAS the Council directed the CDD to use the “Neighborhood Center Support Policy Paper” and the “School-Age Child and Youth Development Policy Paper” as the bases for conducting a Request for Proposal process focused on the 15 neighborhood centers currently receiving City support; and
WHEREAS, CDD released an RFP to neighborhood centers on June 14, 2019; and
WHEREAS, based on responses to the RFP, CDD staff formulated recommendations regarding each center’s designation as either a Tier 1 or Tier 2 facility, based on its alignment with the benchmarks in the “Neighborhood Center Support Policy Paper”; and
WHEREAS, staff also reviewed the proposed school-age child and youth programs from each center for alignment with the quality standards laid out in the “School-Age Child and Youth Development Policy Paper”; and
WHEREAS, at its meeting on August 26, 2019, the CDD Conference Committee discussed with staff the responses to the RFP and finalized its own recommendations regarding tier designations for each neighborhood center as well as the allocation of funding for center support and school-age child and youth development programs; and
WHEREAS, CDD staff project that fully implementing the Conference Committee recommendations will require an additional resource commitment in the City’s 2020 Operating Budget of $293,000 above current funding levels.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Common Council approves the CDD Conference Committee’s recommendations regarding the specified Tier 1 or Tier 2 designations, and corresponding allocations for Center Support and Child and Youth Development funding set forth below, provided that sufficient funding is authorized in the City’s Adopted 2020 Operating Budgets; and,
• Bayview Foundation, Inc.: $80,000 Center Support, $46,123 Child and Youth Funding; Total: $126,123
• Boys and Girls Club of Dane County, Inc.-Allied: $100,000 Center Support, $57,320 Child and Youth Funding; Total: $157,320
• Boys and Girls Club of Dane County, Inc.-Taft: $100,000 Center Support, $76,019 Child and Youth Funding; Total: $176,019
• Bridge Lake Point Waunona (Vera Court): $80,000 Center Support, $124,333 Child and Youth Funding; Total: $204,333
• Center for Resilient Cities, Inc.: $80,000 Center Support
• East Madison Community Center, Inc.: $100,000 Center Support, $72,883 Child and Youth Funding; Total: $172,883
• Goodman Community Center, Inc.: $100,000 Center Support, $185,434 Child and Youth Funding; Total: $285,434
• Kennedy Heights Neighborhood Association, Inc.: $80,000 Center Support, $70,881 Child and Youth Funding: Total: $150,881
• Lussier Community Education Center, Inc.: $100,000 Center Support, $77,133 Child and Youth Funding; Total: $177,133
• Neighborhood House, Inc.: $80,000 Center Support, $14,515 Child and Youth Funding; Total: $94,515
• Vera Court Neighborhood Center, Inc.: $80,000 Center Support, $219,014 Child and Youth Funding; Total: $299,014
• Wil-mar Neighborhood Center, Inc.: $100,000 Center Support, $62,431 Child and Youth Funding; Total: $162,431
• Wisconsin Youth Company, Inc.-Elver Park: $80,000, $102,037 Child and Youth Funding; Total: $182,037
• Wisconsin Youth Company, Inc.-Theresa Terrace: $122,293 Center Support, $43,650 Child and Youth Funding; Total: $165,943
• Meadowood Community Center (MSCR): $30,357 Center Support, $5,267 Child and Youth Funding; Total: $35,624
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that, in the event that the City’s Adopted 2020 Operating Budget does not include funding sufficient to support the payments described above, the Council directs CDD staff to forward to the Mayor and the Council, not later than January 21, 2020, recommendations to adjust the subject payments to reflect available funding; and,
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Council authorizes the Mayor and City Clerk, on behalf of the City, to enter into contracts with the 15 designated neighborhood centers, beginning in 2020, to accomplish the purposes set forth in this resolution.