Council Subcommittee

MINUTES OF THE GILBERT COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE ON AZ CARES ACT, AUGUST 14, 2020, AT 1:00 P.M., VIRTUAL MEETING, GILBERT, ARIZONA COUNCIL PRESENT: Yung Koprowski, Scott September and Amy Yentes COUNCIL ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Town Manager Patrick Banger, Town Clerk Lisa Maxwell, Town Attorney Chris Payne, Parks and Recreation Director Robert Carmona, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Director Rob Bohr, Department of Economic Development Director Dan Henderson, Community Response Supervisor Melanie Dykstra CALL TO ORDER Town Clerk Maxwell called the meeting to order at 1:05 p.m. AGENDA ITEMS 1. Overview of Subcommittee. Councilmember Yentes stated she had some ideas on how the subcommittee should review potential recipients of these funds and the schedule for upcoming subcommittee meetings. Town Clerk Maxwell gave an overview of how and why subcommittees are created. Subcommittees are required to follow Open Meeting Laws. It is important for Subcommittee members to remember two people constitute a quorum in the case of a Subcommittee and Subcommittee members cannot speak with each other about items that come before the Subcommittee. It is also best if Subcommittee members do not speak with Councilmembers who are not on the Subcommittee about items the Subcommittee may discuss. If that Councilmember then speaks with another Subcommittee member that would create a chain meeting and Open Meeting Law has then been violated. 2. Selection of a Subcommittee Chair. Councilmember Koprowski nominated Councilmember September to serve as Chair. Councilmember Yentes said she has experience serving on Subcommittees and she believes she would be the best choice to serve as Chair. A vote was taken. Councilmember Koprowski supported Councilmember September. Councilmembers September and Yentes supported Councilmember Yentes. Councilmember Yentes was elected Chair. 3. Overview and discussion of available AZCares Act funds and restrictions. Town Attorney Payne explained that most of the funds available to the Town came from the State. Only the largest cities in the State received money directly from the Federal government. There are more restrictions on the State funds. The Town can use AZ Cares Act funds for approved uses. This could then free up money from the General Fund for other uses. There is a gift clause prohibition in State Statute. Money given to businesses must have direct tangible benefits and not anticipated benefits. Town Attorney Payne discussed how the gift clause can impact different types of programming. An Executive Session at the next meeting would be beneficial to the Subcommittee members. 4. Overview and discussion of actions taken by Maricopa County and neighboring municipalities. Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Director Bohr gave an overview of the various types of available Federal support including the Cares Act funds and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds. Governor Ducey received Federal funds that he can allocate to local governments. Counties and the smaller cities and towns receive funds from the State. Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Director Bohr reviewed what neighboring cities have done with the funds they received. The expenditures fell under these categories:  Community Assistance including assistance to seniors and the homeless; and rent, utility and mortgage relief.  Technology and Mobility including technology upgrades, mobile friendly applications, video conferencing, and replacing computers with laptops.  Facility Upgrades including retrofitting and making facilities more public friendly.  Personal Protective Equipment including cleaning and sanitization of work spaces.  Small Business Assistance including grants for small businesses and non-profits, a hiring and retention program, and using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to create a small business loan program Chair Yentes asked about a technical business assistance program. Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Director Bohr replied the City of Mesa developed such a program and he would find out more information about the program and bring it back to the Subcommittee. 5. Overview and discussion of Gilbert Economic Indicators and local business needs. Economic Development Director Henderson reported there is optimism regarding the state of real estate. However, there has been slow-down in hospitality, visitors and tourism. Recent forecasts do suggest that will begin to plateau. Retail sales are at lower levels and there has been some job loss. Restaurant and bar sales are constrained by social distancing and in-person dining is down. The Office of Economic Development is currently assessing business impacts and working with partners. They are looking at business reopening and rehiring and they have a sense of the businesses most affected by COVID-19. They are looking for new ideas on ways to help businesses when they have no predictable revenue flow for rent and payroll payments. Chair Yentes asked if the Town was working with the Chamber of Commerce. Economic Development Director Henderson replied they are. They are partnering on weekly calls to assess business needs. The Chamber is polling businesses to learn about their needs. Chair Yentes said she would like to see recommendations for assistance programs, for example providing technical assistance. Economic Development Director Henderson said his department is collecting trending needs and wants in various categories and they are looking for ways to help with economic recovery. He will provide results of surveys that have been conducted. 6. Overview and discussion of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for COVID relief. Community Response Supervisor Dykstra reported the Town did receive CDBG funds with specific CDBG and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements. A Request for Proposals (RFP) was released and the funds were awarded to four different organizations. Another RFP for job training and technical assistance was recently released along with Economic Development. Community Response Supervisor Dykstra worked with the Chamber to survey non-profit organizations. Most of the non-profits were aware Federal funding was available, but they were not aware there was State and Local funding available. Their main concerns were safety of their staff, volunteers and clients; and health of the clients who were not able to receive services. The non-profits expressed a need for funding for operational costs, salaries, equipment and supplies. The non-profits have not been able to hold fundraisers and they are seeing a decrease in the number of people willing to be volunteers. A recent survey showed non-profits are having a hard time filling shifts, finding volunteers, and finding donors. They cannot find staff to fill open positions. Non-profits are trying to be flexible and they are working to keep work spaces sanitized. Community Response Supervisor Dykstra said there have been five Town Hall meetings with non-profits so far. Speakers have addressed the various areas of concern. She is looking for ways to connect people who need assistance with the people who are offering assistance. Councilmember Koprowski asked what the Town done so far. She wondered if there was something like a map showing resources for those who needs help. She asked if a volunteer hub could be created and if the Town could produce a Public Service Announcement (PSA). Community Response Supervisor Dykstra said she is working with the Chamber and they are working to provide connections and matching resources with needs. A Facebook page for non-profits recently created. Chair Yentes asked about the Needs Assessment. Community Response Supervisor Dykstra has the last report which was done in 2019. She is looking for ways to get information from seniors who are not “connected”. Most seniors do have wi-fi access but the challenge is how they use the technology. Chair Yentes said it would be helpful to have a snapshot of where town was before COVID-19 and where it is now in terms of needs of the vulnerable populations. Community Response Supervisor Dykstra will try to get information from the groups she works with. 7. Discussion of Next Steps. Chair Yentes provided documentation to Subcommittee members outlining the process she believes the Subcommittee should follow. Councilmember September noted small business have closed again and he believes those are valid organizations to receive money. He also supports providing support for rent and mortgage payments and First Responders. Councilmember Koprowski suggested also considering other programs providing funds to small businesses. She would like to support businesses in terms of helping them retain employees. She would like to start implementing programs for those obviously in need soon. Chair Yentes agreed and added she would like that assistance not be duplicative. Chair Yentes would like to start looking at needs first and then look at broader based items later. She is open to items that benefit everyone such as reduced costs for trash service. Councilmember Koprowski was open to both need and broad based solutions. Chair Yentes stated the consensus is small businesses are the top priority with some broad-based assistance for residents, education and first responders. The City of Chandler added some hot spots to provide on-line access. Councilmember Koprowski said she was open to hot spots and providing better internet access. Chair Yentes said she wants the Subcommittee’s work to be transparent and she would like public feedback. She would like to have meetings scheduled so the Subcommittee can hear from the public. Parks and Recreation Director Carmona stated he could provide a list of Town projects at a future meeting if the Subcommittee members thought it would be beneficial. Councilmember Koprowski said those projects should not be excluded. Chair Yentes said she would prefer to get data experts and find the needs from the community first. Councilmember Koprowski suggested small group listening sessions in the business community to make sure they are listening to smaller groups. She would like to hear from local experts in the Town. Chair Yentes said it is important to know what is happening at the State and Federal levels so the Subcommittee can find the gaps. Town Manager Banger stated the staff assembled to assist the Subcommittee was selected because of the broad range of uses for the funds. He knows it is the top priority for the Council to get funds to people in distress as quickly as possible. There was discussion about a meeting schedule and agenda going forward. There was consensus to meet on Thursdays except for next week when the meeting will be on a Friday. There was discussion about future agenda items. Councilmember Koprowski would like to see a public engagement plan in two weeks. Councilmember September will work on an outline for civic engagement. Chair Yentes would like more information about vulnerable populations from Community Response Supervisor Dykstra. Councilmember Koprowski said it would be helpful to have a summary of staff members and the area they cover to help the Subcommittee members understand who to contact about different areas. Councilmember September asked about a process for disseminating information. That will be sent to Parks and Recreation Director Carmona to compile. The next meeting will be on August 21, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. ADJOURN Chair Yentes adjourned the meeting at 3:00 p.m.  ATTEST: ___________________________ ___________________________________ Chair Aimee Yentes Lisa Maxwell, MMC, Deputy Town Clerk