REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
First Amendment to Agreement Between City of Sunnyvale and Sunnyvale School District for the Operation of Columbia Neighborhood Center at the Columbia Middle School Site
Report
BACKGROUND
In December 2006, the City of Sunnyvale and the Sunnyvale School District renewed an agreement for operation of the Columbia Neighborhood Center (CNC) at the Columbia Middle School site. The agreement generally provides for the administration, supervision, and operation of a neighborhood service center at the Columbia Middle School, and funding related thereto, through the participation of the City, District, and public and private providers of social services within the City of Sunnyvale and County of Santa Clara. The CNC Joint Task Force serves as CNC’s governance and oversight board, and includes representation by the Sunnyvale School District Superintendent, one Assistant City Manager, the Director of Library and Community Services, the Director of the Department of Public Safety and departmental staff.
As another strengthening effort of collaboration, the City Council and District Board, through their respective budgets, approved a two-year pilot project to hire a dedicated grant writer to generate additional resources for programming at CNC and north District school sites. This RTC proposes an amendment to the City and District’s agreement to provide for the two-year pilot Grant Writer Project and clarify current staffing and cost-sharing provisions for the staffing of this project (Attachment 1).
EXISTING POLICY
General Plan
• Chapter 4, Policy CC-10.6 Leverage available resources by pursuing co-funded and/or cooperative agreements for provision and maintenance of programs, facilities, and services, in order to maximize benefits to the community. Partners may include, but are not limited to, school districts, non-profit groups, governmental agencies and businesses.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(5) in that it is a governmental, organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
DISCUSSION
The purpose of the Grant Writer Project is to address the need for the City and District to pursue potential grant and partnership opportunities. The two-year pilot project will allow time to determine whether a dedicated grant writer at CNC could generate sufficient resources more than the cost of the position to warrant a permanent grant-writer position.
The District and the City have agreed that the pilot grant writer position will be a full-time term-limited position, hired and managed directly by the City. The position classification has been identified as Management Analyst, consistent with two existing positions in the Departments of Public Safety and NOVA Workforce Development, which are responsible for performing similar grant-related work. The Grant Writer will be charged with developing resources for programming at CNC and north District school sites; working under the broad guidance of the CNC Joint Task Force to identify funding priorities and direction; developing relationships with potential funders and partners; researching and preparing grant proposals; administering grants; and managing data collection and reporting requirements. The position will report to the Youth and Family Resources Manager, who, in coordination with the Joint Task Force, is responsible for the overall management of operations at CNC. Recruitment by the City for this term-limited position will begin pending approval of the cost-sharing amendment to the City’s agreement with the School District regarding the operation of CNC.
In the first year of the two-year pilot program, the Grant Writer will be expected to develop a strategic work plan for approval by the Joint Task Force, and explore partnerships and other opportunities for resource development. In addition, the focus of Year 1 will be to establish a repository of standard demographic and area needs information to facilitate the efficient completion of grant application materials. While it is it anticipated that the grant writer will generate some funds in Year 1, it is anticipated that significant new resources will not be generated until the second year of the pilot project. As part of the development of the FY 2019/20 budgets, the Joint Task Force will meet to determine whether a permanent grant-writer position is warranted, based on factors including, but not limited to, whether the position can generate sufficient resources more than the cost of the position. If the City and the District agree, and subject to budgetary approval by each agency, the proposed amendment allows the Grant Writer position to be extended under the same terms and conditions as will be used for the pilot project.
The remaining changes reflect longstanding funding practices for CNC staff that both parties agreed to and planned to document in an amendment to the agreement.
FISCAL IMPACT
City Council approved funding of $189,213 for 50% of the cost for the two-year pilot grant writer project in Project 832620 in the FY 2017 - 2018 budget, with plans for the other half of the cost of the project to be contributed by Sunnyvale School District.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Approve the First Amendment to Agreement Between City of Sunnyvale and Sunnyvale School District for the Operation of Columbia Neighborhood Center at the Columbia Middle School Site and authorize the City Manager to execute the First Amendment when all necessary conditions have been met.
Staff
Prepared by: Angela Chan, Youth and Family Resources Manager
Reviewed by: Daniel Wax, Superintendent of Community Services
Reviewed by: Cynthia E. Bojorquez, Director, Library and Community Services
Reviewed by: Walter C. Rossmann, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. First Amendment to Agreement Between City of Sunnyvale and Sunnyvale School District for the Operation of Columbia Neighborhood Center at the Columbia Middle School Site (Draft)