City Council Agenda Report
TO: Mayor Clauzel and Members of the City Council
FROM: Fernando Ulloa, Interim City Manager
BY: Nubia Goldstein, City Attorney
MEETING DATE: September 24, 2024
ITEM NO: 7.1
SUBJECT: Receive an update on the formation of the Senior Commission and adopt Resolution No. 2024-58, approving the allocation of remaining Senior Fund monies as recommended by the outgoing Senior Center Board of Directors.
RECOMMENDATION
Receive an update on the formation of the Senior Commission and adopt Resolution No. 2024- 58, approving the allocation of remaining Senior Fund monies as recommended by the outgoing Senior Center Board of Directors.
BACKGROUND
Senior Commission
The Senior Center Board of Directors was first established in 2005. The purpose of the Senior Center Board of Directors was to make recommendations to the City Council regarding the programs, activities, and services at the Hammon Senior Center and for the senior citizen community in the City of Patterson (“City”). At the June 18, 2024, meeting, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2024-27, dissolving the Senior Center Board of Directors with an end date of August 31, 2024, and directed City staff to prepare the necessary items for the creation of a Senior Commission. Subsequently, the City Council adopted an Ordinance codifying the establishment of a Senior Commission to serve in an advisory capacity to the City Council on items related to the City’s senior population.
The City is currently accepting applications for the five (5) open positions on the Senior Commission. Applications will be accepted until September 26, 2024, at 5:00 P.M. The Council’s selection committee, comprised of the Mayor and one additional Councilmember, will then conduct interviews and bring back final recommendations to the entire Council for appointment. It is anticipated that the new Senior Commission will hold its first meeting in November.
Senior Fund
City staff has identified certain long-standing practices that need to be evaluated and restructured as part of an ongoing effort to implement new administrative protocols at the Hammon Senior Center. One such item, is the fundraising efforts by individual Senior Center participants to raise money for senior events, parties, and outings. Over the past several years, members of the senior community have participated in periodic drawings for a chance to win different items donated by members of the community. The money collected by these fundraising efforts pays for special events and senior trips sponsored by the seniors themselves. These funds were intended to fund those ancillary events and were an addition to the City’s ongoing programming for seniors at the Hammond Senior Center, which is entirely funded by approved funds in the City’s budget.
Over time, the City began administering the funds collected through the drawings, and those monies were deposited and documented through a City-maintained deposit account to ensure proper accounting. Volunteers and City staff would incur costs for the parties and events and then submit the necessary receipts and documentation for reimbursement out of the deposit account. Even though City staff has administered the funds, the monies collected are sourced entirely through the generous donations of community members and the drawings. Up until the dissolution of the Senior Board, the Board oversaw the accounting of the deposit account.
At the time the City Council voted to dissolve the Senior Board, there was a remaining balance in the deposit account of approximately Twenty-two Thousand Dollars ($22,000). At the July 16, 2024, City Council meeting, the Council directed the outgoing Senior Board to allocate the remaining funds, no later than their last scheduled meeting in August. The goal in doing so was to provide deference to the Senior Board on how to best spend the money for seniors. The options presented to the Senior Board were to: 1) allocate specific amounts for the City to use for scheduled events (holiday parties, the health fair, etc.) or 2) recommend the donation of the funds to a local non-profit organization formed for the purpose of continuing the fundraising efforts for seniors.
ANALYSIS
Over the past several weeks, community members have taken steps to form a group of likeminded individuals to form a non-profit organization for the purpose of keeping the fundraising efforts moving forward but through a separate entity intended to operate independently from the City. Through these efforts a group has formed the Westside Seniors, an organization classified as a 501(c)(3).
At its last and final Board meeting, the Senior Board reviewed a financial report prepared by the City’s Finance Department with a breakdown of expenses over the past few months. A copy of that financial report has been attached to this staff report. In addition, the Board voted to direct any unspent funds from allocated program/event budgets toward Senior Scholarships. The details in the financial report demonstrate that with the inclusion of the funds used for senior related events over the past several months since the last time the account totals were updated, the unadjusted balance of Twenty-Two Thousand One Hundred Forty-Eight Dollars and Twenty Cents ($22,148.20) now totals Eleven Thousand Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars and Twenty-Four Cents ($11,750.24). Based on this information, the Senior Board took action to allocate the remaining funds in the senior deposit account as follows:
Casino Trips $4,000.00
Halloween 500.00
Christmas/New Years 500.00
St. Patrick’s Day 500.00
Easter 500.00
Mother’s Day 500.00
Father’s Day 500.00
Senior Health Fair 750.00
Senior Scholarships 2,000.12
501c3 2,000.12
Total allocations $11,750.24
A draft version of the minutes of the Senior Board meeting held on August 20, 2024 is included with this staff report. Staff recommends the City Council adopt a Resolution ratifying the Senior Board’s allocation of the remaining funds in the deposit account.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Council’s adoption of the Resolution will authorize City staff to make the necessary budget and programming adjustments for the Hammond Senior Center and will effectively terminate the prior financial arrangement associated with the seniors’ fundraising efforts. City programs at the Hammon Senior Center will remain in place with no changes due to the elimination of the senior deposit account.
Attachment:
1. Resolution No. 2024-58
2. FY 23/24 Board Expense Report
3. FY 24/25 Expense Report Draft Senior Board meeting minutes August 20, 2024