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THE CITY OF i Flit pLE ASANTON. MEETING NOTES Council/Commission Work Group Tuesday, September 23, 2008 6:30- 8:OOpm (Civic Center 123 Main St. City Manager's Conference Room) Group Members: Councilmembers: Matt Sullivan, Cheryl Cook Kallio Human Services Commissioner: Mary -Jane Casper, David Nagler Housing Commissioner: David Stark Civic Arts Commissioner: Jo Molz Youth Commissioner: Laurel Goveia Staff: Nelson Fialho, City Manager, Steve Bocian, Assistant City Manager; Kathleen Yurchak, Community Services Manager; Scott Erickson, Housing Specialist 1. Work Group Members Present: Matt Sullivan, Cheryl Cook- Kallio, David Nagler, Mary Jane Casper, David Stark, Jo Molz, Nelson Fialho, Steven Bocian, Kathleen Yurchak, Scott Erickson 2. Recap of June 12, Meeting and Materials on CD Staff provided an overview from the June 12, meeting and reviewed the material that was sent to the Work Group on the CD. 3. Discussion Staff provided an overview of the City of Pleasanton Summary of Grant Programs Spreadsheet to provide the Work Group with a better understanding of how the CDBG and City Grant programs are administered and reviewed by Commissions and Council. Staff also reviewed the Trend Comparison: Grant Funding, Population, and General Fund, 1994 -2008. Nelson Fialho suggested a policy to keep unexpended funds within the City Grant program (versus returning to the General Fund), e.g., a contingency or rollover. The group discussed implementing a specific percentage increase in the amount of funds allocated to the program each year (e.g., based on growth in the City's operating budget or other index). It was observed that the City's budget has increased at a faster rate than both the grant funding level and the City's population. Property and sales tax revenue have had an impact on these trends. Discussed the maximum limits for grants (City Grant (Human Services) is currently $20,000). It was generally felt that there should be some type of variance allowance to permit larger grants under unusual circumstances or when specific needs arise. David Nagler felt that the Human Service Needs Assessment needs to be updated every one to two years. He also expressed the need for better and more frequent communication among various groups and commissions around specific areas of need. The group discussed methods for discussing and establishing annual priorities possibly at joint commission meetings to identify commonly perceived needs. It was felt that the City should be more proactive in identifying problems and issues that are currently having an impact so that funds can be