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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity of Tamarac Resolution R-2011-025Temp. Reso. No. 11992 February 28, 2011 Page 1 CITY OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA RESOLUTION NO. R-2011 --c� _5 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA APPROVING THE PROGRAM POLICY FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM; AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING THE MAYOR OR IN HER ABSENCE, THE VICE -MAYOR TO APPROVE THE POLICY, PROVIDING FOR CONFLICT; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, the Neighborhood Partnership Program was implemented in 2008 to provide for a matching grant opportunity for improvements to common areas of a community to Homeowners Associations/Organizations and Neighborhood Associations within the City of Tamarac ("City"); and WHEREAS, the Neighborhood Partnership Program will foster the needs of our community through enhanced neighborhood vitality and increased communications with residents; and WHEREAS, the Community Development Department has created project eligibility criteria and guidelines; and WHEREAS, the Neighborhood Partnership has proven to be successful since its inception in 2008 fostering seventeen partnerships; and WHEREAS, the City Commission finds that it is in the best interest of the public of the City of Tamarac, Florida to formally approve the program policy of the Neighborhood Partnership Program and its revisions since its implementation in 2008. [I- Temp. Reso. No. 11992 February 28, 2011 Page 2 NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA that: Section 1: The City Commission of the City of Tamarac hereby approves the Neighborhood Partnership Program Policy, attached hereto as Exhibit "A"; and all exhibits attached hereto are incorporated herein and made a specific part of this resolution. Section 2: All resolutions or parts of resolutions in conflict herewith are hereby repealed to the extent of such conflict. Section 3: If any clause, section, other part or application of this Resolution is held by any court of competent jurisdiction to be unconstitutional or invalid, in part or application, it shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions or applications of this Resolution. Section 4: This resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption. C� 1 1 Temp. Reso. No. 11992 February 28, 2011 Page 3 APPROVED, PASSED AND ADOPTED THIS DAY OF %da_, 2011. AMAAq o.. z c i : \sHEI : A - e9l 9 ATTE T ,,� 1) coo`��� PETER RICHARDSON, CMC/ CITY CLERK CA-1 I HEREBY CERTIFY that I Have approved this RESOLUTION as to foram. 1 SA EL S. GOR17N, CITY ATTORNEY (A,,�/i�k(}�WLIY PAMELA BUSHNELL MAYOR P. BUSHNELL, MAYOR M. GOMEZ, VICE -MAYOR D. GLASSER, COMM. H. DRESSLER, COMM. CITY OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM POLICY U:angclab/Neighborhood Partnership Program Policy January 2007 — Version 1 March 2011 — Version 2 Table of Contents Purpose Neighborhood / Homeowners Associations or Organizations definitions Types of Partnerships Eligibility for Matching Grants Terms of a Neighborhood Partnership Agreement District Award Break -down Funding Priorities Selection / Notification Neighborhood Proposal Evaluation Criteria Ten Steps to Success Grant Application U:angelab/Neighborhood Partnership Program Policy January 2007 — Version 1 March 2011 —Version 2 Purpose The City of Tamarac is your "Community of Choice", and in order to maintain that desirability, the City is committed to working together with it's neighborhood associations, homeowner's associations and organizations to provide opportunities for on -going improvement. The Neighborhood Partnership Program has been developed to foster the needs of our communities, enhance neighborhood vitality, and stimulate satisfaction within our communities. The Neighborhood Partnership Program will promote an energy within through neighborhood meetings and planning opportunities that promote two-way communication with residents, support of neighborhood/homeowner associations, and cultivate neighborhood partnership agreements. Neighborhood ! Homeowners Associations or Organizations Neighborhood Associations and Organizations are voluntary, non-profit organizations formed by residents of a subdivision or a neighborhood. The goal of these organizations is to enhance and preserve the quality of the neighborhood. A neighborhood association's / organization's activities may include beautification efforts and developing crime prevention programs. The neighborhood association/organization has no regulatory powers. *Homeowner Associations are mandatory for all property owners within the boundaries of the development with an established homeowners association and usually charge mandatory fees. They also have legal authority to enact and enforce maintenance and design standards, and levy fees for maintenance of common areas. City staff can assist neighborhoods in establishing neighborhood associations / organizations where no organization currently exists. The goal is to create ongoing organizations of residents devoted to betterment of the neighborhood in which they live. Assistance may be in the following forms: Staff Consultations — City staff can serve as consultants and facilitators, if needed, during initial neighborhood association planning meetings. Staff members will attend organizational meetings, will give technical advice and be available for questions. Staff will provide sample articles of incorporation and by-laws for neighborhood organizations. Mailings and Flyers — The City may provide up to three mailings to the residents in the neighborhood to try to interest the community in organizing a neighborhood association if the neighborhood organization is distributing flyers by hand, staff my provide additional copy services. Staff may design and make copies of flyers for this purpose. U:angelab/Neighborhood Partnership Program Policy January 2007 — Version 1 March 2011 -- Version 2 Types of Neighborhood Partnerships Nei hborhood Association/Homeowners Associations The City will enter into matching grant agreements with neighborhood organizations/associations and homeowner associations located in Tamarac for the purpose of fostering neighborhood empowerment and vitality. All groups must be registered with the Community Development Department as an active neighborhood organization. If the Organization/Association is not registered as a Florida not -for -profit corporation pursuant to Chapter 617.301-312, Florida Statutes one of the following conditions must apply: 1. The improvement must be located on public property and installed with sweat equity; 2. The improvement is located on public property and funds to complete the improvement are donated to the City of Tamarac and completed by the City or its contractor; or 3. A combination of 1 and 2 are used to complete the improvement. 4. The improvement is located on private property and is visible to the general public. Improvements to privgUroperties are sub'ect to easement and other applicable agreements These agreements will pertain to either community involvement or beautification, and shall include, but not be limited to the following items: Community Outreach Programs will involve projects that directly include neighbors in advancing the vitality and safety of the neighborhood. The intent of projects in this area will be to have the City funds work as a catalyst to initiate new programs. Funding will not be available as a regular funding stream for ongoing operations. Examples of safety projects: upgrading facilities at a neighborhood park, providing education at the neighborhood level, neighborhood watch organization programs, citizen patrols, child safety programs, code compliance programs and planning special neighborhood events. Safety projects should enhance the safety of the neighborhood residents. Beautification Programs will involve low maintenance landscaping or other improvements to rights -of -way or City -owned property in or around the neighborhood, which serve to beautify the neighborhood. Such projects could include upgrades such as: neighborhood, or park signage, median landscaping, neighborhood park landscaping, and street tree plantings in rights -of -way (other than required street trees). Improvements funded by the City through the Neighborhood Partnership Program need to be identifiable as a shared asset to the community and something that will endure with time. Improvement Districts The City ma enter into a rant agreement with improvements districts enacted by the Cit Commission in keeping with Chapter 163 F.S. U:angelab/Neighborhood Partnership Program Policy January 2007 — Version 1 March 2011 — Version 2 Eligibility for Matching Grants The matching grant program is designed to give assistance to specific neighborhood projects that will promote a stronger and healthier community. Who is eligible? Active Neighborhood Associations/Organizations and Homeowner Associations within the City of Tamarac registered with the Community Development Department. mprovement districts established under„ Chapter 163 F. S. Project must be located within a community that is at least 5 years old. (The average ages of the homes are greater than 5 years old.) All projects must be visible and accessible from a public roadway. If the Organization/Association is not registered as a Florida not -for -profit corporation pursuant to Chapter 617.301-312, Florida Statutes, the improvement must be located on public property and donated to the City of Tamarac. What type of project is eligible for funding? The neighborhood improvements must benefit the entire neighborhood or community and demonstrate the direct involvement of the neighborhood residents (all project proposals must include members of the neighborhood in the identification, planning and execution of the project). Program funds cannot be used to replace the organization's current operating budget. Additionally, no project should benefit an individual more than it would the entire neighborhood. Examples of projects that are eligible for funding: low water use landscape projects, removal of nuisance species, subdivision signs, enhanced lighting, traffic calming devices (subject to the City's Traffic Calming Policy), and safety projects. What kind of project is not eligible? Funds cannot be used for maintenance -type projects. Maintenance includes (but is not limited to): resealing or repaving streets, routine painting of walls or fences, trimming trees and/or shrubs and installing improvements required as part of the city code. U:angelab/Neighborhood Partnership Program Policy January 2007 — Version 1 March 2011 — Version 2 Terms of a Neighborhood Partnership Program Agreement Neighborhood Association/Homeowners Associations Grant Match Each neighborhood association will be expected to match at least 50% of the value of the City's contribution. The City's contribution may include in -kind services, such as labor and materials used by City work crews as well as cash contributions. The neighborhood contribution may include cash contributions as well as sweat equity contributed by neighborhood residents. Amount of Grant Grants will be capped at $5,000 for standard single family neighborhoods with public rights -of -way, $2,500 for townhouse/condominium projects. Exceptions will be made only when the public benefit to the community outside of the neighborhood warrants additional investment and will be made only for improvements to City - owned property such as parks or medians. NOTE: Twenty (20) percent of the total grant award will be withheld until final project completion and inspection. This requirement may be waived if the neighborhood is performing 100% sweat-equityfor project match. Grantee Must be an Established Entity The neighborhood association must form a Florida not -for -profit corporation in order to be considered for City funding under the Neighborhood Partnership Program. Some neighborhoods may already have existing homeowners associations, which could be utilized. The City does not require an incorporated homeowners association pursuant to sections 617.301-312, Florida Statutes. However, the City does require that the resident's form, at the very least, an Active Neighborhood Organization registered with the Community Development Department. This association must have officers (a President, Treasurer, and Secretary) and must show minutes of the meeting at which these officers were elected. Collection and Disbursement of Funds The City encourages all neighborhood associations to collect and disburse all monies collected for the purpose of joint partnership agreements. There may occasionally be extenuating circumstances where the neighborhood association is not equipped to collect the money themselves. In these cases, the City will hold the funds in a separate account until the association's bank account is open and ready to accept funds. All funds are to be spent or encumbered within one year of approval. Project Monitoring City staff will continually monitor the partnership to ensure adequate maintenance. U:angelab/Neighborhood Partnership Program Policy January 2007 — Version 1 March 2011 — Version 2 Application Deadlines All applications must be submitted by the approved deadline dates as established by the city administration. Applications will be accepted NO LATER THAN 4:00 P.M. or postmarked by 4:00 P.M. on the deadline date. Applications should be mailed or delivered to: City of Tamarac Community Development Department 7525 NW 88th Avenue, Room 206 Tamarac, FL 33321 Improvement Districts Each Improvement District enacted by the City Commission may apply fora grant up to 15 000. The improvement district must repay 50% of the grant once a revenue source has been established. If a revenue source is not established the glant shall be forgiven. District Award Break -Down Each City Commission District will receive a $10,000 per year maximum contribution with an additional $10,000 at -large. The grant within each District will be made based solely on a high score award basis as determined by the Evaluation Criteria worksheet. Staff will present the City Commission with the top high scoring projects for approval. Grants to improvement districts are not subject to this requirement. Funding Priorities When there are more projects requested than funding will allow, the following priorities will be used to determine which projects will be funded. ✓ Neighborhoods which have not received partnership funds in the past. ✓ Projects, which impact major thoroughfares, will receive a higher priority than those will, which impact interior streets. ✓ Projects which serve to revitalize older or declining neighborhoods. ✓ Neighborhood associations and homeowner association who serve larger numbers of residents will have a higher priority than those serving fewer residents will. Each project will be evaluated on the basis of how well it addresses the Neighborhood Partnership Program's main purpose of improving its neighborhood/community (see attached Evaluation Criteria). One project per year may be funded through a Neighborhood Partnership Program matching grant. U:angelab/Neighborhood Partnership Program Policy January 2007 — Version 1 March 2011 — Version 2 Selection/Notification Applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by the Community Development staff to ensure that minimum criteria have been met. Any group that does not meet these standards will be notified at that time. The remaining applications will be submitted for review to the city's selection committee. The selection committee is comprised of representatives from the following city departments: City Managers Office, Parks and Recreation, Community Development, Code Compliance, and Public Works. If approved by the Committee, the partnership is presented to the City Commission for final approval and a formal agreement is executed. Neighborhood Proposal The neighborhood association will submit a work plan with a complete description of the project and subsequent maintenance. Staff will assist the neighborhood in establishing a viable plan. The work plan will be used as a guide for drafting the formal agreement, and will include the following: 1. Contact Names and Association Description — The names and telephone numbers of officers of the association with whom the City will enter into the agreement. Included in this portion of the work plan will be the date of incorporation, the association boundaries, and the number of residents represented by the association. 2. Project Purpose — How will this project benefit the neighborhood and its residents. This shall include what problems the project is to solve, and how it will solve them. 3. Project Plan — Provide a brief description of the proposed neighborhood project including a timeline for completion of the project. 4. Project Funding — Provide a brief description of how the project will be funded. Include how the cost estimate was developed, the amount of City funding requested, the amount of matching funds supplied by the association, and the make-up of the funding (cash, sweat equity, materials, etc.) 5. Maintenance Plan — The maintenance plan should include a description of ongoing maintenance for the project. Materials that do not require a high level of maintenance should be used. Staff will ensure through this aspect of the work plan that the project improvement will not act to change the current level of maintenance performed by the City for areas the City currently maintains. If the City agrees to maintain the improvement, it will be at a minimal level, i.e., without replacement of annuals, with infrequent maintenance schedules, etc. U:angelab/Neighborhood Partnership Program Policy January 2007 — Version 1 March 2011 — Version 2 6. Community Involvement — Community involvement is necessary to build a good neighborhood. A block party, neighborhood get-together, planting, or development of a community newsletter, are just a few examples of how this requirement can be completed. Please also submit the following: ✓ Photographs of the proposed project area ✓ Plans or maps indicating the project in relation to the neighborhood and surrounding community ✓ Letters of authorization from appropriate agencies, where applicable. (Property owners of property to be improved or abutting the project, utility companies, etc.) ✓ A minimum of three estimates for all work over $1000 except landscaping utilizing the City of Tamarac fair market value guide. U:angelab/Neighborhood Partnership Program Policy January 2007 — Version 1 March 2011 — Version 2 Evaluation Criteria The following criteria are used by the City's Neighborhood Partnership Committee to rank proposals. PRIORITY EXPLANATION OF CRITERIA CRITERIA WEIGHT SUPPORTS To stimulate and enhance neighborhood vitality and NEIGHBORHOOD customer satisfaction by addressing the concerns and PARTNERSHIP 20 special needs of neighborhoods through progressive, PROGRAM collaborative planning. MISSION NEIGHBORHOOD 20 Applications requesting funds are rated according to STATUS/ the maturity of the neighborhood or demonstration of MATURITY need COMMUNITY 15 Projects should benefit the City by improving the VALUE AND quality of life in the neighborhood through APPEARANCE beautification, education, enhancement or infrastructure repair. OTHER 15 Neighborhoods not previously funded PROJECT 10 Cost effectiveness, realistic/achievable plan, sufficient EFFICIENCY funds, maintenance of project. Letters of intent for in - kind donations COMMUNITY 10 Active involvement of residents within the INVOLVEMENT neighborhood with the proposed project. (Block party, sweat equity, planting projects, etc) ENVIRONMENTAL 10 Contributes to nuisance species removal, noise VALUE abatement, visual screening, water improvements and/or the correction of other environmental problems. TOTAL U:angelab/Neighborhood Partnership Program Policy January 2007 -- Version 1 March 2011 — Version 2 Ten Steps to Success Stal. Residents identify an area within their neighborhood that is in need of improvement and meets the criteria for a matching grant. Step 2 Residents form a Neighborhood Association, Homeowners Association or Neighborhood Organization and register with the Community Development Department as an active organization. Step 3 City staff work with neighborhood leaders on preliminary concepts and begin drafting a work plan. Step 4 The neighborhood leaders present the work plan to the neighborhood. If the association is a new one, City staff will assist by mailing notification of when and where the neighborhood will vote on the project. The City requires that all residents be notified of a potential partnership project, and that 5 1 % of those in attendance at the meeting vote in favor of the project in order for funding to be recommended. Proxy votes may be utilized. In the case of an active homeowners association, the board may vote in favor of the project on behalf of their constituency. Step 5 Apply for the City's Neighborhood Partnership matching grant program. Receive notification of award. St The neighborhood begins collecting funds to match the City's grant as identified in the work plan. Stet The corporation must provide evidence that the funds have been collected. City staff and the neighborhood association (corporation) work together to complete the Neighborhood Partnership Program Agreement. Step 8 The agreement is presented to the City Commission for its approval. Step 9 Apply for County or City permits (if necessary) Step 10 Submit final project report upon completion. U:angelab/Neighborhood Partnership Program Policy January 2007 — Version 1 March 2011 — Version 2 Matching Grant Application (A separate page may be used in lieu of completing this form) Name of Organization or Association: District Organization or Association is located in: Date of Incorporation: Contact Person: Board of Directors Listing: Phone Number: Mailing Address: Location of Neighborhood: Amount Requested: E-Mail: Has your neighborhood association/organization or homeowner's association applied for a matching grant in the past? If so, when? Please give a brief description of the project that you are proposing. When will the project start? When will project be completed? Provide project budget including total project costs and requested cityfunding. Homeowners Associations must include how the funding will be matched by the neighborhood. U:angelab/Neighborhood Partnership Program Policy January 2007 — Version 1 March 2011 — Version 2 Please provide brief statements as to how this project would meet the following criteria for your neighborhood. Please feel free to type on a separate page in lieu of filling in the blanks. Provide supporting documents where applicable. The project would enhance the safety of residents by: The major deficiency in our neighborhood that this project would correct is: We solicited neighborhood input into the selection of this project by: Residents are involved in the implementation of the project by: This project is consistent with the Neighborhood Partnership Program and our Neighborhood's Goals in that it: To complete this project, our mandatory community involvement element is: We plan to finance these costs by, - Please describe any future maintenance plan or operational costs: The project would enhance the aesthetics of our neighborhood by: U:angelab/Neighborhood Partnership Program Policy January 2007 —Version 1 March 2011 —Version 2 Please also submit the following: ✓ Photographs of the proposed project area ✓ Plans or maps indicating the project in relation to the neighborhood and surrounding community ✓ Letters of authorization from appropriate agencies, where applicable. HOA's, property owners, utility companies, etc. ✓ A minimum of three estimates for all work except landscaping utilizing the City of Tamarac fair market value guide. General Notes: ■ The City shall have discretionary authority to amend or modify any of the preceding guidelines. ■ All Groups shall enter into an agreements) with the City of Tamarac upon recommendation for approval of any request. ■ If work is on a City right-of-way, applicant must secure a plan review, permit and license agreement from the City of Tamarac. Signature (applicant): Date: Please submit your application, along with all required materials listed above, in a sealed envelope to: City of Tamarac Community Development Department 7525 NW 88t` Avenue, Room 206 Tamarac, FL 33321 For assistance, please contact the Community Development Department at 954-597-3530, fax 954-597-3540. U:angelab/Neighborhood Partnership Program Policy January 2007 — Version 1 March 2011 — Version 2