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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 06072005 - C139 � CONTRA TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS }1'•• _ _� . :i COSTA COUNTY roti' R a„ +Jo#�LT'► 4�r • , f FROM: John Sweeten, County Administrator DATE: June 7, 2005 SUBJECT: Grand Jury Report No. 0505 •- "First Five Decisions Demand Transparency" SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION�Sy: RECEIVE the Grand Jury Report NO. 0555 entitled "First Five Decisions Demand Transparency" and REFER it to the County Administrator for response. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: 1''ft%YES SIGNATURE: T`RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE +s.APPROVE OTHER t � SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD ON APPROVED AS RECOMMENDE OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A UNANIMOUS(ABSENT� - ) TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN A ES: NOES: ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ON MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Contact:Julie Enea,Sr.Deputy CAO ATTESTED Al) 05:::: JOHN SVffEVN.CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AN COUNTY ADIfINISTRATOR cc: CAO B �DE,�PJ1-T1( A REPORT BY THE 2003-04 CONTRA COSTA COUNTY GRAND JURY 725 Court Street Martinez, California 94553 Report No. 0505 FIRST 5 DECISIONS DEMAND TRANSPARENCY. APPROVED BY TTIE GRAND JURY: Date. ANTONIO MEDRANO GRAND JURY FOREPERSON ACCEPTED FOR.FILING: Dater TTIOMAS M. A DOCK PRESIDING JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT Grand Jury 725 Court Street • Contra P.O.Box 911 Martinez,CA 94553-0091 � Costa County sT-4 COUK� Contact: Antonio Medrano Foreperson (925) 646-2345 For Immediate Release: Executive Summary Foirst Demand Transparency Report examines procedures for awarding funds The Contra Costa Children and Families First Commission,known as First 5, was established to improve the early development of children to age 5 and to ensure their readiness to enter school. The current annual budget is over$12 million. The Grand Jury found that the Commission does not always make public its policies regarding solicitation and award of grants. Interested parties should be provided the opportunity to inform themselves easily about the award process and how tax dollars are being spent. Comprehensive Commission minutes often do not include the rationale for nonstandard procedures in awarding grants. The Grand Jury recommends disclosing complete information about the Commission's awarding contracts and grants and providing substantially more information in meeting minutes of discussion content and actions taken. This will reassure the public that funds are being spent in accordance with the goals of the Commission. Additionally,the Grand Jury recommends that a formal review of the Strategic Plan be conducted and, if necessary, a public hearing held on proposed changes. The complete report is available on the Grand Jury web site: www.cc-courts.org/grandjury. CONTRA COSTA COUNTY GRAND JURY REPORT NO. 0505 First Five Decisions Demand Transparency TO: Contra Costa Children and Families First Commission INTRODUCTION In November 19981 Proposition 10 established the California Children and Families Act of 1998 ("Act")to improve the early development of children from prenatal to age 5 and to ensure those children's readiness to enter school. The Act established the California Children and Families Program ("Program"). The Program is fimded by a tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products. The Act requires participating counties to establish local county commissions that allocate the Program funds to local service providers for early childhood development efforts that focus on community awareness, education,health care, social services and research. On July 15, 2004, the California State Auditor released a report on its review of the California Children and Families Commission and five local county commissions. That report concluded that"some county commissions lacked well-defined or documented policies and practices for awarding contracts to service providers. In addition, [the State Auditor] found that not all county commissions disclose to the public the noncompetitive nature of some of their funding decisions." Although Contra Costa Children and Families First Commission("Commission") was not specifically mentioned in this report, the Grand Jury decided to investigate our Commission's procedures. BACKGROUND Contra Costa County("County") Ordinance Code Chapter 26-14 established the Commission to implement the provisions of Proposition 10. In Fiscal Year 2003 —2004, the Commission had an annual budget of over$12 million as well as a Sustainability Fund in excess of$30 million and a Special Reserve Fund of$6 million. The Commission consists of nine Commissioners and nine alternates all appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Health and Safety Code section 130100(a)states-, in part,"It is the intent of this act to facilitate the creation and implementation of an integrated, comprehensive, and collaborative system of information and-services to enhance optimal early childhood development and to ensure that children are ready to enter school. This system should function as a network that promotes accessibility to all information and services from any entry point into the system. It'is further the intent of this act to emphasize local decisionmaking , to provide for greater local flexibility in designing-delivery systems,, and to eliminate duplicate administrative systems." In addition,the Act requires that the county commission adopt an adequate and complete county strategic plan for the support and improvement of early childhood development within the county and that the plan be reviewed at least annually. 2 The Strategic Plan for Contra Costa County was written by the Commission in consultation with groups made up of parents, community-based organizations,professionals from government and private non-profit agencies, academia, and private business. The plan includes recommendations on areas of critical need, best and promising practices, goals and objectives, and key strategies for implementing the strategic plan. FINDINGS 1. On August 23, 2004,the Commission stated that it did not have written policies and procedures for solicitation of proposals, awarding of contracts, and awarding of non- competitive contracts. 2. Since that time,the Commission has published written policies and procedures for soliciting and awarding small grants including Family Friendly Community grants and Ready, Set, Read literacy grants. 3. The Commission has evolving,but unpublished,policies and practices for awarding collaborative contracts to service providers, such as the Family Resource and Learning Centers. 4. The minutes of Commission meetings include the announcements made and actions taken at each meeting,but typically do not reflect the content of discussions regarding issues. 5. The Commission has interpreted the Act to say that it may not replace or supplant funding previously provided by the County or State general fund. 6. At the June 29,2004 meeting,the Board of Supervisors adopted the 2004/2005 final budgets, significantly reducing County finding for two homeless shelters. 7. At the August 2, 2004 Commission meeting, a recommendation was made and approved that a challenge grant of up to $335,000 be made available for one year to the two homeless family shelters, one in Martinez and one in Concord. 8. There is nothing in the minutes of the August 2, 2004 meeting that explains how the idea for the challenge grant was introduced,why this recommendation was made, or what the justification was for the challenge grant. 9. The challenge grant replaces a significant portion of the funding for the homeless shelters that was previously provided by the County. 10. There is nothing in the minutes of the August 2, 2004 meeting that explains the reasoning behind the apparent deviation from the Commission's interpretation of not replacing government funding. 3 11. At the end of the 2002—2003 fiscal year, the Commission set aside $6 million as a Special Reserve Fund. 12. Also at the August 2, 2004 Commission meeting, a recommendation was made and approved that staff convene a planning group ("Special Funds Task Force") to develop a plan for addressing critical losses of services and support that compromise the success of the Commission's overall visions and strategies using the Special Reserve Fund. 13. The first meeting of the Special Funds Task Force was reported in the minutes of the January 10, 2005 Commission meeting. It was also reported that the Task Force expects to meet another four to six times to develop a recommendation. 14. County Ordinance Code section 26-14.032 states, "Annual plan review and revisions. The commission shall, on at least an annual basis,periodically review its adopted county strategic plan and revise the plan as may be necessary or appropriate. The commission shall conduct at least one public hearing on its periodic review of the county strategic plan before any revisions to the plan are adopted." 15. The Commission minutes for the last two years have not reflected a formal review of the strategic plan,nor do they show that a public hearing has been held on proposed modifications. 16. In its August 11,2004 response to Grand Jury Report No. 0407, the Commission stated, "The majority of Commissioners and-Alternates regularly attend Commission and Committee meetings. The Commission has a process in place to address low attendance should it arise." 17. Between August 11, 2004 and February 7,-2005, the Board of Supervisors' representative has missed 5 of the 6 meetings held and the alternate to the Board representative has missed all 6. 18. Public reports listing grantees for"Family Friendly" and"Ready Set Read" grants do not include the area of the County in.which each recipient is located. CONCLUSIONS Published policies regarding solicitation and award of grants provide interested parties with the opportunity to be informed aboutgrant obj ectives and the application and award process. The absence of published policies and procedures for the award of collaborative grants and contracts obscures the public's ability to understand how the Commission's decisions to spend tax dollars are being made. Comprehensive minutes (of Commission and subcommittee meetings),which include the content of discussions, are not used to inform interested parties and the public of the 4 rationale for and development of nonstandard procedures in the awarding of grants and other business. Lack of regular attendance by the Board of Supervisors representatives impairs the working of the Commission by depriving it of key guidance and insight. RECOMMENDATIONS The 2004—2005 Contra Costa County Grand Jury recommends that the Commission: I Always disclose, in Commission meeting minutes, complete information about the Commission's awarding of contracts and grants. This can reassure the public that funds are being allocated consistent with the goals of the Commission. 2. Include in Commission meeting minutes substantially more information on the content of discussions regarding issues or actions taken. Include background information and policies,procedures and criteria used in decisions. An example of minutes that include this kind of information can be found in the minutes of the Contra Costa County Employees' Retirement Association. 3. Provide training for the Commission's professional staff regarding bestpractices of non-profit organizations, including elements of full disclosure. 4. Adopt a written policy regarding use of Commission finds for programs previously funded by general fund monies, so that the Commission can preserve good programs, consistent with its mission statement,, that have lost finding from other sources. 5. Make public the Commission's plans for the $6 million Special Reserve Fund, once the Special Funds Task Force completes its work. 6. Develop and adhere to a written policy with clear guidelines stating that if a Commission member'or alternate misses three consecutive meetings, the Commission will recommend to the Board of Supervisors that the Commission member or alternate be replaced. 7. Make public the area of the County where grantees are located so that the public will know the geographic dispersion of resources in Contra Costa County. 8. Conduct and document an annual formal review of the Strategic Plan. 9. Conduct a public hearing for all proposed changes to the Strategic Plan. REQUIRED RESPONSES Findings: 5 r Contra Costa Children and Families First Commission: 1 —5, 7— 18. Recommendations: Contra Costa Children and Families First Commission: 1 —9. 6