Citizens Advisory Committee

CITY OF MIDDLETOWN CITIZENS’ ADVISORY COMMITTEE – Meeting via WebEx Minutes – June 16, 2021 6:00 p.m. Committee Members: Attendance: Staff Member: R. Pelletier, Chairman Present Lynda MacPherson R. Bantum H. Cushing Present G. Daley Present M. Fallon Present G. Faulkner Present Mayor Ben Florsheim S. Fulton Present J. Middleton S. Owens B. Peterson J. Rumberger Present L. Salafia Present C. Smith V. Szynkowicz Present A. Call to Order - The meeting was called to order at 6:07 p.m. Chairman Pelletier asked that the agenda be amended to include The Connection, Inc. in Item E-Budget Modifications. It was unanimously approved to amend the agenda. B. Public Comment–No members of the public. C. Approval of Minutes–On motion of G. Daley, seconded by G. Faulkner, the minutes of the meeting held on April 21, 2021 were unanimously approved. D. Update on CARES ACT Grant – Ms. MacPherson provided the committee with an update on the $5,000 grants given to businesses. Also discussed was hiring a short-term individual to help administer the CARES Act Grant money the City received. In addition to the yearly allocation the City receives, $611,983 was awarded under the Cares Act Grant. The administration of this additional amount of money requires additional assistance on a short term basis. The committee voted in favor of utilizing a short-term hire to assist with the additional work. E. Budget Modifications – Due to the lateness of HUD’s Grant Award for the 2020 Program Year, contracts were not sent out to agencies until February or March of 2021. This, along with COVID, is requiring budget modifications to the original proposals from the agencies. Magic Food Bus: Original Budget – Labor $1,952; Supplies $548 Revised Budget – Labor $1,400; Supplies $1,100. On motion of G. Daley, seconded by V. Szynkowicz, the budget modification was unanimously approved.  YMCA Teen Program: Original Budget – Labor $4,000; Supplies $1,000 Revised Budget- Labor $2,000 Supplies $3,000. On motion of G. Daley, seconded by G. Faulkner, the budget modification was unanimously approved. The Connection, Inc: Original Budget- Labor $1,380; Supplies $1,020 Revised Budget-Labor $2,400 On motion of G. Daley, seconded by G. Faulkner, the budget modification was approved with one abstention from S. Fulton. F. Extension of grant deadline - Due to the lateness of HUD’s Grant Award for the 2020 Program Year, contracts were not sent out to agencies until February or March of 2021. This, along with COVID, is requiring deadline extensions from June 30, 2021 to August 15, 2021 for the following agencies: Oddfellows-HVAC; Future’s, Inc-Microenterprise Assistance; MARC-ADA Improvements; Clean Energy Task Force-Housing Improvements; YMCA-Teen Program On motion of G. Daley, seconded by G. Faulkner, the deadline extensions to August 15, 2021 were unanimously approved. G. Update on 2021 Annual Action Plan – Ms. MacPherson stated that the advertisement allowing for public comment on the plan would be advertised the week of July 5, 2021. The CAC will approve the plan at their July 21, 2021 meeting with a public comment period available at the meeting also. Once approved, the plan will be submitted to HUD by July 26, 2021. H. Other – Ms. Salafia discussed the option of allocating the CDBG grant amount to the City’s Public Works and or Parks and Recreation Departments. This amount, which would be equal to the grant amount, would be removed out of the general fund from the respective departments. This option allows the City to fund agencies they deem worthy without having to abide by the 15% public services cap that HUD imposes on the CDBG Grant. In addition, because federal grants mandate prevailing wages at $2,000 it is very difficult for most agencies to complete their projects because of the higher wage amounts included in their quotes. The city can utilize their own staff and use the State of CT Trade Labor Contract to complete projects that qualify under a CDBG National Objective to satisfy the prevailing wage rules. More discussion on this will follow at future meetings. I. Adjourn –It was unanimously voted to adjourn the meeting at 6:49 p.m. Lynda MacPherson Community Development Specialist, Planning, Conservation & Development