NEW BUSINESS  23.

COMMITTEE MEMORANDUM

KEY INTENDED OUTCOME:
Streamline The Delivery Of Services Through All Departments

HISTORY:

Commissioner Michael Gongora placed a referral to the Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee on the June 6, 2018 City Commission meeting agenda. The referral was to have a discussion requiring training of board directors of non-profit agencies receiving City funds. The training would address best practices for effective agency management.

ANALYSIS:

The City provides funding to a variety of non-profit agencies. While a more extensive list of awardees is attached, the following list is a limited sampling of agencies receiving City funds:

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami
• Miami Beach Community Health Center
• Douglas gardens Community Mental Health Center
• Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce
• North Beach Development Corporation
• Miami Design Preservation League
• Friends of the Bass Museum
• Miami Beach Garden Conservancy
• O’ Cinema
• New World Symphony
• Miami City Ballet
• Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival

This funding is provided through a variety of avenues including General Fund Citywide Grants, Cultural Arts Council Grants, Community Development Block Grants, and HOME Investment Partnership grants.

The goal of the proposed training is to ensure that board members of the agencies receiving City funds receive exposure to important information that will ensure responsible agency stewardship. The training would mirror the training required of condominium board members that underscore topics such as ethics, the basic elements of agreements, understanding bylaws, and the execution of duties, among other topics. Below please find a sampling of discussion topics that may be included in the training which could be provided by City staff from various departments with experience and/or expertise in the respective areas. The topics in bold are also provided in the condominium course:

  Participating agencies would be required to have 51% or more of its board membership complete the training within the last two years prior to the receipt of City funds. Finally, this training would be made available a minimum of twice a year to facilitate participation.

Since larger organizations typically have this type of capacity, it is recommended that the training be required for agencies with annual operating budgets less than $5 million.

Further, the Administration is seeking direction on a threshold for exemption of smaller grants (e.g $10,000 or $25,000).  See attached list of City grants.

CONCLUSION:

The Administration is seeking direction on the implementation of a non-profit capacity training program.