HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 4632
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COUNCIL RESOLUTION 4632
A RESOLUTION APPROVING AND ADOPTING STANDARDS AND
GUIDELINES FOR OPERATION OF A NEIGHBORHOOD MATCHING
GRANT PROGRAM, AND EXEMPTING CONTRACTS ENTERED INTO
THEREUNDER FROM THE CITY'S COMPETITIVE BIDDING
REQUIREMENTS.
DATE SUBMITTED: June 12, 2000
PASSED: 7/0
OPPOSED:
ABSENT: Nathanson
REJECTED:
DEFERRED TO:
RESOLUTION NO. 4632
A RESOLUTION APPROVING AND ADOPTING
STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR OPERATION OF A
NEIGHBORHOOD MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM, AND
EXEMPTING CONTRACTS ENTERED INTO THEREUNDER
FROM THE CITY'S COMPETITIVE BIDDING
REQUIREMENTS.
The City Council of the City of Eugene finds that:
A. The City encourages participation in community affairs by its citizens, and has had
a Neighborhood Recognition Policy in effect since 1973. During 1997 and 1998 both the City
Council and the City's Budget Committee on several occasions reviewed and discussed
reorganization of the neighborhood program and considered numerous redesign options.
B. On April 28, 1999 the Council reviewed a series of program options and discussed
recommendations based on a staff proposal. During its May 12, 1999 meeting the staff proposals
were considered, and the Council by motion approved a recommendation to the Budget Committee
to fund a neighborhood program within the Planning and Development Department that included
among its elements the creation of a matching grant program. That recommendation was approved
by the Budget Committee in May 1999 and by the City Council on June 21, 1999.
C. The Planning and Development Department created a department advisory committee
to make recommendations on the establishment of specific program guidelines and an allocations
process. The committee has conducted numerous work sessions, including two public work shops
to solicit input from interested citizens. The committee's recommendation is incorporated in the
Neighborhood Matching Grants Program Standards and Guidelines attached as Exhibit A, which the
City Manager has approved and recommended for adoption.
D. As described in the Standards and Guidelines, the award of matching grants for the
purpose of accomplishing neighborhood projects will necessitate the execution of contracts between
the City and grant recipients to ensure the grant funds are utilized in the manner approved. Because
of the unique nature of this Program, a public need exists to exempt all Matching Grant Program
contracts, as a class, from the formal bidding and quotation requirements of Sections 2.1200 to
2.1255 of the Eugene Code, 1971, so long as the contracts are executed in conformity with the
procedures established in the Standards and Guidelines. The public interest would be best served,
favoritism would not be encouraged, competition would not be diminished, and substantial savings
to the City could result from declaring these contracts exempt from the City's formal bidding and
quotation requirements, which the Council has authority to do under State law and under the Charter,
Ordinances and adopted policies of the City.
Resolution - 1
E. The attached Standards and Guidelines should therefore be approved and adopted as
the process to be followed by the City in reviewing and making recommendations on applications
under the Neighborhood Matching Grants Program.
NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EUGENE, a
Municipal Corporation of the State of Oregon, as follows:
Section 1. Based upon the above findings, which are hereby adopted, the Neighborhood
Matching Grants Program Standards and Guidelines attached as Exhibit "A" hereto are approved and
adopted as the procedures to be followed in considering applications under the City's Neighborhood
Matching Grants Program.
Section 2. All contracts entered into between the City and applicants under the Program in
conformity with the procedures established in the attached Standards and Guidelines are declared
exempt as a class from the formal bidding and quotation requirements of Sections 2.1200 to 2.1255
of the Eugene Code, 1971. The City Manager, or the Manager's designee, is authorized to enter into
and execute on behalf of the City such contracts and other documents as may be necessary or
appropriate to carry out the purposes of this Resolution.
Section 3. The City Manager is hereby authorized to administer the Neighborhood Matching
Grants Program and to amend and revise the Neighborhood Matching Grants Program Standards and
Guidelines in any manner consistent with this Resolution, and in accordance with the rulemaking
procedures of Section 2.019 of the Eugene Code, 1971.
The foregoing Resolution adopted the 12th day of June, 2000.
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Resolution - 2
Exhibit "A" to Resolution No. 4632
STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR OPERATION OF
THE CITY OF EUGENE'S NEIGHBORHOOD
MATCHING GRANTS PROGRAM
Pursuant to the provisions of Resolution No. 4632 of the City Council of the City of Eugene,
the City Manager, or the person or persons designated by the City Manager to carry out the duties
or functions provided for herein, shall be governed by the following procedures in considering
applications under the City's Neighborhood Matching Grants Program.
1. Purpose. The Neighborhood Matching Grant Program (the "Program") has been
established to encourage City residents to collaboratively identify and actively participate in effecting
improvements to their neighborhoods. In order to be eligible for funding under the Program, projects
may involve either public or private property, but must provide a public benefit, result in benefits
to a neighborhood, and emphasize neighborhood self-help.
2. Funding. The amount and source of funding for the Program is established each year
as part of the annual budget process, with funds not spent in a fiscal year carried forward as
encumbered and reallocated to the next fiscal year.
3. Administration. The City's Planning and Development Department, Community
Development Division shall administer and distribute the grant funds in the manner established
herein. Community Development Division staff shall ensure that grant distributions meet the
requirements of these Standards and Guidelines and any applicable fund requirements.
3.1 Eligibility. Applications will be accepted only from groups of people living,
working, or owning property within the area to be affected by the grant. A neighborhood
group may consist of an existing group whose membership is from a commonly recognized
geographic area (e.g., neighborhood association, business association, or school site council)
or a group of neighbors who unite to work together on a specific project. Although a
community-based organization (public, private, or non-profit) is not eligible to apply on its
own, they are encouraged to partner with an eligible neighborhood group. Eligible projects
may include, but not be limited to, playgrounds, traffic calming devices, ball field
improvements, community gardens, site planning, public art, accessibility, and
neighborhood-based events.
3.2 Request for proposal. Each grant offering will be announced by a Request-
for-Proposal (the "RFP"). The RFP will describe the time line for issuing grants, how and
where to obtain the necessary application form, details on what must be submitted, and
information on how projects will be selected.
Standards and Guidelines - 1
3.3 Information session. During each grant offering cycle the City will hold at
least one information session at which department staff from various specialty areas within
the City will be available to answer questions from neighborhood groups as they explore
specific project ideas. Additional methods to share information about projects may be
implemented, such as web sites, work shops, and publications.
3.4 Pre-review process. Prior to the date specified in the RFP for application
submission, neighborhood groups may submit project ideas to the Planning and Development
Department, Community Development Division office for review. City staff shall review
the proposal for compatibility with existing plans (e.g., master parks plans, neighborhood
refinement plans), and will flag any concerns with respect to materials, costs, liabilities, and
feasibility of the proposed project. Utilizing the pre-review process prior to subinitting grant
applications is particularly recommended for larger projects ($20,000+ total project cost).
4. Allocation of Grants.
4.1 Department advisory committee. The Neighborhood Matching Grants
Advisory Committee (the "Committee") shall be established by the Planning and
Development Department with input from the Citizens Involvement Committee, as an ad hoc
advisory committee under Section 2.013 of the Eugene Code, 1971, and shall be responsible
for the content of the RFP, and for making recommendations on allocations as set forth in
these Standards.
4.2 Match. City funds allocated under this Program must be matched by the
applicant so that the applicant supplies at least 50% of the total cost, or cost-equivalent, of
the grant project. The applicant's match can be provided by either cash, donated materials
and supplies, volunteer labor, or any combination of the foregoing. The applicant's match
may not include resources from other City departments. Documentation of the match must
be submitted with the application, and applications that fail to document the minimum 50%
match will not be considered.
4.3 Selection criteria. The Committee shall rate proposals based on the selection
criteria specified by the Committee and set forth in the RFP for the grant offering. The
criteria shall be those elements that the Committee considers helpful to evaluate the value
of proposals to the City for the particular grant, including all or any of the following:
4.3.1 The extent to which the project results in:
(a) An observable physical improvement to the neighborhood;
(b) A measurable change in the sense of local community or
neighborhood identity; or
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(c) Involvement of neighbors and collaboration between
neighbors and other civil groups, not-for-profits, government agencies, etc.;
4.3.2 The period of time over which the project will provide a continuing
benefit;
4.3.3 If the proposal is for a physical improvement, including landscaping,
whether the proposal has provided for ongoing maintenance;
4.3.4 For events, the extent to which long term benefits extending beyond
the episode have been described;
4.3.5 Whether the proposed project is compatible with existing plans;
4.3.6 Whether the project proposal reflects the agreement of a majority of
the affected neighbors;
4.3.7 The special needs of the neighborhood for which the project is
proposed;
4.3.8 The completeness of the application and the extent to which it
demonstrates:
(a) That the project is clearly defined, and feasible;
(b) That the budget for the project is based on reasonable and
verifiable costs and specifications; and
(c) That the project will be managed by capable operational and
fiscal managers;
4.3.9 The extent to which the matching portion of the grant, including the
availability of volunteered labor and materials, is well documented and credible;
and
4.3.10 Whether more than 50% of the project costs are covered by the match;
4.3.11 The desirability of more evenly distributing grant awards throughout
the community.
5. Selection Process. The Committee will review each application and each member
shall rate the application according to the criteria set forth in the RFP. The RFP shall describe the
rating process in a manner calculated to advise applicants how their proposals will be ranked. For
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example, where the RFP states that a criterion will be worth 25 points, the RFP should describe
whether each proposal that satisfies the criterion will automatically receive 25 points, or whether the
extent to which the proposal meets the criterion may result in a rating for that criterion of between
o and 25 points. The ratings will be added together and averaged across the Committee.
Recommendations on projects will be based on the rank order. The Committee shall not be required
to make recommendations that allocate any or all of the grant money set aside for a grant offering
if it determines that some or all of the proposals require further consideration and refinement. The
Committee's recommendations shall be placed on the City Council's consent calendar for approval
prior to final authorization, payment, or execution of contracts or agreements.
6. ' Distribution of Grants.
6.1 Issuance. Upon approval of an application by the City Council, the
Community Development Division of the Planning and Development Department
("Community Development") shall be responsible for securing appropriate execution of any
required contracts or agreements, disbursement of funds approved for the application, and
for monitoring progress on the project, subject to the provisions of this section.
6.2 Competitive Procurement. Although the grants are exempt from public
bidding requirements, Community Development staff shall be responsible for implementing
practices and procedures that assure that compensated subcontractors for labor, services,
materials or equipment have been selected in a manner that promotes competition and results
in efficient utilization of the grant. The procedures adopted by Community Development
shall include requiring and assisting grant applicants to construct grant proposals using
competitive procurement techniques appropriate to the size and type of project.
6.3 Public Contracting Laws. All Neighborhood Grants will be public
contracts. Therefore, Community Development will work with appropriate City staff to
ensure that all applicable contracting laws appropriate to the size and type of project,
including, but not limited to, wage and labor laws and performance bond requirements, are
complied with.
6.4 Start-up Costs. Up to $1,000 of each grant may be disbursed in advance, to
pay for incidental costs of the project that cannot be ascertained with certainty in advance,
provided that the grantee submits a written request that: (1) describes the purposes for which
the advance will be used, (2) includes a reasonable estimate of costs that justifies the amount
of the requested advance, and (3) identifies that other funds are not available to pay such
costs.
6.5 Disbursement of Grant. All grant moneys will be disbursed pursuant to a
written contract between the City and the grantee. The conditions for disbursement will
ensure that the timing of disbursements will be coordinated with contributions of labor,
materials or other resources from the neighborhood match. Disbursements shall be made
Standards and Guidelines - 4
only upon presentation of an original invoice or purchase order, but may be made either on
a reimbursement basis, with proof of payment, or, at the request of the grantee by direct
payment to the subcontractor or by two-party check made to the grantee and the
subcontractor.
7. The Project.
7.1 Inspection; Supervision. Community Development will arrange for
appropriate inspection or supervision of projects performed on public property and may
provide for inspection of projects performed on private property.
7.2 Completion; Records; Project Report for Certain Public Improvements.
Community Development will collect and record all receipts, invoices and other records
produced during the execution of each project. Community Development will certify each
project as complete.
Project records and reports will be retained by Community Development for a period
of not less than three years from the end of the fiscal year in which the project was
completed.
If the City will perform construction work using its own equipment and personnel on
a Neighborhood Grant project that is a public improvement valued at more than $125,000,
the project will be subject to the planning, recording and reporting requirements of ORS
279.023.
The foregoing Standards and Guidelines recommended to the City Council the Zf ~ day of
June, 2000.
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James R. Johnson
City Manager
APPROVED by Resolution No. 4632 of the Eugene
City Council on the 12th day of June, 2000.
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City Recorder
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