To: County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors and Board of Commissioners of the Community Development Commission
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Community Development Commission
Staff Name and Phone Number: Martha Cheever, 565-7521
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Community Development Commission Staffing Allocations
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Adopt a personnel resolution amending the Sonoma County Community Development Commission allocation list, adding 3.00 full-time equivalent positions, adding 3.00 time-limited full-time equivalent positions, and deleting 1.00 full-time equivalent position as detailed in the attached resolution, effective August 17, 2021.
B) Adopt a budget resolution adjusting the fiscal year 2021-2022 adopted budget by increasing revenues and expenditures in the Sonoma County Community Development Commission by $641,625 to support additional position allocations.
(4/5th Vote Required)
end
Executive Summary:
The Community Development Commission has identified a number of position allocations that are necessary to meet client needs, goals, objectives, and strategies. Positions being requested are as follows (class title, full-time equivalent (FTE) allocation): 1) Accountant II (1.0 FTE), 2) Community Development Specialist II (1.0 FTE), 3) Community Development Specialist II (1.0 FTE, time-limited), 4) Community Development Associate (2.0 FTE, time-limited), and 5) Senior Community Development Specialist (1.0 FTE). In addition, the Community Development Commission is requesting the deletion of the following position (class title, full-time equivalent (FTE) allocation): Community Development Specialist II (1.0 FTE, vacant). This report provides details regarding the need, job duties, and funding of each position.
Discussion:
The Community Development Commission (Commission) has identified a number of position allocations that are necessary to meet client needs, goals, objectives, and strategies. A total of 6.0 full-time equivalent positions, three of which are time-limited, are being requested. In addition, 1.0 full-time equivalent position, which is vacant, is to be deleted as part of this item. The requested effective date for all position changes is August 24, 2021. This report provides details regarding the need, job duties, and funding of each position.
Accountant II (1.0 FTE), Funded via the Voucher Program’s Administration ongoing annual award of $3.4M. In addition, the Voucher Program will have a fund balance of $3.3M that can be used for additional administrative expenses if needed. This fund balance was derived from prior years unexpended administrative awards and remains with the Commission for administrative expenses.
The Commission currently has two filled Accountant I/II positions. The Commission manages 36 Funds that range from rehabilitation projects, flood mitigation, homeless services, continuum of care grants and awards, homeless emergency aid and assistance prevention programs, voucher programs and low mod income housing asset funds and our newly created property management projects funds. Additionally, the Commission assists over 3,000 families through the voucher programs on a monthly basis, oversees 2 hotels (Home Key) and maintains a loan portfolio in excess of 800 loans. Each year, millions of dollars are awarded to sub-recipients that aid in assisting the County’s most vulnerable population find and locate housing. With so many needs of the Agency, the Supervising Accountant requires additional support to be able to effectively perform the duties assigned which include supervision of staff, assisting in strategic planning, forecasting, supervising and overseeing the budget process, supporting and overseeing the audit process. Adding an additional Accountant I/II position to help support the department would allow for proper maintenance of all Commission funds and programs thus freeing the Supervising Accountant to perform job functions at the higher level required.
The new Accountant I/II will provide the transactional support that the Commission requires to properly regulate all funds and projects entrusted to the Commission. Without proper support, the Commission could be jeopardized during annual audits performed by an independent firm that could possibly result in an unsatisfactory audit. This may result in a cascade effect that could jeopardize Federal/State funding thus making the Commission unable to meet the Board of Supervisor’s priorities to assist the County’s most vulnerable population secure permanent housing.
This position will provide budget and audit support, analysis, support to the Program Managers, monitoring/tracking of grants and various funding streams. In addition, this position will be responsible for the annual Financial Assessment (FASS) submission to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and import/reconciliation of the monthly Voucher Housing Assistance payments in the Voucher Management System. This position will also need to stay current on PIH Notices (Public & Indian Housing) as provided by HUD. This position will establish and maintain a relationship with the City of Santa Rosa Housing Authority as the Sonoma County Housing Authority currently has a client transfer relationship with the City of Santa Rosa. This position will also play a key role in the Community Development Commission annual audit as the Housing Authority is the largest Department in Agency and accounts for nearly 50 percent of the Commission’s gross expenditures.
Given the current Board of Supervisor’s priorities, funding streams and workloads, there are no other existing positions within the Commission which can absorb this body of work.
Housing Authority Division Positions:
These new Housing Authority positions are needed in response to the number of new vouchers and programs that have been awarded to the Housing Authority over the past two years. In total, the Housing Authority has received 439 new programmatic rental assistance vouchers since 2019. The influx of new rental assistance program vouchers has created a need for additional staff to perform the administrative work associated with the vouchers.
Community Development Specialist II (1.0 FTE and 1.0 FTE, Time-Limited), Funded by Housing Authority Administrative Fees, CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Administrative Fees, and Emergency Housing Voucher Administrative Fees
The Community Development Specialist II is a critical Housing Authority role responsible for completing required eligibility intake and recertification exams for participants of the Housing Authority's various rental assistance programs.
These positions will perform waitlist prescreening appointments; initial eligibility determinations; portability intakes (transfers in from another jurisdiction); processing Housing Authority transfer requests (transfers out to another jurisdiction); and annual recertification appointments for voucher holders.
If these positions are not added, the Housing Authority's capacity to effectively and quickly deploy its existing and new rental assistance vouchers will be diminished.
Community Development Associate (1.0 FTE, Time-Limited) (Housing Authority), Funded by Housing Authority Administrative Fees
This position will oversee the administrative work that is required by regulation. With the influx of rental assistance vouchers, the occupancy team has grown to the point that it can no longer effectively be supervised by the intake supervisor.
This position will provide supervision of a team of seven Community Development Specialists who have a combined caseload of over 3,000 rental assistance clients. Duties will include quality control file audits, day to day support of the occupancy specialists, scheduling, hearing customer complaints and ensuring that work is done in a consistent and timely manner.
This position is necessary in order to avoid delays in the accomplishment of work required by regulation.
Community Development Associate (1.0 FTE, Time-Limited) (Navigation), Funded by CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act Administrative Fees and Emergency Housing Voucher Administrative Fees
Since 2019, the Housing Navigation program has grown to include 3 FTE housing navigators, 2 Extra Help housing navigators and 1 Extra Help Senior Office Assistant. This new position will provide direct supervision to the navigation team and relieve the Program Manager and Program Compliance Officer of supervision responsibilities allowing them to focus on higher-level responsibilities.
Duties of the new position will include coordinating the caseloads of all of the housing navigators, ensuring that all funding requirements are being met, and ensuring that all appropriate documentation is being collected and processed.
Continuing to conduct business as it is now is not effective and is causing delays in the accomplishment of required work. There are no other allocations that can continue to provide the support necessary for this program to function fully.
Senior Community Development Specialist (1.0 FTE), Funded by Housing Authority Administrative Fees, Family Self Sufficiency Program Grant, Continuum of Care Special Needs Assistance Program Administrative Fees
The Commission is requesting to delete 1 full-time Community Development Specialist II (9138) and replace the allocation with 1 full-time Senior Community Development Specialist (9137). This change is needed as the latter will perform more complex tasks associated with the development and implementation of specialized programs such as Family Self Sufficiency which combines education, training, and case management to low income families to overcome barriers to employment with a goal to become financially independent of government subsidies. Additionally, incumbent will administer and coordinate the day to day activities of 4 Continuum of Care and 4 Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance programs, therefore requiring the need for the higher-level job class.
The existing allocation is a Community Development Specialist II, a journey level class, and is responsible for performing a variety of routine tasks related to eligibility determination, compliance, and/or program support. While the Senior Community Development Specialist position does perform eligibility determinations, the needs of the program require the position to focus on performing more complex tasks associated with the analysis, development, administration, and evaluation of assigned programs and projects.
Deletion of Community Development Specialist II (1.0 FTE)
In support of the request above, the Commission requests the deletion of one currently vacant Community Development Specialist II position, to be replaced with one Senior Community Development Specialist.
Prior Board Actions:
N/A
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 21-22 Adopted |
FY 22-23 Projected |
FY 23-24 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
|
912,607 |
690,173 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
641,625 |
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
641,625 |
912,607 |
690,173 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
641,625 |
912,607 |
690,173 |
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
641,625 |
912,607 |
690,173 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Accountant II (1.0 FTE)
This position will be funded via the Voucher Program’s Administration ongoing annual award of $3.4 million. In addition, the Voucher Program has a fund balance of $3.3 million that can be used for additional administrative expenses if needed. This Fund Balance was derived from prior years of unexpended administrative awards and remains with the Commission for administrative expenses.
Community Development Specialist II (1.0 FTE)
This position is funded with on-going Federal dollars from HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher and Special Needs Grants programs Administrative Cost allowances. The Housing Authority has seen an increase in administrative funding available due to the addition of program vouchers over the past two years. These funds will be used to fund the position.
Community Development Specialist II (1.0 FTE, Time-Limited)
The costs for the time-limited, Community Development Specialist II, will be funded using a combination of Emergency Housing Voucher Program (Coronavirus Aide, Relief, and Economic Security Act), Housing Authority Administrative Fee dollars, American Rescue Plan Housing Authority Administrative dollars, and general Housing Authority Administrative Fees.
Community Development Associate (1.0 FTE, Time-Limited) (Housing Authority)
This position will be funded utilizing Emergency Housing Voucher Program (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Administrative Act Administrative fees provided to Housing Authorities to assist in the increased administrative burden brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Community Development Associate (1.0 FTE, Time-Limited) (Navigation)
This position will be funded utilizing Emergency Housing Voucher Program (Coronavirus Aide, Relief, and Economic Security) Administrative Act Administrative fees provided to Housing Authorities to assist in the increased administrative burden brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senior Community Development Specialist (1.0 FTE)
There will be no impact to General Fund. The ongoing costs for the Senior Community Development Specialist will be funded through multiple ongoing Federal sources as follows:
• 25% Vouchers Direct Admin
• 25% FSS Coordinator Direct Admin
• 50% Special Needs Assistance Program (SNAP)
Deletion of Community Development Specialist II (1.0 FTE)
The savings from the deletion of this position will be absorbed by the addition of a FTE Senior Community Development Specialist.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
Accountant II |
$5,777.84 - $7,021.42 |
1.00 |
|
|
Community Development Specialist II |
$4,642.10 - $5,640.44 |
2.00 |
1.00 |
|
Community Development Associate |
$7,002.29 - 8,510.23 |
2.00 |
|
|
Senior Community Development Specialist |
$5,576.09 - $6,777.92 |
1.00 |
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
These are all new positions and the Commission will work with the Human Resources Department to begin the recruitment process for the positions listed in this item as soon as the position allocations become effective.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 - Personnel Resolution
Attachment 2 - Budget Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None