CITY OF SEBASTOPOL
CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM REPORT
Meeting January 4, 2022
To: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
From: City Administration
Subject: Sonoma County Continuum of Care (CoC) West County Seat Recommendation: That the City Council Discuss and Provide Direction to Staff Funding: Currently Budgeted: _____ Yes _____ No _xxx____ N/A Net General Fund Cost: $
Amount: $
Account Code/Costs authorized in City Approved Budget: __AK___(verified by Administrative Services Department) INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE:
This item is to request City Council Discuss and Provide Direction to Staff Regarding Process for Appointment to the Sonoma County Continuum of Care (CoC) West County Seat.
BACKGROUND:
The Sonoma County Continuum of Care (CoC) Board is the governing body that determines policy and acts as the CoC's decision-making group. Mandated by HUD's Continuum of Care Program, the board is responsible for oversight of funds designated to the Continuum of Care and regional planning/policy development for addressing homelessness. The Continuum of Care Board governs regional (County-wide) efforts to address homelessness.
The Sonoma County Continuum of Care (CoC) has revised the CoC’s Governance Charter and it has reconfigured the CoC Board Composition to better reflect the geography of Sonoma County.
Per the Governance Charter, there are assigned seats for Santa Rosa and Petaluma, along with four more regional seats (North, Central, West, and East).
DISCUSSION:
Sonoma County Continuum of Care (CoC) West County seat is to be appointed by the Sebastopol City Council.
The CoC has requested that this appointment be made no later than March 2, 2022. Therefore, the appointment would need to be made prior to or at the March 1st, 2022 Sebastopol City Council Meeting.
The Board seat is assumed to be a two year assignment, with Board meetings held once a month, and the specific date and time of the month subject to a Board consensus early in the term. It is important to note that the time commitment expected of CoC Board members is substantial. It holds meetings monthly that typically take a full afternoon. It also holds occasional additional meetings. Much of its work is done through committees, each of which meets once or twice a month for several hours. CoC Board members can expect to hear with some frequency from advocates, providers, or others. The topic of homelessness is also highly complex, with a significant learning curve required to be an effective Board member. The seat can be held by a City elected official, a staff member, or a community member from anywhere in West County.
The proposed Sonoma County Continuum of Care Board Composition is listed below:
Agenda Item Number 10 Agenda Item Number 10
City Council Meeting Packet of January 4, 2022
Prior New
Appointed or
Elected
Election
early '22 Categories
1 1 Appointed Santa Rosa
1 1 Appointed Petaluma
0 1 Appointed North County; appointed by Cloverdale/HB/Windsor Councils 0 1 Appointed West County; appointed by Sebastopol City Council 0 1 Appointed Sonoma Valley; appointed by Sonoma City Council 0 1 Appointed Rohnert Park/Cotati; appointed by City Councils 1 1 Appointed Board of Supervisors
2 1 Appointed County Safety Net Departments
1 1 Appointed Largest Homeless Service Provider
1 1 Elected Elect by Lived Experience group or CoC Voting Members 1 1 Elected Elect by Youth Advisory Board or CoC Voting Members 1 1 Elected 1 Second homeless services provider
0 1 Elected 1 Licensed Health Care Organization
1 1 Elected Advocate
4 3 Elected 2 At Large
1 0 Elected N/A Funder
15 17 TOTALS
The item tonight is to determine the process for appointment for the Sonoma County Continuum of Care (CoC) West County Seat. The City Council can either appoint from the City Council itself tonight or approve a recruitment/appointment process similar to our Commission/Board/Committees.
CITY COUNCIL AND/OR GENERAL PLAN GOALS:
Goal 5 - Provide Open and Responsive Municipal Government Leadership PUBLIC COMMENT:
As of the writing of this staff report, the City has not received any public comment. However, if public comment is received from interested parties following the publication and distribution of this staff report, it will be provided to the City Council as supplemental materials before or at the meeting. In addition, public comments may be offered during the public comment portion of the agenda item.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
This item was noticed in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act and was available for public viewing and review at least 72 hours prior to scheduled meeting date.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact with this action tonight.
RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council discuss and provide direction on the appointment process for the Sonoma County Continuum of Care (CoC) West County Seat. City Council should discuss whether to:
1. Make the appointment to the CoC Board from the Sebastopol City Council and make the appointment tonight for a primary and alternate Council appointment; or Agenda Item Number 10 Agenda Item Number 10
City Council Meeting Packet of January 4, 2022
2. Direct Staff to conduct a recruitment / appointment process similar to City Commission/Board/Committees. If the Council chose this option, staff would recommend the following timeline for deadline for submittal of applications (Jan 6th – February 16th) with interviews to be scheduled for March 1st 2022 City Council Meeting.
Attachment(s):
None
Agenda Item Number 10 Agenda Item Number 10
City Council Meeting Packet of January 4, 2022