CONSENT CALENDAR
City of San Bernardino
Request for Council Action
Date: December 6, 2023
To: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
From: Charles A. Montoya, City Manager
Darren Goodman, Chief of Police
Department: Police
Subject: Execute a Professional Service Agreement with the Women’s Inspirational Network and Issue a Purchase
Order (All Wards)
Recommendation:
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, authorize:
1. The City Manager to execute a professional services agreement and any subsequent amendments with Women’s Inspirational Network
2. The Director of Finance and Management Services to issue a purchase order in an amount not to exceed $300,000.
Executive Summary
The City was awarded Proposition 64 Grant (Prop 64) funding effective May 1st, 2023, to October 31, 2028. Half of the funding is dedicated to youth outreach through community based non-profit organizations (CBOs). The Women’s Inspirational Network (WIN) partnered with the Police Department to apply for the grant and will provide curriculum and staff to administer youth outreach and development efforts.
Staff requests that the City Manager is authorized to execute a professional services agreement with WIN.
Background
The Proposition 64 Public Health and Safety Grant is funded from tax revenue generated by the sales of legal adult-use cannabis or cannabis products. The grant is awarded through the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) and is intended to fund efforts to assist law enforcement or other local projects addressing public health and safety issues associated with the implementation of the Proposition 64 Control, Regulate, and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA).
WIN contacted the Department with a proposal to partner and provide youth outreach services to apply for the grant. The Department was unaware of the grant prior to being contacted by WIN and upon notification, had a two-day window to meet the grant application deadline. The Department applied for the competitive grant in December 2022. In April 2023, the BSCC notified the Department that its proposal was awarded $3,000,000 in grant funding to support a program involving youth outreach, crime enforcement, and a cannabis awareness program. The Mayor and City Council authorized the City Manager to execute an agreement to accept the funding on June 21, 2023. The City received the fully executed agreement on August 11, 2023.
Discussion
In December 2022, WIN contacted the Department and asked to partner to apply for the Proposition 64 Grant. The grant required a governmental agency with local authority within a county or city to apply as the lead public agency. Staff reviewed the grant, and although there was a limited window of opportunity to apply, staff believed the grant would benefit the City.
The Prop 64 Grant is a competitive grant. To achieve the highest rating, the Department researched prior grant awardees and addressed as many Project Purpose Areas (PPAs) as possible in the grant proposal. The Department proposed a multi- pronged approach including enforcement, education, outreach, prevention, and intervention and was successful in ranking second amongst proposals of the same category. The Department requested half the funding to address public safety issues related to Proposition 64, and half was designated to be used by Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to provide youth outreach dedicated to prevention and intervention to discourage youth addiction and develop the skills and knowledge necessary to become successful adults. Although the City has applied for and successfully been awarded more than $28,000,000 in grant funding since 2020, the Proposition 64 Grant was the first grant the Department incorporated CBOs into a proposal.
After being notified of the grant award, staff researched several options to select and utilize CBOs. The Prop 64 Grant is data intensive. Each grantee is subject to site visits, periodic audits, and a final financial audit at the grant's conclusion. The grant funding is ongoing and consists of multiple Cohorts; therefore, implementation of a successful program may lead to future additional grant awards for the City. Consequently, staff attempted to identify a method most likely to lead to successful use of CBOs to ensure financial and programmatic accountability, training consistency, and data gathered.
Staff noted that the City of Sacramento received consecutive grant awards in Cohort 2 and 3. Sacramento partnered with a lead CBO to apply for the Prop 64 grant and provide training and oversight to additional CBOs later identified through an RFP process. The lead CBO is responsible for program oversight, financial management, and data collection. This streamlined process unifies CBOs towards a single mission and prevents messaging and data collection differences.
Rather than identify multiple CBOs to develop and implement training, staff requests authorization to use WIN as a lead organization to implement the San Bernardino City Cannabis Awareness, Responsibility, and Education for Students Program (CARES).
WIN is an NAACP affiliate and a local, grassroots, community-driven organization. WIN researched Proposition 64 Grant Cohort 3 and proposed a partnership with the Police Department to provide youth development services to the community to educate, empower, and prevent substance abuse. WIN intends to implement the CARES curriculum to reach more than 500 youth annually.
Each year, the City will participate in an RFP process to identify additional CBOs to participate in the CARES Program and apply for funding for participant incentives and authorized associated costs to implement the program. CBOs will participate as subcontractors through WIN. WIN will be the only CBO responsible for submitting reimbursement requests for grant-funded services.
Proposition 64 is a five-year grant with a service delivery period of May 1, 2023, to April 30, 2028. Payments for the grant are made quarterly, in arrears. CBOs may only invoice the City for eligible expenses as identified in the BSCC July 2023 Grant Administration Guide, and all expenses will be reviewed and approved by the grant manager. Staff projected CBO funds at $300,000 a year; however, since the contract will not be effective until six months into the grant service term, any unexpended funds will be carried over into the remaining years. WIN and the Department will assess the program throughout the year, and WIN will propose a new budget each year to be accepted by the City.
Staff requests the City Manager be authorized to enter a Professional Service Agreement with WIN for the remainder of the first grant year with the option to extend year by year for the duration of the grant in an amount not to exceed $1,500,000.
Additionally, WIN has invested staff time and resources in assisting in completing the grant and developing the curriculum. Although the Professional Service Agreement will be executed on December 6, 2023, the BSCC has approved the funding expenditure effective May 1, 2023. Staff requests WIN be permitted to invoice for services retroactively to the most recent invoicing period beginning October 1, 2023. 2021-2025 Strategic Targets and Goals
The request to authorize the receipt, obligation and expenditure of the Proposition 64 Public Health and Safety Cohort 3 Grant aligns with Key Target 3c: Improved Quality of Life - Constantly evaluate public safety service delivery models to enhance the quality of service.
Fiscal Impact
There is no General Fund impact associated with this item as there are no fund match requirements under this grant. The cost for this contract will be reimbursed through Proposition 64 Grant Funds.
Conclusion
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, authorize:
1. The City Manager to execute a professional services agreement and any subsequent amendments with Women’s Inspirational Network
2. The Director of Finance and Management Services to issue a purchase order in an amount not to exceed $300,000.
Attachments
Attachment 1 – PSA with Women’s Inspirational Network
Attachment 2 – 2022 Prop 64 Grant Agreement
Attachment 3 – Minimum Criteria for NGO Agreement
Ward: All Wards
Synopsis of Previous Council Actions:
June 21, 2023 Mayor and Council adopted resolution 2023-088 accepting Proposition 64 Grant funding and issued a purchase order to Sicuro Data Analytics LLC.