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Adopt a resolution amending the List of Numbers and Classifications of Positions to add 1.0 FTE Social Services Manager Limited-Term, 2.0 FTE Project Manager Limited-Term, 1.0 FTE Staff Analyst Limited-Term, 1.0 FTE Office Assistant III Limited-Term, 1.0 FTE Accounting Clerk II Limited-Term, and 0.5 FTE Office Assistant II Limited-Term in the new Community Action Partnership Solano Joint Powers Authority (CAP Solano JPA) Division of the County Administrator’s Office; Approve an Appropriation Transfer Request recognizing $397,437 in unanticipated revenue in FY2024/25 (4/5 vote required); Approve a second amendment to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the CAP Solano JPA for an increase of $60,000 for a total contract amount of $278,120 for the current period through June 30, 2025 to provide staff support to CAP Solano JPA; and Delegate authority to the County Administrator to execute the second amendment to the MOU
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Published Notice Required? Yes_______ No___X___
Public Hearing Required? Yes_______ No ___X___
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The County Administrator’s Office (CAO) recommends the Board of Supervisors:
1. Adopt a resolution amending the List of Numbers and Classifications of Positions to add 1.0 FTE Social Services Manager Limited-Term, 2.0 FTE Project Manager Limited-Term, 1.0 FTE Staff Analyst Limited-Term, 1.0 FTE Office Assistant III Limited-Term, 1.0 FTE Accounting Clerk II Limited-Term, and 0.5 FTE Office Assistant II Limited-Term in the new Community Action Partnership Solano Joint Powers Authority (CAP Solano JPA) Division of the County Administrator’s Office; and
2. Approve an Appropriation Transfer Request (ATR) recognizing $397,437 in unanticipated revenue in FY2024/25 (4/5 vote required); and
3. Approve a second amendment to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the CAP Solano JPA for an increase of $60,000 for a total contract amount of $278,120 for the current period through June 30, 2025 to provide staff support to CAP Solano JPA; and
4. Delegate authority to the County Administrator to execute the second amendment to the MOU.
SUMMARY
The CAP Solano JPA was formed the purpose of providing oversight and coordination of homeless and safety net services. The CAP Solano JPA receives safety net funding and administers such funding including making grants available to nonprofit entities for the provision of homeless services. In 2022, this Board, along with all seven cities in Solano County, adopted an amended and restated Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement to amend the governance structure of the CAP Solano JPA to include elected leaders from those jurisdictions on the Board of the JPA.
The CAP Solano JPA has been undergoing a planning process to identify key strategic actions. The CAP Solano JPA has identified the need for 6.5 FTE dedicated staff to fulfill the work as the Administrative Entity for the Vallejo/Solano Continuum of Care, engage in both regional and state-level policy, and have the capacity to seek and administer additional diverse funding streams to address homelessness throughout Solano County. In May 2024, the Board approved a staffing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was negotiated and approved between all partner jurisdictions except the City of Dixon. The MOU provides that the County will contribute 25% of the staffing associated costs and the cities will fund the balance based on each jurisdiction’s share of population. The MOU specifies the staff will be phased in over an approximately 18-month period. In addition, the County agreed to be the employer and house the staff. Solano County Human Resources reviewed and approved the requested position classifications and the associated salaries align with the salary costs budgeted in the staffing MOU.
The separate, current MOU between the County and the CAP Solano JPA for temporary staff support from the County Administrator’s Office (CAO) expires December 31, 2024. The proposed second amendment to the MOU ensures that the County will be reimbursed for the CAO staff time spent supporting the CAP Solano JPA through the transition to full time staff.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The ATR provides funding for 3.0 FTE of the staff beginning in January 2025. Additional funding will be added in FY2025/26 for the hiring of the remaining staff. The ATR also includes the budget for rent and office supplies to set up a new office space for a total amount of $397,437 in FY2024/25.
The recommended second amendment to the County/CAP Solano JPA MOU provides reimbursement for County staff time devoted to providing administrative support to the CAP Solano JPA.
DISCUSSION:
In July of 1999, the Solano County Board of Supervisors established a Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement called the Solano Safety Net Consortium. The agreement included the six cities of Benicia, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville, and Vallejo, as well as the County of Solano. The organization was established to provide:
• Oversight and coordination of homeless and safety net services.
• To serve as the conduit for safety net funding.
• To administer such funds and make grants available to other non-profit entities for the provision of services.
• To set policy and be the central agency for the oversight and technical assistance for the operation of homeless shelters, transitional housing, community action councils, and other safety net services.
• To undertake such other programs as the Board of Directors authorized.
The JPA was later rename Community Action Partnership Solano (CAP Solano). Historically, the Board of Directors was comprised of administrative staff from each of the member jurisdictions.
In 2022, led by Supervisor Mitch Mashburn and former Supervisor Jim Spering, CAP Solano JPA was restructured and added the City of Dixon. The new Board of Directors is comprised of two members from each participating jurisdiction’s elected body allowing the Board of Directors to establish policy for the JPA and influence coordination of countywide policy within each member jurisdiction. Subsequently, the Board of Directors undertook a strategic planning process to identify countywide homelessness and safety net service priorities. The Board identified the need for dedicated CAP Solano JPA staffing to implement its priorities. Historically, the CAP Solano JPA, relied upon in-kind staff support from member jurisdictions, the City of Vacaville as the fiscal agent, and contractor support to administer and implement its programs.
The CAP Solano Board agreed on a staffing plan that includes 6.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff to be hired as County personnel. The positions were originally identified based on functional tasks/activities versus County job classifications, as it was not determined which jurisdiction would be hiring the staff. Positions by working job titles include: a 1.0 FTE Executive Director, 1.0 FTE Grants Manager, 1.0 FTE Homeless Coordinator, 1.0 FTE Policy Manager, and 2.5 FTE fiscal staff. Based on the County being asked to hire the positions, Solano County Human Resources completed an analysis of comparable job classifications and agreed to the recommended job classifications of: 1.0 FTE Social Services Manager Limited-Term, 2.0 FTE Project Manager Limited-Term, 1.0 FTE Staff Analyst Limited-Term, 1.0 FTE Office Assistant III Limited-Term, 1.0 FTE Accounting Clerk II Limited-Term, and 0.5 FTE Office Assistant II Limited-Term.
The staffing MOU identifies a three-phased implementation plan for hiring staff. The first phase includes hiring the Executive Director/Social Services Manager, Grants Manager/Project Manager, and Homeless Coordinator/Office Assistant III. The second phase focuses on the Policy Manager/Project Manager. And the third phase will hire staff necessary to transition the Fiscal Agent responsibilities from the City of Vacaville, who currently serves as the JPA’s fiscal agent, to the County of Solano.
The County Administrator will assign the CAP Solano JPA staff to the currently vacant portable unit located at 112 Brown Street in Vacaville under the authority of Section 2-46 (c) of the County Code. The unit will be able to accommodate the full staff once hired and is conveniently located next to other county services at the William J Carroll campus.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to approve the addition of the positions, the ATR, or the second amendment to the MOU. This is not recommended as the County has already approved the MOU which agreed to the hiring of the positions.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
Solano County Human Resources reviewed the position requests and agrees with the requested classifications.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION