DATE: January 24, 2023
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Paul Nerland, County Administrative Officer
SUBJECT: State Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Subrecipient Agreements with
Break the Barriers Inc. and
Clovis Rodeo Association Foundation
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and Authorize the Chairman to execute Subrecipient Agreement for American Rescue Plan Act - State Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA-SLFRF) with Break the Barriers Inc. in the amount of $300,000 to address negative economic impacts of the pandemic on its skill-building programs that are available to children, youth, and adults that promote physical and mental health, boost self-confidence, promote personal wellness, and decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety;
Approve and Authorize the Chairman to execute Subrecipient Agreement for ARPA-SLFRF with Clovis Rodeo Association Foundation (Clovis Rodeo) in the amount of $200,000 that will reimburse and provide funding assistance in support of the 2022 Rodeo which is responsive to the negative economic impacts to the local tourism, travel, and hospitality industry, and supports a strong and equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn
REPORT
Approval of the recommended actions will allocate $300,000 of ARPA-SLFRF to Break the Barriers Inc. to address negative impacts of the pandemic on its skill-building programs that are available to children, youth, and adults that promote physical and mental health, boost self-confidence, promote personal wellness, and decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety and $200,000 of ARPA-SLFRF to the Clovis Rodeo to reimburse and provide funding assistance for the 2022 Rodeo which responds to the negative economic impacts to the local tourism, travel, and hospitality industry, and supports a strong and equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn. Both items are countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If your Board were not to approve the recommended actions, SLFRF would not become available to Break the Barriers Inc. to address negative economic impacts of the pandemic on its skill-building programs. Additionally, SLFRF would not become available to the Clovis Rodeo to address negative economic impacts to the local tourism, travel, and hospitality industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with recommended actions. Costs for recommended actions will be funded through Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector Org. 1033 - Disaster Claiming, Fund 0026, Subclass 91021, Account 7845.
DISCUSSION:
The United States Department of the Treasury’s (Treasury) Title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 35 Coronavirus SLFRF Interim Final Rule (“Interim Final Rule”) and Final Rule (“Final Rule”) establish a framework for determining the types of programs and services that are eligible under the ARPA. SLFRF may be used for eligible activities under the following general categories:
A. Respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency or its negative economic impacts;
B. Provide premium pay for essential workers;
C. Replace public sector revenue loss, subject to certain limitations; and
D. Make necessary investments in infrastructure such as in water, sewer, and broadband.
The Final Rule permits SLFRF to be used to cover costs for eligible activities within the four general categories for the period that begins March 3, 2021, and ends on December 31, 2024. Recipients and its subrecipients, must return any funds to the Treasury which are not obligated by December 31, 2024, and any funds not expended to cover such obligations by December 31, 2026.
On February 1, 2022, your Board approved the Ad-Hoc Committee’s expenditure plan which earmarked funds for proposals that may be funded either in whole or in part by the County’s $194,063,657 allocation of SLFRF. The approved expenditure plan included $14,105,219 in SLFRF to be made available to qualifying subrecipients through a 30-day application solicitation period and selection review process. On June 21, 2022, your Board approved the earmarking of $13,954,929 to provide funding to 22 subrecipient proposals, including Break the Barriers Inc. ($300,000) and the Clovis Rodeo Association Foundation ($200,000) for programs that respond to the public health emergency or its negative economic impacts.
Under Section 602(c)(3) of the ARPA, the County may transfer SLFRF to nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations for eligible uses for the purpose of meeting ARPA’s goals. The following section summarize the recommended subrecipient agreements.
Break the Barriers Inc.
For over 35 years, Break the Barriers Inc. represents that it has helped thousands of individuals by promoting acceptance and inclusion for individuals of all ages, ethnicities, and abilities through a diverse array of adaptive programs, providing quality athletics, physical conditioning/rehabilitation, performing arts and literacy courses for two specific populations: children and youth from underserved, low-income households and individuals with physical and/or mental disabilities. Break the Barriers Inc. represents that its programs improve participants’ physical and mental health, boost self-confidence, promote personal wellness, and decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Break the Barriers Inc. represents that its services have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic due to required closures to comply with the emergency public health orders to contain the spread of COVID-19, including but not limited to extended closures to its programs and services. SLFRF provided under the recommended Agreement will address the negative economic impacts of the pandemic to four of Break the Barriers Inc.’s programs that provide participants access to inclusive learning opportunities and recreational activities:
1. Literacy Plus, which provides literacy building blocks through software-driven programs to help children and youth participants advance in their phonics, sight-word retention skills, and reading skills;
2. Buddy Program, which is a free program in partnership with local school districts that brings students in both special and general education classes to participate in programs together to builds relationships;
3. “Helping Open Possibilities with Exercise” (HOPE), which is a program that benefits individuals who have had a spinal cord injury, those with cerebral palsy, spina bifida, or stroke or experience other physical needs or injuries to improve mobility and range of motion; and
4. Disabled Veterans Program / Spectrum and Adaptive Swim, which is an adaptive mobility training, daily health and fitness, and group activity support placement, and the “Spectrum and Adaptive Swim” program, which teaches participants with Autism Spectrum skills in water safety, work ethic, self-discipline, endurance, and sportsmanship.
The first recommended action will provide funding assistance to help fund operational expenses for the implementation of the four programs, consisting of program administration, personnel salaries and benefits, training and facility rental expenses, transportation, and educational resources and services, which were impacted by the pandemic. The recommended Agreement is intended to support a strong and equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn by providing funding assistance to Break the Barriers Inc. to implement its four programs, which were impacted by the pandemic.
Clovis Rodeo Association Foundation
The Clovis Rodeo is a nonprofit organization that provides public education, support, and promotion on the heritage of the rodeo, and provides scholarships and resources for the education in the areas of agriculture, livestock, animal welfare, rodeo and related fields. The Clovis Rodeo, in collaboration with its nonprofit partners, annually holds a five-day Rodeo event every April that attracts thousands of visitors to the County. The Rodeo annually contributes and supports numerous nonprofit organizations, local school districts, community-based organizations. The annual Rodeo events generate an economic impact of more than $15 million in revenues for the region.
The Clovis Rodeo represents that its 2020 Rodeo was completely cancelled due to the pandemic. The 2021 Rodeo was held at a limited capacity of less than 2,000 attendees per day, in contrast more than 8,000 attendees per day in a normal year, and was strictly regulated by health and safety protocols such as testing all guests and athletes prior to event entry, increased sanitation practices to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and/or verification of proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
After two years of closures and restrictions, on April 20, 2022 through April 24, 2022, the Clovis Rodeo held the 2022 event in an effort to bolster the local tourism and travel industry in Fresno County, and make up unprecedented financial losses during the pandemic. The 2022 Rodeo was a coordinated community partnership focused on recovery and helping community partners, nonprofit organizations, local school districts, and community-based organizations make-up unprecedented financial losses during the pandemic, and drew more than 40,000 attendees, which includes rodeo contestants, stock contractors, vendors, rodeo volunteers, and visitors to the Rodeo and Fresno County.
SLFRF provided under the recommended Agreement is intended to respond to the negative economic impact to the impacted tourism, travel, and hospitality industry, and to support a strong and equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn. The SLFRF provided will help the SUBRECIPIENT, a nonprofit organization, recover from the negative economic impacts from the pandemic, as well as support and enhance local tourism, travel, and hospitality industries in Fresno County and contribute to an increase in revenue sales for numerous nonprofit organizations, local school districts, community based organizations, local establishments, stores, hotels, restaurants, small business, and the local economy as a whole.
The recommended Agreement will reimburse and provide operations funding assistance in support of the 2022 Rodeo event, assistance with the cost of security patrolling services to maintain safety protocols for all guests, contract professional rodeo livestock and feed services, rental equipment such as generators, tractors, crowd fencing, ticketing equipment, golf carts, and lighting for the Rodeo, and technical assistance for marketing and promotional services for the 2022 Rodeo event.
The Final Rule designates travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors as being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Treasury provides the County broad flexibility to use SLFRF to aid and mitigate financial hardships, such as a decline in revenues to impacted industries resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, as an eligible use of SLFRF.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #7, June 21, 2022
BAI #3, February 1, 2022
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Break the Barriers Inc.
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Clovis Rodeo Association Foundation
CAO ANALYST:
George Uc