CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY FOURTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-20-50 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Klarissa Peña, Cynthia D. Borrego, and Lan Sena
RESOLUTION
title
Calling On The Mayor To Establish A Pool Of Contractors To Provide Grant Writing Services For The Procurement Of Available Coronavirus Support And Relief Funding; Adjusting Fiscal Year 2020 And 2021 Appropriations; And Calling For A Feasibility Study For The Creation Of A Dedicated City Grant Management Unit (Peña, Borrego, Sena)
body
CALLING ON THE MAYOR TO ESTABLISH A POOL OF CONTRACTORS TO PROVIDE GRANT WRITING SERVICES FOR THE PROCUREMENT OF AVAILABLE CORONAVIRUS SUPPORT AND RELIEF FUNDING; ADJUSTING FISCAL YEAR 2020 AND 2021 APPROPRIATIONS; AND CALLING FOR A FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR THE CREATION OF A DEDICATED CITY GRANT MANAGEMENT UNIT.
WHEREAS, the current public health emergency has created a need for the City to secure grant writing services to assist in the procurement of additional federal, state and private grant funding for Coronavirus response and relief; and
WHEREAS, the City has entered into a contract with a local vendor to provide public and private grant research and analysis, preparation of grant applications, and post-award grant management; and
WHEREAS, new opportunities for Coronavirus support funding are being presented on a daily basis, and instant action is needed to pursue and procure these grant opportunities; and
WHEREAS, the Council wishes to afford the opportunity for other local consultants who have suffered economically from the health emergency to provide grant writing services; and
WHEREAS, on May 4, 2020 the City Council approved Resolution R-20-34, which appropriated $150,364,461 from the United States Secretary of the Treasury to the Operating Grant Fund (265) for Fiscal Year 2020 and 2021,
to reimburse the City for direct COVID-19 related expenses; and
WHEREAS, in Fiscal Year 2019, the City of Albuquerque was the recipient of approximately $51.2 million in federal grants, mostly comprised of recurring operational grants for Transit, Aviation, Public Safety and Health & Social Service programs; and
WHEREAS, many federal grant opportunities exist for municipalities in addition to the familiar recurring programs, that can provide support for issues of poverty, homelessness, education, public safety, and economic development, among others; and
WHEREAS, the grants.gov website is a valuable resource for researching and applying for available federal grant opportunities, and provides a secure and reliable source to apply for federal grants; and
WHEREAS, it is prudent for the City to pursue additional federal grant opportunities; not only to supplement funding available for services, but also to create, and maintain effective partnerships with federal grantor agencies; and
WHEREAS, the City’s federal grant awards are managed by individual City departments, with technical accounting assistance from the Department of Finance and Administration’s (DFAS) Grant Administrator and staff; and
WHEREAS, the creation of a centralized City grant management unit that is responsible for the entire grant process, from procurement of the grant to the final reporting and close-out of the grant, may provide better results and efficiencies for the City.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
Section 1. The Mayor, through the Department of Finance and Administrative Services, Purchasing Division, is directed to establish a vendor pool, or hire additional staff, to provide grant writing services for all City Departments by June 15, 2020. Selection of the vendor pool shall be completed through a competitive request for proposals (RFP).
Section 2. That funds in the amount of $150,000 are hereby unreserved from the General Fund (110) and appropriated to the Department of Finance and Administration, Accounting Division in Fiscal Year 2020.
Section 3. The Mayor, through the Department of Finance and Administrative Services, Office of Budget and Management, is directed to complete a feasibility study for the creation of a centralized Grant Management Unit for the City that provides grant writing services, assistance with program management, and accounting and financial reporting support to all City departments. The study shall include consideration of the size of the Grant unit, whether each of the services required are best provided by City staff or outside consultants, and the fiscal impact of establishing the Grant unit. The final report on the feasibility study shall be submitted to the City Council by March 1, 2021, in anticipation of the Fiscal Year 2022 operating budget process.
X:\CL\SHARE\CL-Staff\_Legislative Staff\Legislation\24 Council\R-50final.docx