Council Social Services & Community Development Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Social Services & Community Development Committee met on April 17, 2012, at 11:00 A.M., with Chair Myers presiding. The committee addressed four agenda items during the meeting, taking one vote and hearing two public comments.

The committee approved the Community Development Section 108 Loan Program and the Partner Agency Funding Recommendation Process. The Senior Citizen's Center Task Force — Finance/Social Services Link item was deferred to a later date. The committee also received informational updates on Committee Referral Items.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on April 17, 2012:

• Myers
• Henson
• Ellinger
• Kay
• Ford
• Lawless
• Stinnett
• McChord
• Lane

No absences or late arrivals were recorded.

Votes and Decisions

Motion to Initiate HUD Section 108 Loan Program Application

A motion was made by Ford to initiate an application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to create and implement a Section 108 loan program. 32:58

The motion passed by voice vote. Nine members voted in favor: Myers, Henson, Ellinger, Kay, Ford, Lawless, Stinnett, McChord, and Lane. No members voted against the motion, and there were no abstentions.

Public Comment

Two council members provided comments during the meeting.

Council Member McCord 44:07 addressed the Senior Citizen Center Task Force, encouraging the committee to move forward with the opportunity promptly. McCord emphasized the urgency of the initiative, citing the approaching "silver tsunami" of baby boomers reaching age 65. McCord stressed the importance of developing a well-planned, multipurpose senior center and highlighted the potential for public-private partnerships to support the project.

Council Member Kay 1:01:47 commented on the Partner Agency Funding Process, recommending that the needs assessment be integrated into the funding evaluation process. Kay proposed creating a weighted system that would reflect actual community needs and guide funding priorities accordingly.

Contested Items

Senior Citizen Center Task Force

A heated discussion arose regarding the process for identifying a location for a senior citizen center. Council Member Stinnett raised concerns that the committee was bypassing the established task force by pursuing a specific property without first allowing the task force to complete its work of identifying potential locations.

Stinnett's objection centered on questions of due process and transparency, arguing that the proper procedure should have the task force evaluate and recommend suitable sites before the committee moved forward with a particular property. The concern reflected a disagreement about the appropriate sequence of decision-making and the role of the task force in the site selection process.

Community Development Section 108 Loan Program

The committee discussed the Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program as a financing tool for economic development and public improvements. 4:07

Program Overview

The Section 108 program allows communities to leverage Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds by borrowing up to five times the annual CDBG allocation. Repayment of these loans is secured through future CDBG allocations or project income generated from the financed improvements.

Key Speakers

Ford and Gooding led the discussion on the program's implementation and benefits.

Outcome

The committee approved moving forward with an application to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to implement the Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program.

Senior Citizen's Center Task Force — Finance/Social Services Link

36:45

The committee discussed a potential property acquisition for a new senior citizen center during this agenda item. Key speakers included Maloney, Stinnett, and McCord.

The task force was temporarily paused pending a decision on the property. Committee members raised concerns about circumventing the task force's established role in the planning process. There was discussion about the need for a fast-track approach, driven by urgent demand for senior services and the aging condition of existing infrastructure.

The outcome of this discussion was deferred, indicating that further action or decision-making on this matter was postponed to a later time.

Partner Agency Funding Recommendation Process

48:26

The committee reviewed a new funding process designed to allocate funds based on program rankings rather than agency funding. Key speakers in this discussion included Maloney, Henson, Ellinger, and Kaye.

The new process was presented as an objective and transparent approach to fund distribution. The committee praised this methodology for moving away from traditional agency-based allocation toward a merit-based system that evaluates individual programs on their own merits.

To strengthen the process for future funding cycles, the committee determined that a survey will be conducted to refine both the application and scoring tools currently in use. This feedback mechanism is intended to improve the clarity and effectiveness of how programs are evaluated and ranked.

The agenda item concluded with an approval of the Partner Agency Funding Recommendation Process.

Committee Referral Items

This agenda item served as a placeholder for matters referred to the committee. No discussion or action was taken on this item during the meeting.