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| | | | This is also a virtual meeting conducted via GoToMeeting. Should you wish to join this meeting from your phone, tablet, or computer you may go to https://meet.goto.com/843540557. You can also dial in using your phone United States: +1 (571) 317-3122 and Access Code: 843-540-557. | | | |
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| | 1. | | Call to order.
Minutes note: Meeting called to order at 12:12 p.m. | | | |
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| | 2. | | Roll call. | | | |
Roll call
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| | | | Also present:
Minutes note: Andrea Fowler, Budget Office ARPA Director
Tea Norfolk, LRB Fiscal Planning Specialist | | | |
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| | 3. | | Review and approval of the previous meeting minutes from September 1, 2023.
Minutes note: Meeting minutes from September 1, 2023 were approved without objection. | | | |
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| | 4. | | Review, discussion, and/or motion(s) on the Mayor's 2024 proposed budget, process, plans, and department requests.
Minutes note: Member Kovac gave an update. The Mayor's 2024 Proposed Budget was made public. The Comptroller's Office was recognizing $184 million revenues in the sales tax for 2024. Total new revenue for 2024 was $206 million. A briefing memorandum was forwarded to Common Council members regarding high level decisions on the Mayor's 2024 Proposed Budget. Those high level decisions included $25.5 million of "catch up" pension payment from 2023, $175 new 2024 pension payment (increase of $75 million from 2023), $6.8 million distributed to non-City CMERS agencies for normal cost increase, salary reclass/retitles/equity placements (actual cost tens of millions), stabilizing reserve funds, cash-financing long deferred capital projects, no departmental cuts, increasing sworn staff to comply with ACT 12 ($5.6 million), and additional $1.3 million to the Office of Equity and Inclusion and Office of African American Affairs. The pension payment would be a one time expense. The salary increases increased the budgets of departments. Stabilizing the reserve funds could help with the City's future bond ratings. Cuts last year saved $10-14 million, primarily in the Fire and Library departments. Sworn staff increase would help get to Act 12 targets where the City had 10 years to do it. Capital projects funded would include $40 million for police radio system, new HRMS software, and other projects that should not deferred.
City Clerk Jim Owczarski appeared and said that the correct mechanism to allocate remaining ARPA funding would be via the City's budget amendment process now that the Mayor's 2024 proposed budget has included the whole of remaining ARPA funds.
Ms. Fowler added that use of all ARPA funds would free up the tax levy, the 2024 proposed budget included $5 million in tax levy funded SPA to the task force for community led programs, that the task force would have to amend itself to oversee the SPA, and that funding through the SPA would avoid ARPA deadlines and guidelines.
Chair Coggs said that there would be no ARPA dollars for the task force to consider, subsequent legislation and action would be required to transform the task force to oversee the SPA, the task force should wait to see the outcome of the 2024 proposed budget process, she was not pleased with $5 million for the SPA, $5 million was not much and was not near her expectations, and the Common Council could make amendments to the use of remaining ARPA funds and the proposed SPA account. | | | |
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| | 5. | | Review, discussion, and/or motion(s) on ARPA reallocation procedure, schedule, and/or recommendations.
Minutes note: A. Recommendation to reallocate from Health Department COVID relief to the Fire Department for Class A uniforms.
Member Chambers, Jr. presented. His proposal was to reallocate $275,000 in Health Dept. COVID relief to provide Class A uniforms, which were lacking, to the Fire Department. He was unable to submit this proposal to the task force in time prior to the proposed budget process. His intention now was to submit a budget amendment for this proposal. If successful the proposal would provide one formal Class A dress uniform to firefighters outside of chiefs. He became aware of this issue recently at formal gatherings. He did not want to take money from the proposed $5 million SPA.
Eric Dawn, Milwaukee Professional Firefighters Association Local 215, appeared and commented. Class A uniforms were needed for the Fire Department to represent itself professionally, especially at funerals. The Fire Department has been representing themselves with mix-matched uniforms unlike their peer counterparts. This was an oversight and was not included in any negotiations with the City previously. The ask was for a 1-time purchase of these uniforms. If unsuccessful they would plan on including this uniform expense in future negotiations. Current Fire Department capital funds was focused facilities and maintenance.
Member Kovac and Ms. Fowler said that all of the Mayor's ARPA reallocations, including the $275,000 were going into 2024 salaries, ARPA funds cannot be repurposed and move between programs, they could look at other budget amendment options such as scrapping from current ARPA programs.
Member Zamarripa said that she would prefer Health Dept. COVID relief ARPA funds to address homelessness and shelters.
B. Recommendations from the Mayor’s 2024 Proposed Executive Budget.
Ms. Fowler presented on ARPA usage in the 2024 proposed budget. The funding of ongoing projects was made possible by shifting remaining ARPA into 2024 salaries. Total value of al levy-funded programs (formerly ARPA) was $17,285,471. Total value of all "scraped" ARPA was $17,516,599.69. Total of all ARPA dedicated to 2024 salaries was $110,244,148, which included the 2nd tranche of ARPA ($92.7 million) and the scraped ARPA ($17.516,599.69).
Ms. Fowler presented the following proposed ARPA-project budget reductions ($17,516,599.69):
For the City Clerk $196,064 was reduced from $300,000 in Language Translation Services to fund the 2024 program since contracting had been unsuccessful, $1,008 was reduced from $15,655 in the 53206 Survey due to project completion, and $350,654 was reduced from $469,978 in the Big Clean ongoing project in which 2024 funding would be provided in a special fund.
For DCD $497,867 was reduced from $15 million in In Rem Initiative/Homes MKE to fund staff in 2025 and 2026. The project would be reviewed at the end of 2023 to determine if $14 million will be under contract by end of 2024. Along with DNS all of $4.7 million in 2024 Housing Programs was reduced as the funds were allocated in 2022 for "Capital Budget - Housing" but no individual programs were specified at the time. Similar allocation in 2023 funded In Rem Property, Strong Homes Loans, Concentrated Blight Elimination, and Code Compliance Loans.
For DNS $1,328,026 was reduced from $5.2 million in Demolition, Deconstruction, and Site Restoration. DNS had $2,208,884.05 remaining in their budget, required $785,858 through the end of the year, and an additional $95,000 in 2023 to pay for demolition of the “Boston Store” portion of Northridge.
For DOA $350,000 was reduced from $1,960,000 for Administrative Services (grant monitoring and administration). ARPA Director’s RNC time cannot be charged to ARPA, and one grant monitor position will be vacant until replaced. Positions cannot charge time after 2024 and Budget projects an excess of $350,000. Also, $11,533 was reduced from $315,687 in Early Childhood Education due to program completion.
For DPW $268,800 was reduced from $19.5 million in Lighting Circuit Reliability Improvement for allocation to 2025/2026 salaries and can be released for reprogramming. Also, $54,297 was reduced from $6 million in Community Supported Traffic Safety Improvements (reckless driving) with the project moving along well with most funds under contract, but $54,297 was originally allocated for 2025/2026 salaries. The department would release for reprogramming.
For Health Department $6,913,451 was reduced from $13.3 million in COVID-19 Response and Recovery due to funds being unspent and not needed by the department to meet current obligations. $820,692 was reduced from $5,223,635 in Public Health O&M due to project completion and unspent funds being released for reprogramming. $1,650,902 was reduced from $25,316,942 in Lead Hazard Reduction to reallocate funds to subrecipients for additional remediation work. There remained $6,593,183 at the end of June 2023, and the department no longer need funds allocated to hire nursing staff and social workers in 2025/2026.
For Library $6,829.69 was reduced from $300,000 in COVID-19 Public Health due to completion of efforts and funds remaining unspent.
For OAAA $366,476 was reduced from $400,000 in Improving OAAA Service Access Using Existing and New Programming Partnerships due to majority of funds remaining unspent. Funds were intended to respond to COVID-19, and the pandemic has ended.
Ms. Fowler presented on ongoing and remaining program categories to be funded by the tax levy as follows:
City of Milwaukee Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and African American Affairs: $400,000. This program funds renovations to the office space of the Office of African American Affairs. Remaining funds will be made available to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to fund 2024 programming. This program is primarily funded by the remaining $366,476 in the “Improving OAAA Service Access” ARPA project which will be shifted into 2024 salaries.
Housing and Home Ownership: $9,246,53. This category funds various 2024 housing programs including DCD’s In Rem Property project ($400,000), Strong Homes Loans ($1,000,000), and Down Payment Assistance projects ($2,000,000), and DNS’s Code Compliance Loan project ($1,000,000) and Targeted Demolition program ($3,064,000), and DPW’s new Targeted Demolition Program ($1,782,531). Funding for these programs will be placed in special funds and/or capital budgets.
Multilingual Access to City Resources: $196,064. This category continues to fund the City Clerk’s translation program which is intended to provide multilingual access and other translation services for City documents and meetings/services. Funding comes from the levy offset produced by moving $196,064 in ARPA funds into 2024 salaries from the City Clerk’s Language Translation Services project.
Big Clean: $350,654. This program continues to fund the City Clerk’s Big Clean project in 2024. The special fund is funded by the levy offset created by moving $350,654 of the City Clerk’s Big Clean ARPA project into City salaries in 2024.
Lead Hazard Reduction: $2,092,222. This special fund continues lead remediation work within MHD, and adds new salaried positions to support the program.
Citizen-Led Transformational Grants Fund: $5,000,000. This SPA funds community programs recommended by the ARPA Task Force, and is funded by the levy offset created by various reductions in ARPA program budgets. In the resolution establishing this SPA, the ARPA Task Force may wish to reconstitute itself as a new task force to review and recommend these SPA-funded projects.
Ald. Russell Stamper, II, appeared and inquired about Big Clean being impacted if more money was spent by the end of the year.
Chair Coggs left the meeting at 1:23 p.m. Member Zamarripa presiding over the remainder of the meeting.
Member Karanja questioned the contracting of language translation services, and member Zamarripa said for language translation to be made available to other departments.
Ms. Fowler and Kovac replied. Total budget for Big Clean was $470 million with $350 million to be repurpose and replaced with the levy offset. There was $120 million to spend for 2023, and the hope was to not surpass that amount. There were no blanket contract in place for language translation services due to those services being need-based and requiring smaller contracts. The use of ARPA in the 2024 proposed budget helped to preserve established ARPA programs via the tax levy and to avoid the ARPA deadlines.
Member King commended the effort to not lose ARPA funds through the use of it in the 2024 proposed budget.
C. Other recommendations.
There was no discussion. | | | |
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| | 6. | | Review, discussion, and/or motion(s) on remaining ARPA allocation process, review, and/or recommendations relative to schedule, deadlines, dedicated amount for citizen-led initiatives, funding mechanism, RFP, and/or other aspects.
Minutes note: Ms. Fowler said that the task force should provide recommendations based on the 2024 proposed budget or adopted budget, including the task force RFP version to release for proposals.
Member Gilbert said that she believed there was a lack of balance and equity with ARPA funds being used by the City more than the community.
Member Kovac said that there was transparency that the priority was to fund City expenses with remaining ARPA funds.
Member Chambers, Jr. asked for the amount spent on City services from the total pot of $394 in ARPA.
Ms. Fowler said that she could go into more detail offline to give amounts based on subawards and salaries and concurred with Member Gilbert.
Members further discussed that use of ARPA funds were very much intertwined between the City and community, that much programming were made possible by ARPA, that there were projects that were community service oriented (even if not direct but indirect), and that there was difficulty to separate between the two. | | | |
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| | 7. | | Next steps.
Minutes note: A. Items for future agenda.
B. Set next meeting date(s) and time(s).
Ms. Fowler said that the task force could choose to meet and provide recommendations prior to the conclusion of the 2024 proposed budget deliberations.
Members discussed deferring to Chair Coggs on scheduling the next meeting and that it would be best to wait until after the 2024 proposed budget deliberations. Agenda items to include the task force RFP application and schedule. | | | |
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| | 8. | | Adjournment.
Minutes note: Meeting adjourned at 1:51 p.m.
Chris Lee, Staff Assistant
Council Records Section
City Clerk's Office | | | |
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| | | | Meeting materials of the task force can be found within the following file: | | | |
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220789
| 0 | | Communication | Communication relating to the activities of the American Rescue Plan Act Funding Allocation Task Force. | | | |
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