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American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds Update; Bishop CITY OF HOPKINS Memorandum To: Honorable Mayor and Council Members Mike Mornson, City Manager From: Nick Bishop, Finance Director Date: October 11, 2022 Subject: American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds Update _____________________________________________________________________ PURPOSE The purpose of this item is to give a progress update on the ARPA Spending Plan and discuss possible uses for the unallocated funds. INFORMATION During 2021, the City of Hopkins was allocated $2,018,224 in federal grant aid through ARPA. The City has until the end of 2024 to spend the funds on eligible costs. City Council met and discussed ARPA in January, February and March of 2022. A spending plan was developed based on City Council priorities, community input and staff recommendations. The spending plan was adopted by City Council on April 5, 2022. The plan authorized spending of $1,618,224. The unallocated $400,000 of ARPA funds are held in the City’s ARPA special revenue fund. The following pages give progress update on how the allocated funds are being used. It also give possible uses for the remaining funds, a total of $500,000 after savings from original plan. FUTURE ACTION Based on feedback from the City Council, staff will determine the next steps. This could include additional meetings to discuss possible uses or adopting a resolution authorizing spending in a specific area. Finance Department ARPA Projects and Funds Update: Previous Allocation Updates: Revenue Loss - $618,224 The City will allocate a portion of ARPA funds to address revenue loss for Art Center Fund ($318,224), Depot Fund ($35,000), Parking Fund ($15,000) and Pavilion Fund ($250,000). Update: Fund: 2021 End Balance ARPA Allocation 2021 Balance (Deficit) w/ARPA 6/30/2022 Projected (Deficit) Art Center ($757,211) $318,224 ($438,987) ($387,987) Depot ($134,914) $35,000* ($134,914) ($134,914) Parking ($8,700) $15,000 $7,200 ($24,330) Pavilion ($250,377) $250,000 ($377) $19,675 *Depot - Council allocated $35,000 to hold for the Depot with the requirement that Depot Partners are also asked to contribute towards the deficit (Hopkins Schools, Minnetonka, Three Rivers Park District). Those funds are still being held for the Depot and discussions are being planned. Notes: The Parking fund and the Depot continue to struggle to return to pre-pandemic levels. The Pavilion and the Art Center have not fully recovered but are balancing their budgets. Planner - $275,000 Hiring one additional planner beginning on 7/1/2022 through 12/31/2024. Update: Position was hired and started with the City on 8/10/2022. Based on the level hired, staff is estimating this position in total to come in at $200,000 for the period mentioned above. Staff is proposing using the additional $75,000 through the revenue loss rules and dedicating the funds to funding the position for part of 2025. Workforce Development - $17,000 Council allocated $17,000 for hiring an intern and technical assistance associated with the workforce development program. Update: Staff hired a summer intern to assist with researching the workforce development program. Emma Hurbanis will give an update at the October 11, 2022 City Council work session explaining her research and provide a full copy of the report. The City also received a grant from Hennepin County for the summer of 2022 for an amount up to $15,500. These funds were used to do a mini-pilot program with interns being placed in city departments. Staff is optimistic this grant or another funding source may be available again next summer. The next phase is for the City to start working with Brooklynk directly on the technical assistance associated with implementing a program (funded previously). For 2024, Staff would like to pilot the program with one private business partner. Staff is requesting an additional $7,000 to have an intern or part-time program coordinator assist in the summer of 2023 with the administration and supervision of the program. Equity Council allocated $50,000 to Equity work, $40,000 towards an assessment, engagement, and strategic planning and discussed future funding of $10,000 towards on-going implementation. Update: The City has contracted with Culture Brokers to do a Racial Equity Audit and Strategic Racial Equity Action Plan (SREAP) for the organization. The assessment will be a citywide project that will begin this Fall and should finalize by the end of 2022. Staff is requesting $10,000 for training and implementation work associated with the SREAP. Community Safety Programming: Council approved a spending plan related to the City’s ARPA funds with an allocation of $500,000 for Community Safety with $260,000 going for a police officer (two years) and $240,000 set aside for Community Safety and Mental Health initiatives. The City brought together public, private and community stakeholders to take a comprehensive approach to creating community and public safety solutions. The committee proposed to council and Council approved an allocation of $215,000, leaving a balance of $25,000 to be reallocated. Police Officer - $260,000 Hiring one additional police officer beginning on 1/1/2023 through 12/31/2024 (two years). Update: Police Department is currently recruiting for several vacancies. Timeline on this position does not start until 1/1/2023. Youth Based Mental Health Social Worker - $145,000 Similar to the City’s current embedded Hennepin County social worker who focuses on adult behavioral health, the community would benefit from a position focused directly on the youth. Goal is to connect the resources between the agencies serving our youth (School, County, Police/City) and resources/partners to best serve the needs of youth. Cost Leveraging Opportunities Timeline Total Estimated $240,000 (2 year pilot) City ARPA 60% $145,000 *Est. Hennepin County - 40% or $95,000 Position would work for Hennepin County, be embedded in the Hopkins Police Department and work with School District to provide interconnected services focus on youth mental health. 2022-2024 School Year Update: Hennepin County has agreed to share the cost of this two-year pilot program. A contract/ Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) has been drafted and will be approved shortly. The program is slated to begin in January of 2023 at a cost of $60,000 a year for the City. Goals in the JPA: A. More timely engagement of Senior Social Wprker (SSW) with youth and families; B. Increased access to community resources; C. Increased access to public assistance programs; D. Increased awareness of non-urgent health care systems; E. Improved engagement of current service providers; F. Ongoing collaboration and learning between Hennepin County and Hopkins Police Department; G. Reducing rate of arrests/prosecution of persons in mental health crisis and increase the number of persons who remain in community settings with services and supports; H. Creating cost-savings through reduction of incarceration and hospitalization resulting from mental health crisis; I. Reducing repeat calls and visits for the same issue; J. Improving efficacy of law enforcement response to emergency and non- emergency mental health issues; and K. Increasing public satisfaction with the response to mental health emergencies and other metrics developed utilizing key stakeholder and community input. Sanneh Foundation embedded Tutor/Mentors at HHS - $40,000 Support embedded tutor-mentors at HHS for the 2022-2023 school year via the Sanneh Foundation’s Dreamline program - an academic intervention program serving low-income, under-performing students in public middle schools and high schools. The communities hit hardest by the pandemic right now are overwhelmingly low-income, highly-mobile, and food-insecure. Dreamline will embed three tutor-mentors (i.e. Coaches) at HHS to provide services on-site to students identified as most in need of intervention, whose teachers and administrators have identified as failing or near failing, and whose academic futures are in the greatest jeopardy. The majority of these students come from communities of color and speak numerous languages, including but not limited to: English, Hmong, Spanish, and Somali. Dreamline coaches provide enhanced academic intervention, culturally specific social-emotional support, and academic assistance. The goal is to increase these students' academic performance, to improve school connectedness, and to develop leadership and relationship skills, so that they are empowered to positively contribute to their school and the Hopkins community. Cost Leveraging Opportunities Timeline Total Estimated $150,000 Sanneh Foundation - $30,000 Hopkins Schools – $80,000 City ARPA $40,000 (proportionate to population of Hopkins youth compared to district youth) Dreamline coaches could collaborate with City of Hopkins and community volunteers to provide midday and afterschool mentoring opportunities with Hopkins High School students. 2022-2023 School Year Update: Over the course of the past month, Dreamline has been spending time successfully integrating into Hopkins high school. Some of the activities Dreamline staff members have been engaged in include the following: • Introducing themselves to all scholars and school staff. • Meeting regularly with school administration. • Meeting with teachers/school staff to see where Dreamline can best support them. • Gathering logistical needs such as acquiring a school email, teacher/staff meeting times/locations, school identification cards, and setting up a Dreamline space within the school. • Meeting and working with other school support staff to see how Dreamline can collaborate to support these teams and their scholars. • Being present throughout the school passing periods and lunchtimes so scholars can continue to become familiar with Dreamline and begin building trusting relationships. • Pushing into classrooms to learn more about teachers, their classroom styles, and observing scholars who could be identified as Dreamline. • Working with HHS administration to identify scholars who would benefit from being a part of the Dreamline program. • Creating a cohort list of students to start building quality developmental relationships, mentoring, and providing academic support. • Having conversations with scholars about how Dreamline can best support them. West Metro Youth Collaborative - $20,000 Support the need to establish a multijurisdictional collaborative led by and with youth to build positive mentorship and social opportunities for youth in the West Metro. This collaborative will invite nonprofit organizations, government agencies, schools, and youth leaders to an advisory council in order to share knowledge, eliminate service silos, and identify gaps in youth programming. Like the Brooklyn Bridge Alliance, the collaborative will rely on a Youth-led Participatory Action Research model. As youth are experts in their own lives, a summer pilot program will provide a small group of high school students (10-25) with the tools and frameworks to conduct research into the conditions that negatively affect them and their peers. Participants will brainstorm potential solutions and present both their findings and recommendations to the advisory board at the end of summer. Their research and the discussions amongst the advisory council will establish the structure of the West Metro Youth Collaborative. Cost Leveraging Opportunities Timeline Total Estimated $60,000 Hennepin County- $20,000 Hopkins Schools – $20,000 City ARPA $20,000 This organization would bring together the City of Hopkins, Hopkins Schools, Hennepin County, Met Council, and area nonprofits to more holistically serve our youth, young adults, and their families and avoid duplicating efforts. Summer 2022- 2023 Update: From June - early September, eight consultants ages 15-21 worked with ICA Community Relations Manager Dominique Pierre-Toussaint and Hopkins School Board Chair Jen Westmoreland to interview and survey community members, organize an informational event, and create a mission statement and visual branding identity for the Generation Enhanced Network (GEN) collaborative. Chair Westmoreland is currently working with Hennepin County Commissioner Chris LaTondresse to create the organizational structure for the collaborative. We look forward to sharing a presentation on GEN prepared by the consultants at a future council work session. Community Safety Micro Grants - $10,000 Develop a one-time micro grant program to provide grants up to $1,000 to the community lead initiatives focused on address community safety. Grant requests could include: funds for food resources for community gathering(s), speaker or facility fees for hosting an event. The possibilities are endless and would empower the community and see what they come up with for ideas. Cost Leveraging Opportunities Timeline Total Estimated $10,000 City’s ARPA $10,000 Giving an opportunity for the community to give feedback and help prioritize community safety. Fall 2022 - 2024 Update: Not started. The plan is to put together the grant priorities/process this fall and for the micro grant application process to open in early 2023 for summer/fall 2023 projects. Economic Development/ Grant Programs City Council authorized $500,000 to be spent on Economic Development with $275,000 of the funds going towards the planner position mentioned above and the remaining funds of $225,000 authorized for programs to be proposed by Community Development. Below is a breakdown of Community Development’s plans for the funds. Utilize a unique opportunity of one-time funding to achieve multiple economic development goals including direct support for small businesses, create a dynamic public experience, build on Hopkins’ as a diverse and art-supportive community and preserve/enhance a key City-owned property. Mini-Grants to Small Businesses Cost Leveraging Opportunities Timeline Total Estimated $75,000 City’s ARPA $75,000 Funds to support private investment in publicly-visible improvements to commercial properties throughout the City of Hopkins Spring 2023 - 2024 Mural Project Total Estimated $125,000 City’s ARPA $125,000 Murals on private property that achieve specific goals of cultural enhancement, community identity and placemaking Winter 2023 - 2024 Masonic Lodge Improvements Total Estimated $25,000 City’s ARPA $25,000 Replace front door and paint trim (if funds allow) on the City-owned property at 907 Mainstreet. The improvements will enhance the downtown as the future home of the Hopkins Historical Society. Summer 2023 Update: Director Elverum will give a presentation introducing the projects proposed by Economic Development (above), this will be the first time these items are presented. Discussion: Remaining ARPA Balance: The Council still had $400,000 amount of unallocated ARPA dollars based on the April 5th Spending Plan. There is approximately $100,000 in savings to reallocate - $75,000 left from the planning position (which is recommended to be extended below) and $25,000 from the community safety group. Staff will continue to spend in the areas originally allocated. Below are a list of some options for Council to consider regarding the $500,000 in funds remaining. Possible Uses of remaining ARPA Funds: Energy Efficiency Improvements– Revolving loan fund - $100,000 To establish a revolving loan fund Council would dedicate $100,000 which would be used to assist local businesses and multi-family properties of 5 or more, with energy improvements through special assessments. Green Cost Share Program - $100,000 To establish a Green Cost Share program Council would dedicate $100,000, the funds would provide a city funded match towards energy improvements. Funds would either need to be replenished or the program would have a limited run. Equity Assessment Training & Implementation - $10,000 Allocate $10,000 to continued training and implementation work related to the City’s Strategic Racial Equity Action Plan (currently being developed with Culture Brokers). Youth Workforce Development Intern 2023 - $7,000 Allocate an additional $7,000 to have an intern or part-time program coordinator to assist in the summer of 2023 with the administration and supervision of the program. Staff would apply for grants for fund the youth compensation. Parking ramp revenue loss to pay for maintenance - $50,000 The parking fund continues to struggle and there are some roofed areas over the elevator and stairwells in need of repair. An allocation in this area would prevent the fund from going further into deficit. Police Capital Requests - $90,000 Mobile Video Surveillance Camera - $70,000 – Tower elevated surveillance cameras that can be moved and located for additional security for large events such as Raspberry Festival and Mainstreet Days. The tower can be deployed in areas needing additional surveillance/monitoring due to criminal activity. Four (4) Automatic License Plate Readers $20,000 – Stationary camera systems placed on or near public roadways to locate stolen vehicles or wanted persons and to track vehicles for traffic impact studies. Planner position extension into 2025 - $50,000 Allocate $50,000 towards the planner through the revenue loss rules and dedicating the funds to funding the position for part of 2025. Dow Towers Dedication towards Sprinkler’s - $50,000 Fire Alarm and Sprinkler System Installation - $50,000 – Dow Towers is seeking financial assistance to cover a portion of the cost related to installing a sprinkler system and an upgraded fire alarm system in the building. At this time, Dow Towers does not have a sprinkler system to stop or prevent a fire outbreak in the building. The sprinkler system is a life-saving building tool that Dow Towers requires. The matching amount will make Hopkins HRA/Dow Towers more competitive in grant funding with Hennepin County, the State of Minnesota and HUD to help cover the full cost of installing a new sprinkler system and an upgraded fire alarm system.