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Approve an Appropriations Transfer Request (ATR) to recognize $30,550 in unanticipated revenue from the California Government Operations Agency (GovOps) to allow for additional community outreach for the 2020 Census; Authorize the County Administrator to sign a letter and amended contract with the State to use the additional $30,550 in State funds allocated to Solano County to conduct continued outreach activities to promote participation in the 2020 Census; and Authorize the County Administrator to execute other agreements and contracts necessary to implement activities associated with the state contract and funding (4/5 vote required)
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Published Notice Required? Yes ____ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ____ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Department of Resource Management recommends that the Board:
1. Approve an Appropriations Transfer Request (ATR) to recognize $30,550 in unanticipated revenue from the California Government Operations Agency (GovOps) to allow for additional community outreach for the 2020 Census (4/5 vote required); and
2. Authorize the County Administrator to sign a letter and amended contract with the State to use the additional $30,550 in State funds allocated to Solano County to conduct continued outreach activities to promote participation in the 2020 Census; and
3. Authorize the County Administrator to execute other agreements and contracts necessary to implement activities associated with the state contract and funding.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
In February 2019, California Government Operations Agency (GovOps) allocated $145,572 to Solano County to conduct community outreach and marketing for the 2020 Census with a focus on reaching the Hard to Count (HTC) communities. The County then entered into contract with Solano EDC to lead the Census outreach on behalf of the County and each of its cities.
The State has now indicated that it has additional funds to allocate to Solano County in the amount of $110,550. This offer from the State involves both a direct and an indirect allocation to be used for additional community outreach to increase participation in the Census count. $30,550 in additional funding would be utilized primarily for additional printing and marketing materials, table cloths and display items at community events, and event sponsorships. The remaining $80,000 will be directed to the United Way Bay Area (UWBA). The UWBA serves as the Administrative Community Based Organization (ACBO) for the State’s Complete Count efforts. They serve as a coordinator and technical assistance provider for organizations working to support a complete count in the Census. The UWBA has been an integral part of Solano County’s Complete Count Committee thus far.
Specifically, the UWBA will utilize the funding and direct it to Solano County efforts for:
- Establishment and production of Questionnaire Assistance Centers and Kiosks (QACs/QAKs). This includes the printing and production of Solano County’s “QAC/QAK in a box” kits, which Solano County will use at each of its QAC/QAK locations throughout the County (approximately 15 locations).
- Disperse funds locally to non-profit and community organizations, through a Request for Proposals (RFP) microgrant program, that targets gap-areas in Solano County’s outreach. Gap areas are areas in the community where the level of current outreach does not match the level of the HTC population. At this time, gaps have been identified in the City of Vallejo, so there will be a focus on getting this portion of the funds to the Vallejo area to help close that gap.
- The UWBA will continue to work with the Solano EDC and Solano County to identify other community outreach assistance needs over the course of the next few months.
In order to utilize the $30,550, the County will amend its contract with Solano EDC to increase the budget accordingly. Approval of this Board item authorizes the CAO to execute that contract amendment.
Outreach Status
The County’s Complete Count Committee has convened multiple meetings and has been planning and strategizing locations for QACs and QAKs that will help engage the HTC communities in the County. Solano EDC has been coordinating outreach efforts at local events and utilizing the online tracking system, SWORD, to document HTC locations, track and document attendance at events, and ensuring that outreach is directed to key areas that coincide with locations of the most HTC people in Solano County.
As a partner with the Census Bureau for this effort, Solano County has offered use of county meeting rooms to the Census Bureau staff for training purposes of its enumerators and in-field staff, which equates to approximately $8,000 of in-kind support. This training will occur over the next few months.
While Census Day is officially April 1, 2020, however, most people will receive a mailed invitation from the Census Bureau with instructions in mid-March. Responses can be online, by phone, or by mail between March and July 2020. People who do not complete the census by April 30, 2020 will be visited by a Census Bureau worker between May and July. The goal is to encourage everyone to respond online, by phone, or by mail by the end of April.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The costs associated with conducting additional Census 2020 outreach will be recovered through the $30,550 allocated funding from the state. The costs associated with preparing the agenda item are nominal and absorbed by the department’s FY2019/20 Adopted Budget.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to approve the ATR or accept the additional funding. This is not recommended as the funds will augment the County’s current community outreach effort, and the effort is a key component of reaching the Hard to Count populations in Solano County.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The 2020 Census will be conducted by the US Census Bureau. California GovOps has contracted with the County to disperse the funding allocation and is the funding entity for the additional allocation. The United Way Bay Area is the approved ACBO contracting with the State to provide technical assistance and micro-grants to local non-profit organizations and public agencies. Each city in the County has agreed to provide staff assistance to the County’s efforts to form and manage a Complete Count Committee.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION