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CC - Approval of an Amendment to the Existing CivicSpark Fellowship Program Agreement in the Amount of $51,000 for Fiscal Year 2019/2020.
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Meeting Date: August 26, 2019
Contact Person/Dept: Elaine Warner/CDD
Phone Number: (310) 253-5777
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [] Attachments: Yes [] No [X]
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date:
Commission Name:
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (08/21/19);
Department Approval: Sol Blumenfeld, Community Development Director (08/01/19)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council approve an amendment to the existing CivicSpark Fellowship agreement in the amount of $51,000 for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019/2020.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
CivicSpark is a Governor’s Initiative AmeriCorps program dedicated to building capacity for local governments to address climate change. CivicSpark is managed by the Local Government Commission (LGC) in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research. Each year, CivicSpark selects fellows to work with local public to address climate change and water management needs. Each fellow serves 1,700 hours implementing local agency projects and performing broader community services.
The City was awarded fellowships in FY 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20 to assist the Community Development Department and the Public Works Department with the Ballona Creek Revitalization Project. The fellows have been instrumental in producing two stakeholder meetings with more than 60 agencies, developing a comprehensive property ownership atlas for parcels along the creek, research and development of a comprehensive report that summarized the previous planning efforts and targeted community stakeholder outreach. Work in FY 2019/20 will build on these successes and focus on developing a community wide engagement strategy, researching funding mechanisms , supporting creek-related engagement activities related to the General Plan Update (GPU) and assisting the Environmental Programs and Operation division with the development of a storm water master plan.
The FY 2019/20 fellowship begins on September 9, 2019 and provides two fellows for 11 months. The fellowship would support both Community Development and Public Works Departments on the Ballona Creek Revitalization Project and the Stormwater programs. The fellows will also work directly with the Advance Planning Division to ensure that work on the Ballona Creek is well integrated with the City’s long-range planning efforts.
To reduce the administrative process, LGC proposes keeping the previous grant contract active and issuing an amendment for FY 2019/20.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
As in previous years, the City is required to provide a 50% match for the 11-month fellowship program that is managed and administered through Civic Spark. The cost for two fellows working up to 3,400 hours in FY 2019/20 is $51,000.
Funding for the fellowship was approved in the FY 2019/2020 budget and is available in account 10150120.619800.
ATTACHMENTS
None.
MOTION
That the City Council:
1. Approve an amendment to the existing CivicSpark Fellowship agreement in the amount of $51,000 for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019/2020; and,
2. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the necessary documents; and,
3. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.