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Approve a Memorandum of Understanding between Community Action Partnership of Solano Joint Powers Authority (CAP Solano JPA), the County of Solano, and the Cities of Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville, and Vallejo for the County to hire CAP Solano JPA staff and participate in cost sharing for administrative expenses for the CAP Solano JPA; and Delegate authority to the County Administrator to execute the MOU, including any non-budgetary changes based on approval from other jurisdictions
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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. Approve Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Community Action Partnership of Solano Joint Powers Authority (CAP Solano JPA), the County of Solano, and the Cities of Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville, and Vallejo for the County to hire CAP Solano JPA staff and participate in cost sharing for administrative expenses for the CAP Solano JPA; and
2. Delegate authority to the County Administrator to execute the MOU, including any non-budgetary changes based on approval from other jurisdictions.
SUMMARY
The CAP Solano JPA was formed for 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.
The restructured 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 obligations as the Administrative Entity for the Vallejo/Solano Continuum of Care, and to expand both its efforts to influence both regional and state-level policy and to seek and administer additional funding streams to address homelessness throughout Solano County.
This item brings forward the MOU that has been negotiated between the City Managers and County Administrator for the Board’s consideration. The MOU has a shared funding strategy for funding the ongoing staffing with the County funding 25% of the administrative costs and the cities funding the remaining costs based on share of population. In addition, it is proposed that the County will hire and house the staff working on behalf of the CAP Solano JPA.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Costs for 6.5 FTE plus administrative costs, such as rent, overhead, and other office related costs, are estimated to be approximately $1.6 million annually. Based on current funding streams, approximately $1 million can be recouped through eligible funding sources. This leaves approximately $600,000 annually to be funded by the participating jurisdictions.
The MOU specifies that the County will be responsible for 25% of any costs which would not be covered by eligible funding sources of approximately $150,000 annually. The cities will cumulatively be responsible for the remaining 75% of the costs, with costs distributed based on total population.
The funding provided by the County is a General Fund cost. The County currently provides $86,975 in funding annually to CAP Solano; therefore, the net increase will be approximately $63,025 annually. Should the Board approve the MOU, this change will be made in the FY2024/25 Supplemental Budget.
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 renamed the 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 (JPA) was restructured and added the City of Dixon. The newly formed 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 support coordination of countywide policy within each member jurisdiction.
Staffing Needs
Shortly after restructuring the JPA, 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 staffing to implement its priorities. Historically, the CAP Solano JPA, relied on in-kind staff support from member jurisdictions and the City of Vacaville as the fiscal agent.
The JPA 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 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. County staff are completing an analysis of comparable, existing County job classifications to fill each role.
The MOU also identifies a three-phased implementation plan for hiring. The first phase includes hiring the Executive Director, Grants Manager, and Homeless Coordinator. The second phase focuses on the Policy Manager. The third phase will hire the 2.5 FTE staff necessary to transition the fiscal agent responsibilities from the City of Vacaville, which currently serves as the JPA’s fiscal agent.
Key Terms of MOU
The following lists key terms of the MOU for all participating jurisdictions:
• Length of MOU is five (5) years, with automatic renewal for another five (5) years.
• A member may terminate their participation in the MOU at any time by providing 360 days’ written notice prior to the end of any fiscal year, or with 180 days’ notice prior to expiration of the initial term.
• The County of Solano will serve as the staffing agency, with all employees being County employees. However, the personnel under the JPA will be responsible to the Board of Directors.
• Funding will first be provided by any allowable grant funding; the County will be responsible for 25% and the cities will be responsible for 75% of the remaining costs, allocated by population.
• Each participating jurisdiction is required to pay their contributions from their budget and the JPA will invoice by July 31 of each year with a 60-day payment window.
The goal of the JPA is to self-fund through successful grant funding. As more grant funds are obtained through successful coordination at the JPA, it is anticipated that less funding should be required from the JPA member agencies.
Next Steps
The MOU was approved by the CAP Solan JPA Board of Directors at its meeting on March 28, 2024. It should also be noted that the City of Dixon voted “no” on the MOU at that meeting and may choose to not participate in the agreement. If that is the case, their share of funding would be redistributed among the cities. This item requests delegated authority to the County Administrator to sign the agreement with non-budgetary changes for County of Solano, such as Dixon not participating.
The parties to the MOU are bringing it forward to their relevant Boards/Councils with the goal of the MOU beginning July 1, 2024. At that time, additional actions will need to be taken by the County to identify a location to house the staff, finalize appropriate job classifications, recruit and hire staff, establish a new fund, and complete other administrative functions.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to approve the MOU. This is not recommended as the County has been a key partner in transitioning the CAP Solano JPA to its current model.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
None.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION