SR-510-002 (7)
EPWM:CP:BJ:DK/EPWM/ADM/STAFRPTS:
Council Meeting: September 10, 2002 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Authorize the City Manager to Negotiate and Execute a
Contract with Community Partners to Provide Fiscal
Management of the Santa Monica Green Team and Business
Greening Programs Implemented by Sustainable Works
INTRODUCTION
This report requests that City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate
and execute a contract with Community Partners to provide fiscal management
of the Santa Monica Green Team and Business Greening Programs. The term
of the contract will be for one year with an option to renew for an additional two
years on an annual basis.
BACKGROUND
On March 24, 1998, City Council authorized funds for the creation and
implementation of the Santa Monica Green Team Program, a residential
environmental outreach program, on a pilot basis for a period of 19 months.
Based on the success of the pilot program, Council authorized funding for
continuation of the Green Team Program on November 23, 1999 and September
26, 2000, which included the creation of the Santa Monica Business Greening
Program to work with local businesses to help the City meet its Sustainable City
goals.
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The Sustainable Works staff operated, as City independent contractors from
December 1999 through December 2000, for the day-to-day implementation of
these programs. In December 2000, the City entered into an agreement with
Santa Monica-based non-profit organization Global Green USA to provide fiscal
management of the Green Team and Business Greening Programs for Fiscal
Years 200-2002. Under the terms of the agreement, Sustainable Works staff
became employees of Global Green USA.
Discussion
This staff report requests Council to authorize the City Manager to enter into an
agreement with Los Angeles-based non-profit organization Community Partners
to assume the fiscal management of the Green Team and Business Greening
Programs in place of Global Green USA.
Community Partners is a non-profit organization that acts as a non-profit
incubator, assisting individuals and organizations (project partners) to develop
the resources and structure necessary to become independent non-profit
organizations. Community Partners provides its project partners with a tax-
exempt non-profit designation, financial and administrative support and technical
assistance with budgeting, financing and grant writing. Sustainable Works
received approval in June 2002 from the Community Partners? Board of Directors
to become a project partner. Transferring fiscal management from Global Green
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USA to Community Partners will be beneficial to the City because it will provide
resources to assist Sustainable Works to become an independent non-profit
organization, which in the long term will reduce the cost to the City for program
implementation. In the short term, the City will save 3%, or approximately $4,600
per year in administrative fees by replacing Global Green with Community
Partners.
As fiscal manager, Community Partners will oversee the processing and tracking
of all cash and non-cash revenues, accounts payable and receivable, negotiation
of leases and contracts, and disbursement of program funds including grants and
salaries, for staffing and implementation of the Green Team and Business
Greening Programs. As compensation for serving as fiscal manager, the City will
pay Community Partners an administrative fee equal to 12% of the total program
staffing and operating budget. Under the contract, City Environmental Programs
Division staff will continue to provide oversight of program development and
implementation. The term of the agreement will be for one year with an option to
renew for an additional two years on an annual basis.
Entering into this fiscal management agreement with Community Partners will
simplify financial management of the program for the City, will allow Sustainable
Works staff to use Community Partner?s non-profit status to seek grant funding
and eventually become an independent non-profit organization, and will ensure
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that Sustainable Works staff continue to be employed in a manner consistent
with the City?s personnel policies.
BUDGET/FISCAL IMPACT
Funds necessary to cover program costs and Community Partners administrative
fees for both the residential and business programs are available in existing
Environmental Programs Division account number 31662.555060. The term of
the agreement will be for one year with an option to renew for an additional two
years on an annual basis. Contract renewal beyond FY 2002-2003 will be
subject to Council approval of future budget appropriations for continuation of the
Green team programs.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that City Council authorize the City Manager to Negotiate and
Execute an Agreement not to exceed $150,000 with Community Partners to
provide fiscal management of the Santa Monica Green Team and Business
Greening Programs implemented by Sustainable Works.
Prepared by: Craig Perkins, Environmental and Public Works Management
Director
Brian Johnson, Environmental Programs Manager
Dean Kubani, Senior Environmental Programs Analyst
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