Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 11291988 - IO.10 TD"`� ` `-BOARD OF SUPERVISORS I . 0. 10 FROM: INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE Cl,Jl llra November 14, 1988 Cowa C�c�yDATE: @1 STATUS REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CHILD CARE TASK FORCE SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATIONS) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECONIl4ENDATIONS 1 . Acknowledge receipt of this status report on the extent to which the recommendations of the Child Care Task Force have been implemented. 2 . Continue Ordinance 88/1 in force through December 31, 1989 to provide adequate time to test the current provisions of . the Ordinance and determine whether any changes or refinements to the Ordinance are required. BACKGROUND: In 1985, the Child Care Task Force filed a report with the Board of Supervisors. Since that time a great deal of progress has been made in implementing the recommendations which were made by the Task Force. At our meeting on November 14, 1988, our. Committee met with members of the Child Care Task Force, and other interested child care advocates, to bring ourselves up-to-date on the status of these recommendations. Following is a summary of the actions which have been taken: The Contra Costa Child Care Council has been formed to provide the coordinative role in developing new child care resources and in bringing together child care resources with individuals in need of child care. The Board of Supervisors has recognized the Council as the child care coordinative body for Contra Costa County. The Board of Supervisors has supported and actively advocated for more state and federal funding for child care as well as for tax credits for child care expenses . The Community Development Department staff advised us at our November 14 meeting that child care facilities can be built using the Mello/Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982 as a funding source. The County does not have to be the owner or operator of the facility as long as the service or program is one in which the County can lawfully engage. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT; - YES SIGNATURE: _ RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE X APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): Sunne W. McPeak �Tom Torlakson ACTION OF BOARD ON November 29, 1700 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. County Administrator cc: County Counsel ATTESTED Personnel Director PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF Community Development Director SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Redevelopment Director Jean Mesick, CDD M382/7CW ld Care Task Force (via CAO) BY ,DEPUTY Page 2 State legislation--AB 3358 (Roos) --which would have specifically authorized a Redevelopment Agency to use a portion of its funds for child care facilities was vetoed by the Governor this year. The County and at least some of the cities which have Community Development Block Grant funds (Walnut Creek, Concord, Richmond and Antioch) have used those funds to finance child care facilities and services. The County has adopted a child care facilities ordinance. This ordinance requires all developers to assess the impact of their development on the child care needs of the community and then take one of several steps to meet that need, generally by providing adequate child care facilities alone or in conjunction with other developers. When the Ordinance was adopted on January 26, 1988, the Board agreed to have the Ordinance in effect for one year while its provisions were monitored. Since the implementation and use of the Ordinance has proceeded more slowly than had been anticipated, the Community Development Department staff recommended to our Committee that the Ordinance be continued in force for one additional year so the Board of Supervisors has a real opportunity to test its effectiveness. The Board of Supervisors has approved in principle the concept of a child care affordability fund which would be used to subsidize the cost of child care for low-income families. The Child Care Council has developed a Concept Paper on this subject which defines the income levels of families that would be eligible for a subsidy from the child care affordability fund. It was suggested at our meeting that the criteria for eligibility might need to be refined somewhat to take into account unusual expenses a _ family may have for such items as housing or medical bills rather than simply looking at gross income. The Finance Committee and Internal Operations Committee will be meeting jointly on December 12 to consider methods to finance the fund, including increases in the Transient Occupancy Tax rate for the County and cities and the dedication of specified new sources of Transient Occupancy Tax and sales tax by the County to the child care affordability fund. The County will be implementing a Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP) for its own employees on January 1, 1989 . The Board of Supervisors has also asked Congressman Miller to introduce legislation which would allow an employee to withdraw unused DCAP funds at the end of the year rather than having them revert to the employer and in the meantime will be dedicating any such funds and savings from the reduced FICA (Social Security taxes) to child care programs. The County has also entered into a contract with the Child Care Council to provide individualized child care information and referral services to County employees. An innovative sick child care program is being investigated. We plan to meet again with the full Child Care Task Force in February or March of 1989 to review the decisions made by the Board of Supervisors regarding financing the child care affordability fund, the status of the implementation of the child care facilities ordinance, and to agree on priority actions for 1989.