To: Board of Supervisors
From: County Administrative Office
Agenda Section: Consent
SUBJECT:
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Headwaters Fund Board’s Recommended 2019-20 Grant Fund Awards for the January 15, 2020 Grant Round
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve the slate of Grant Fund Competitive Awards recommended for approval by the Headwaters Fund Board (HFB) (Attachment 1; Attachment 2; Attachment 3; Attachment 4;); and
2. Authorize the Chair of the Board to sign the grant agreements when completed, after review and approval by County Counsel and Risk Management.
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SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Headwaters Grant Fund 3848
DISCUSSION:
Background
On July 15, 2003, your Board approved the Headwaters Grant Fund Manual (revised November 15, 2019) that details the process for awarding Competitive Awards as follows:
• The HFB will recommend a slate of grants to be funded for Board of Supervisor approval. HFB decisions on grants cannot be appealed by applicants [Grant Fund Manual section 11.b.iii].
• Your Board will use a majority vote to approve the entire slate presented by the HFB. Your Board may not add projects to the slate being approved but may recommend additional review of individual projects. Upon majority vote, your Board may pull one or more projects from the slate and approve the remaining slate of projects. Supervisors would refer pulled projects back to the HFB and staff with questions and comments. Staff and HFB would respond to your Board’s comments on any pulled projects. After you Board receives this response, your Board would approve or deny individually pulled projects according to a majority vote. Your Board decision on grants cannot be appealed by applicants.
The HFB and staff conducted a financial analysis of the Grant Fund to determine an allocation for the 2019-20 fiscal year. The HFB determined that $130,000 would be an appropriate amount for the 2019-20 Grant Fund allocation. The HFB set a grant round deadline for the 2019-20 fiscal year for Jan. 15, 2020. On Feb. 21, 2020 the HFB voted to recommend to your Board a slate of awards totaling $130,000.
Recommended Slate
There were six (6) applications received in the Jan. 15, 2020 round and staff recommends your Board approve the HFB’s recommended slate of four projects (Attachments 1-4). The slate totals $130,000 as shown in the following table.
The “Amount Awarded” represents the funding level recommended by the HFB. The “Amount Requested” represents the amount requested by the applicant. Total project costs are shown in the attached applications as presented to the HFB.
Review Process
The HFB’s application review process consisted of individual review and 10 hours of group deliberation. The minutes from the Feb. 7, 2020 (Attachment 5) and draft Feb. 21, 2020 (Attachment 6) HFB meetings are attached. The HFB member proposal ranking score sheets for selection of recommended awards are attached as Attachment 7.
Applications were reviewed as follows:
Staff reviewed and prepared all six applications received in a timely manner and distributed as a single packet on Jan. 31, 2020 to the HFB members as instructed. Board members reviewed the applications in preparation for a Feb. 7, 2020 HFB meeting.
At the Feb. 7, 2020 Headwaters Fund Board meeting, the HFB conducted an initial review of the six applications. All six applicants were allowed up to 10 minutes for presentation of their proposals with an additional 20 minutes scheduled for each applicant to answer questions from the board (Q&A). During the meeting, members discussed the strengths and weaknesses of each application. The HFB moved and approved adding all six applications for final review at a Special Board Meeting on Feb. 21, 2020.
Following the Board meeting on the Feb. 7, members completed ranking sheets and submitted to staff by Feb. 10, 2020 in preparation for a Special board meeting on Feb. 21, 2020.
At the Feb. 21, 2020 HFB meeting, the HFB approved four applications to be recommended to the Board of Supervisors for approval. The other two applicants (Redwood Region Entertainment and Education Liaison Incorporated-REEL (dba Humboldt/Del Norte Film Commission) and Humboldt NeuroHealth Therapeutic Services were advised to resubmit in the next grant round which is anticipated to begin in July 2020.
The four applicants recommended for approval as shown in the table above are:
• Westside Community Improvement District
• Hoopa Valley Tribe
• Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation & Conservation District
• City of Blue Lake
The Westside Community Improvement District is recommended to be funded in full. The Hoopa Valley Tribe reduced their request to fund equipment only. The Harbor District received support for funding of $35,000 matched by the current source of funding in their request and an additional $30,000 to be match by at least $30,000 from the US Economic Development Administration (EDA) and $30,000 from private sector sources. The City of Blue Lake received the HFB’s recommendation to receive the balance of funds available in the current round. They were also encouraged to submit for future funding for the remainder of their project.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact to the General Fund. Financial costs are borne by the Headwaters Fund and included in the current budget of the Headwaters Fund. They current balance of the Headwaters Grand Fund is $160,332.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports your Board’s Strategic Framework by encouraging new local enterprise and supporting business, workforce development and creation of private-sector jobs.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
None
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Your Board could decide not to approve the slate of recommended awards. Your Board may pull one or more projects from the slate and approve the remaining slate of projects or request for further review of one or more projects. This alternative is not recommended as the HFB diligently reviewed and evaluated each proposal in accordance with the slated Headwaters funding priorities. The slate of recommended awards will support base industries in Humboldt County, providing economic and environmental advantages at no cost to the county. These monies are unavailable for other use and would be otherwise unspent.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Westside Community Improvement Association
Attachment 2: Hoopa Valley Tribe
Attachment 3: Humboldt Bay Harbor, Conservation and Recreation District
Attachment 4: City of Blue Lake
Attachment 5: HWF Minutes for Feb. 7, 2020
Attachment 6: Draft HWF Minutes for Feb. 21, 2020
Attachment 7: HFB rating forms/Final Score Workbook 2-21-2020
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A