Relations committee for Thursday, May 28th at 4:30 in the City Hall Council Chambers, Caller Ouncilman Clement.

Here.

Councilman Marino, he told me he would be absent.

And Councilwoman Ibarra here.

So we are going to do an approval of the minutes for May 14th, 2026.

Have you had a chance to review?

Do you want to make any changes?

I did.

We're all good.

I'll make a motion to accept the minutes.

Okay, second.

All in favor.

Aye.

Citizens to be heard on agenda items.

This is the time that if any citizens want to talk about the agenda items, they are welcome to speak.

This is the time for citizens to be heard on agenda items.

Does anyone want to speak on the agenda item?

What is what is that pertaining to?

The C VDG funding.

Oh, yes.

Oh, okay.

How there was.

Does he have to sign or can you just uh he can just you can just come on?

Thank you.

Appreciate you.

Appreciate this opportunity.

I know.

Yes.

Testing testing.

Did you marry?

Okay.

Okay, um, I would like to first say thank you for this opportunity uh that you afforded community.

I want to talk about the Minner Valley, which has been in existence for 33 years.

And I just was looking over how long we've been doing what we've been doing.

Believe it or not, I've worked with uh five mayors, and 10 uh no, I work with uh yeah, five mayors and ten chiefs of police starting with Dennis Now Wiki.

That was the first one that we started with Joe was Dennis Norwiki, and we uh birthing of the uh mental valor program.

What we did was we looked at the things that was going on within our community, especially pertaining to young men, and we rolled up our sleeves, and I'm a prodigy of Project Upper.

Project Upper Bound uh prepared us for college, got us ready, even though we were in high school to prepare us for college, which um was such a blessing because everyone that I went to Project Upper Bow with, they all went to college, all graduated and all have degrees.

Uh unfortunately, uh I stopped short of that and got called into ministry.

But then I went back to school to obtain my degree in theology within religious study.

Have had a chance to go to Africa, minister over to Africa, uh, which was such a blessing.

I went to Nelson Mandela's home, uh Bismarck Tutu's home, and began to see the diversity that was over there in Africa, which was such a blessing there.

Had a chance to minister in Mexico, Leon, Puerto Vate and Guanajuato, and I have a chance to also minister over in Europe.

I'm headed this year to Oman.

My nephew's been in Oman for a year and a half.

I'm going over there.

I've been invited to go also to India and minister over there.

But the Miner Valley was birthed again out of pain.

I was seeing what was going on within our community, and we've had graduate classes.

Uh on record so far, we have affected 6,500 men within our community and abroad.

Also, uh with the Mental Valley program, we have art classes.

I don't know if you're aware of it, but I've had a chance to do art all throughout the United States.

First person that I did art for was in Newtown.

The art there for the victims that was affected there.

I did artwork for Bianca Taylor, Hideo Pillton, uh for the Dallas uh police department, uh, had a chance to do uh meet uh President Obama when I did the work at Newtown his staff had a chance to also go to Dallas when those officers were killed, presented art there, the young man that was shot uh in Aurora did work there.

Um so much work.

We had a chance to do work also for the young man that was shot at the Chicago State basketball game, that high school game there.

We did art, uh deal did healing art.

Uh so it oh my god, it got so consuming that I had to take a break from it because doing that work it weighs heavy on your heart, and it was coming from our own slush fund.

Um we've had a chance, and we've been doing this for 33 long years, and you had a chance to come to our super soul bowl celebration.

Well, we embrace the whole community, we bring the community in, we invite them in.

This is the Bengaliti tool, and we honor individuals throughout the year that have made an impact within their community.

We've done also the boops on the ground prayer strikes in the air.

We were uh acknowledged the resolution was given to us by Mayor Schultz.

Uh we we have impacted we came and we prayed all four corners of the city of Joliet.

And while we were doing that, also uh Pastor Glinda McCullough was a part of that as well.

Pastor Brooks uh was a part of that, Pastor Purchase, several of us, Pastor Wilburn before he left.

And while we were doing that, there was no um uh shooting or death had taken um place during that time.

We've done the back to school crash uh program.

This year, what is so unique is that we partnered with the Boxing Gym and also we partnered also with BMAC.

We partnered also with the NAACP.

We're doing a lot of things within that.

We've been doing that for quite some time.

We have a tutoring program.

My wife is involved with our widows and our orphans program, our our gym in that church maybe may be aware of it.

That church made 101 years old, 1925 was built.

Uh in that in that church, there is a weight room, and we call it the Seps and Fitness Center because there's a weight room in there that we get ready to get that remodeled.

We have a um feed and clothes the neck programs, and also too uh we also have a dash group.

My daughter's amazing dancer, which is called the Daughters of Promise, and it's just so much, and I don't want to take up any more time, but we've done several things uh within our church without us outside the community.

We did a um we just did the get out to vote, and we invited uh people from all walks and backgrounds.

We don't believe in a Republican or Democrat that divide because Christ is not divided.

So why should we divide individuals one with another?

It's a divisive tool that's been used to keep us apart.

I believe in gathering, and God believes in gathering.

But I can't change my stance whether I'm before uh judges, lawyers, doctors, black, white, rich, or poor.

I'm gonna stand what I was called to do.

Go either for and make disciples.

And he didn't say white disciples, Hispanic disciples, but he said make disciplined followers of Christ.

And so that's what I want you to know that I'm here to uh see what can be done to help us any way, shape forward, fashion with uh what we're doing.

We've been doing it again, I say for 33 long years.

I'm a young, I'll be 66 years young, June 12th, and I thank God for that for help and strengthen my body.

And I do appreciate the time that you allotted to me.

Uh, and if any more information you need for me, um, by all means, I will forward that and bring that to you.

Again, thank you for this time.

May God richly bless you, and may God keep you as our prayer.

Thank you.

Is there anyone else that wants to speak on an agenda item?

I'm Catherine Beavers, executive director for Family and Friends, Transitional Housing Veterans Home.

Um, we've never applied for the B EOG grant before, because we just kind of assume we haven't been getting grants.

We want a grant writer, and we wouldn't get it.

So this time we took a chance and applied.

It's really needed.

We do transitional housing for veterans, and we're the only one.

We've been here since 2008.

We're located at 725 Wilcox, we house veterans from Joliet, Plainfield, Kankakee, Chicago, and the surrounding area.

And we're it.

There's not another one.

The one that the bishop had in Chicago was closed.

Um we have a waiting list as we house our events, they keep coming.

Uh when they come to us, most of them are homeless, a lot are disabled, and have uh some we make sure that they get back in school if they want to go back to school.

Um a lot of them need counseling, and we have a counselor on staff also.

We connect them with the VA because I'm connected with the VA.

Um, and then after we get them counseling, get them where they can function in society, we get them in their own apartment.

We work closely with Cornerstone, Catholic charities, and the housing authority here in Joliet.

Um also have a permanent home on uh 1050 dunnett and one North Center Street.

We recently worked with uh the young lady there, and she opened up a slight, it's not a sober home, but they do counseling for people within the community with alcohol substance abuse issues, which is a good thing, and it works out really good for our veterans because they can attend her counseling programs as well.

Um we really need that grant, it would help us.

We have a home in that that is for when the guys need to isolate and be there for more counseling or have family that comes to visit.

We need repairs to needed repairs to that.

There's a restaurant next door, and I guess at some point last year they hit our building, so now we're getting water in there.

So we really need the funds to do the needed repairs.

Thank you.

Is there anybody else that would like to speak on an agenda item?

Good afternoon or good evening.

I'm Dr.

Glenda Wright McCullum, and I'm here on behalf of a Rise Community Development Corporation, and we are seeking funding through the CEBG funding.

I applied for the for the grant, and I submitted the grant 15 minutes before the grant was due.

And the reason being is because I didn't believe that the grant would be approved based on some of the things that we had to go through in order to even get the variance for zoning.

That was a challenge.

And finally, I didn't think that we would even be considered.

And so at the last minute, I decided, well, why not go ahead and try to apply?

Arise Community Development is a nonprofit organization, and we exist to uplift and transform communities through youth empowerment, neighborhood revitalization, and active community engagement.

We invest in the potential of young people and those in need to restore underutilized spaces and foster strong inclusive neighborhoods by building partnerships and creating opportunities for long-term growth and resilience.

I have been serving on a community level for almost 40 years, lifelong resident here in Joliet.

I sit currently as the chairwoman for the housing authority of Joliet and on the Board of Commissioners, and we are advocating for affordable housing there.

We also have had youth programs in times past.

We've done summer programs, we've done food programs through a rise community development.

However, this is a relaunch for us.

We have recently accessed a building that's in a neighborhood that is in such dire need on the south end of Joliet, a building that has been vacant for several years, has been vandalized, and just a lot of uh vagrant activity there, and um so we want to revitalize that space into a community center, and the community center would provide resources for the residents and for the individuals in that community that is so deserving of much more than what they've been able to get.

This area has been so neglected for so many years, and so I want to come in and bring revitalization.

We are in the process of renovating the space.

Uh it's a 1,500 square foot building, and we have located contractors that would come in.

We have uh drawings that have been pulled up by the architect, they have been submitted to the city, the the drawings have been approved.

Uh so we're seeking funding to be able to uh bring the revitalization that's necessary for that area.

I would also like to say that for so many years, there was uh even on along that strip on this Lane Street, there was a speed limit sign that was knocked down and laid on the parkway for years.

Nobody even bothered to reattach the sign.

The sidewalks uh are a hazard uh where individuals could actually trip and fall.

They they are all broken up, and so we're looking to come in and bring some revitalization and to provide some resources uh for that community.

We're also looking to establish the South Side Neighborhood Council, uh, which I will serve as the chairperson for that council, and again, being able to inform the residents as to what's happening down there.

We will serve as a hub in that area.

Um, many I didn't even know about this meeting today.

I got it at two hours ago.

Uh, someone Cappy called me and told me that the meeting was going on, and so this is the kind of thing that I'm talking about because the residents are not informed as to what's taking place within the city, and I want to bring about a change for that, and that's what will happen through the community development.

We're going to provide some educational advancement for the kids, youth programs for the kids, just a whole sports camps, just a whole gamut of things that we're looking to do in that center.

And so the thing of it is we have to get it up and going.

And we have been working feverishly.

Individuals have been donating their time and their resources in order to help us to bring that community up.

The residents want it, the residents need it, and they should be afforded that opportunity.

So I ask for your support in that endeavor.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Is there anyone else that wants to speak on an agenda item?

Is that Mr.

Beavers over there with you?

You don't have any you're good, everybody's good.

Nice to see you.

Okay.

Then we're going to move along to agenda item TMP 9924.

Wait, no, I'm sorry, TMP 9925.

Staff work staff recommendations for CBDG program year 2026 presented by Bridget Roar, CBDG program manager.

And just so everyone in the audience knows, we haven't seen who the recommendations are yet.

We're going to hear them for the first time, just like all of you.

Thank you.

Well, let's see.

Thank you for meeting again.

So we can go over the CD programming and the staff recommendations for program year 2026.

See if I remember how to work this thing.

There we go.

First, I'd like to just kind of refresh your memory based on the last committee meeting on the application of the grading criteria.

It is very strict.

It is based upon the con plan, which you see there, con plan priority alignment is top priority when it comes to determining if something is eligible and the scoring system that is used.

So let's go over that just briefly again.

So the con plan is a plan that was enacted last year.

So the better part of last year City of Juliet staff did several public meetings, meeting with not only stakeholders within the community, and open meetings throughout the city of Joliet to determine what the priorities were.

Some of the main priorities that were mentioned were housing, food security, and basic needs.

So that kind of aligns us as to uh what is going to come up throughout the grading of the application.

The next was the low to moderate income.

We make sure that all of the projects are either in a low to moderate income area, which means that it services that area, or that the people receiving services are documented as being low to moderate income.

And in a in a minute, you'll see a slide that shows very specifically what those numbers are.

The other thing is a target area and redevelopment.

We look to see if the city of Juliet has determined or deemed an area to take precedent.

So that would also gain it extra points.

Budget realism is something that's also very important when determining eligibility, and on the major score, uh, we want to make sure that, for example, if you know we're painting a room, it's not going to cost you know $20,000, and that's their estimate.

So we go through and make sure that it aligns with standards.

Um past performance and uh past performance and compliance risk are kind of tied together, but they are a little different.

Uh past performance is saying have they been a good partner in in the past.

Are they uh were they giving us monitoring and and all the the metrics throughout um the last time we you know funded them?

And risk compliance can also uh be tied to financials.

So if they let's say a nonprofit um submitts an application but they show that they're consistently in the red and that they're um at risk of closing or they're not financially secure, uh that can be a big risk to the city as putting money into a facility that might later um you know be vacant within months or even the year.

Uh organizational capacity, uh there's on the application, we make sure that a board of directors is tied to it, and that we've got an idea of you know, is this a functioning nonprofit?

Um match and leverage if uh if a nonprofit uh is putting their own money behind it or has done fundraisers to supplement some of the costs that will also get them extra points.

Uh long-term stability and durability is something that we take into consideration, making sure that these are not just band-aid fixes.

If this is something that is going to fix a problem that we have right now, um that's also going to uh gain more points along with measurable outcomes.

Are these short-term outcomes, are these long-term outcomes, and um and uh you know how will it uh measure up to any of the other applicants.

Um we had an outstanding number of applicants this year.

We had over double, um, and then as you can see there for the total uh we had a request of you know, total requests of 2.4 million dollars, and last year uh you know it was 876,000 approximately.

Uh so over double the request.

Um you can argue a lot of our applicants were were based in food and security.

That seemed to be a big big issue here in the city of Joliet, and a lot of people are focused on that very specifically.

So we have a lot of applications in that, and I think that that ties to current situational situation that we're currently in.

Um eligibility must meet one of the national objectives, so it must benefit the LMI, the low moderate income person or area, which I spoke about earlier, uh, or it must meet an urgent need.

Uh also it could be the elimination of uh slum and blight.

So uh that category right there tends to mostly be used for uh demolition of buildings and you know vacant lots and and getting those up to part.

The rest of them, you will find that the majority of everything is in the uh low moderate income persons or area category, and this is the chart that I mentioned earlier.

Um the low 80% income limit, the very bottom one there at 68,000.

That is the um that is very specifically the amount that HUD deems to be the LMI amount.

Uh this year we were awarded 924,055.

Um with that amount, we also you can see it there is the total 924,055 dollars.

Um there is the breakup of it where 20% of that is set aside for administrative costs.

Uh whatever is not used there will eventually get rolled into the next year.

That's what I wanted to make sure to very much stress.

So you'll see that we spent more than the $924,000 this year, but um that's because we had you know, it could be a number of things.

It can be administrative dollars that have been rolled over from the previous year, or it could be projects that came under budget, or it could be projects that never actually took fruition and um get rolled into the next year.

As you see, the PS at 15%, 138,608, that is always going to be 15% of the total allocation.

So it doesn't matter if we're spending $2 million, we can only spend that at the absolute max under that category.

Um so this year it is recommended by staff to fund six public facilities, uh five public services, and two microenterprises.

I would also like to stress, as you could see with the the previous a lot of applications and a lot of very good applications.

It was very, very hard.

And I created a lot of I've created a lot of applications in the past that these were very very competitive.

Um, and just to give kind of an example of how competitive it can be, you can have two nonprofits virtually identical.

Um let's use like a food security, you know, but two food pantries that are virtually identical, identical number served, identical services, but then one could be maybe like in a flood zone that's going to deduct points, right?

Identical number served, identical services, but then one could be maybe like in a flood zone.

That's going to deduct points, right?

So they're gonna come under.

You could have one that isn't using match funds, but one is using match funds.

So with all those categories, it and that weighted system is really what determines who gets funded, if that if that makes sense.

We funded it for the same amount, or staff recommends funding it for the same amount going forward as we did last year, which was 37,000.

Uh another set aside was the Joliet Owner-Occupied Rehab program.

We did 100 and 172,000 and some change last year.

We're asking that to be funded at 170,000 this year, and we're uh working on getting that program up and going.

Um then we have Miracle League, um, ADA handicap accessibility for the bathroom and some other modifications that are needed at the field.

Uh back to public services, staff is recommending CASA, Northern Illinois Food Bank.

I'm sorry for the acronyms.

It kind of hits me now that not everybody knows the acronyms, but they're kind of standard on the nonprofit world.

Um Northern Illinois Food Bank, ShareFest, and Prairie State Legal Services.

Um scored the highest throughout the major process.

Uh at the very end of the presentation, I can go through things more specifically now if you'd like.

However, um, I do have an appendix at the end with it that does talk more about the very specific services or facility improvements, um, but I can go through them now if you like.

But otherwise, CASA is asking for an advocate supervisor to attend court with children of domestic violence and that are within the court system.

Uh Northern Illinois Food Bank has a senior grocery program.

Um they serve five locations here in the city.

I did want to mention those locations.

One is Mary Crest Village, uh, National Hookup of Black Women, Senior Suites, Senior Services, and Victory Center on 29 North Broadway.

Um let's see, uh, ShareFest is asking for equipment upgrades.

Um they're asking for a pallet jack, a cooler, and truck tires for any of their mobile uh food services because they um they assist a lot of the Joliet pantries here for public facilities, um the uh let's see United Cerebral Palsy has asked for 140,000 EDC.

We only funded them for 42,000, um, but that's because uh Will County, who also gets C DG funds, has funded them uh for the majority of that project.

Uh what they are asking for from us was an additional emergency notification system for children who might have intellectual disabilities or physical disabilities that can't respond an emergency, uh the traditional emergency um evacuation scenarios.

Um so that includes a speaker system and lighting that indicates that there's a problem that they need to evacuate for Catholic Charities uh Daybreak has requested much needed uh a remodel and security within their lobby.

Uh if you've ever been there, it it you know it's got a lot of exposed wires, um, it's not very secure, people can go in and out, uh, and it's it's not really safe for staff, so there would be a whole remodel of the way of when you first walk into the building, how you're received, and then some of the offices would be adjusted to accommodate for staff.

And then Trinity is asking for 137,738 dollars.

It's recommended that we fund that for 135,000, which is three SLAs.

Um, the acronym acronym for Scylla is community integrated living arrangement.

Those are uh homes for people with um intellectual disabilities or physical disabilities, and they need ADA.

Um I should also add that um HUD also uh ADA is a big standard for HUD, and they um that comes up within our comp plan and our grading system.

And then we have two economic developments.

We have historically funded um LEDA, the Latino Economic Development Association.

We've reduced that funding going forward and split the difference with the African American Business Association.

We have not worked with them in the past.

But the applications were the services are very similar between both.

And I think the thought there is that the ability to reach more people.

I just want to sozan and I and Cesar Guerrero, when he was on this committee, right?

We it seemed to me and us collectively, I believe, that the same organizations always seem and believe.

They're funded again and again.

Right.

I'm not here to say it's not either because every single application is needed.

Yeah.

And so the three of us at the time really wanted to change that where the same six, seven, eight, and to keep in mind this is HUD dollars.

This isn't Joliet dollars.

We just have the absolute opportunity here, which is very important to distribute these funds, we believe equally.

Right?

And the the numbers show that we have reached out and met with applicants helping them with the grant writing.

We're just trying to stretch these dollars.

Yeah.

And I think we did that.

Maybe not to date to the fullest extent that we want to, but I believe we we are making strides in that in that direction.

What stands out to me, and and again, every single organization here is very, very important.

You know, and I don't want to be in the paper, right, for saying this.

But Catholic charities, right?

I'm just saying.

They're billionaires, okay?

And their organization is up in Crest Hill.

And you could pull calls for service with the police department.

The calls of service are through the roof.

Our our officers bring their people, which is our people, City of Joliet residents and others.

They're not going to turn away people that are not from Joliet.

Over there on Cash Street.

But when I look at the this this uh column, the columns here, 190,000, which it's all important, right?

And I don't want to be that guy saying this, but you know, I think we we can maybe subtract the what what they're um receiving and stretch it out to to a few others.

Yeah.

Um believe me.

I'm a Catholic, right?

My daughter goes to the same race.

But I think there's other organizations that can capture some of these dollars.

And this is very strict, right?

You have we have a strict um protocol here on what can make the list and what cannot.

Yeah.

I you agree you bring up phenomenal points.

Um and this goes back to obviously there's a matrix, and I've already talked about that, right?

We talked about that.

It is a very strict grading process.

I will tell you that uh smaller nonprofits are at a site disadvantage within the matrix, and that's not something that we can we can fix.

And the reason why I say is it is a disadvantage is because, for example, if we went back, and I can go back to the side, but if we are going to talk about match funds, for example, a smaller nonprofit is probably not going to be able to match funds, right?

Uh a smaller nonprofit um is probably going to come up more risky under the risk analysis, right?

You look at their financials and they're they're in the red all every year at risk of closing.

They're gonna they're going to lose points based on that.

So there are some fundamental challenges when it comes to a smaller nonprofit.

I will say this though, um, and I cannot speak for the past CDBG program manager.

I can just speak for myself and analyzing the current applications.

There was a lot of potential.

There was a lot of potential, and it it honestly is very heartbreaking to me to have to say no to anybody.

I wish that there was I wish we had all of those at 2.4 million dollars to hand out to all of them because there was no bad idea.

Um moving forward, I do agree that we need to figure out a way and maybe working with this committee is the way to do it.

Of how do we help them?

I mean last year we did capacity building.

Um we gave I want to say it was four, maybe five nonprofits, very small sums of money, 10,000, 15,000, 20,000, maybe was the max.

And we said you can use these funds.

We use our own CDBG admin dollars, and we we gave it to them and we said you can use these funds to do things that will help you administratively better your organization so that you can be more competitive in the following year.

One of them was the Recovery Center Joliet, and they had an amazing application last year.

And if you compare it to the year before, it was way better, but they still scored a little low.

So it might take them another year or two to be able to get financially secure to compete with some of them that are more proven with their outcomes historically.

Um it is my goal to work with all the nonprofits.

Um I have been touring and on the phone and just about almost every application.

I reached out to them and said, can you provide me documentation on that?

Because while they were a lot of them are extraordinary ideas, they weren't professional grant writers submitting documents that would really help serve them or plead their case.

I reached out to them.

Do you have numbers that show how many people did this?

Or can you expand on this?

So you know, it's in order to in order to really understand what their program is so that I don't just cut them off because they're bad grant writers or not bad, you know, I don't sound like that, but not as developed or experienced grant writers.

So that is something that I personally would like to work on, and maybe we you know, at the committee, um can try to better and come up with some better ideas moving forward.

And just to expand on what I spoke about earlier, I'd like to start this process in like January or even the end the end of the year this year for next year, and then anybody that needs help, which that's what we were trying to do, I believe, is try anybody any applicant needs help with grant writing or anything else.

Let's let's get more in this this bag, right?

And like for example, UCP, they asked for 140, uh the county is going to I guess pitch in, right?

And then we're gonna do 42,000.

Are does the county uh contribute to Catholic charities neighboring?

So uh this is a good point.

So actually, um I probably should have said that somewhere at the um the county is allotted just a little bit more than we are.

I mean, ultimately we're we're kind of neck in neck with them with allocation dollars.

Um they ended up funding almost all of their public facilities in the city of Joliet.

So uh I I apologize, I don't remember off the top of my own.

But points were deducted if the county was using if the county was funding them for something, then points were deducted or their application was completely because I did under facilities, there were three or four that scored very high that were ultimately taken off because they were funded by the county, and that's kind of an advantage that we have, seeing what the county did first, and then we go, okay, this is this is what we can work with because they ultimately in a realistic world, they're at all the services and all the buildings are usually here in the city of Juliet.

They're not at the south of the county, they're not at the north, they're here.

So it gives us an advantage as to um getting more funded here in the the city.

So do we know Few I was just saying do we know that the county were they able to fund Catholic charities?

They did not fund Catholic charities this year.

No, okay.

Yeah.

But but we do traditionally we do meet with them, and um we go through what they funded, and then we say, oh, you have that same app application, and we kind of work with them this year.

We were a week or two behind them.

So they made their funding decisions, and then that gave us the advantage to where we were like, okay, this was covered, this was covered, this was covered, this was covered.

These are the seven now that were not with that.

And I bring up, I bring up I guess the point.

You know, we created the downtown construction.

And there are downtown businesses there, but they do contribute taxes and other things, right?

Maybe that's something we can look forward to someday where the city can fund a couple of these on their own.

I'm not saying to this magnitude, but there are a couple other ones that probably need some help.

And the pastor spoke earlier, right?

And Glennus spoke about how much they have done in the community, and I just hate to leave some of these organizations without any type of help.

Right.

So I totally understand what you're saying, Counselor Clement.

And as a body of elected officials, you absolutely have the right and responsibility to choose which one you want to fund.

So to your point, could we do, could we pull this out and push that in?

The answer is absolutely yes.

What staff is recommending is right now you have a an incredibly defensible and transparent way of how these are scored, and you took the top scores, and that's how that's how they're allocated, right?

You could you have the the right to say, I don't like that, I'm gonna do something else.

But then it becomes very slippery every year after because then you don't have a way to say, I'm really I would love to fund this, but it didn't score.

What we can do is we can dial in that scoring again, right?

What you there are some new names on here.

We shared our scoring uh methodology.

We can we can tweak that all year.

We can sit down, we can I know you wanted to continue to meet on a regular basis, Councillor Abarra.

Maybe that's a project that we work on together uh to see if we can tool that to get the outcomes that you're looking for in this particular submission uh that we'll go to council that we're gonna ask you to consider as a body as a whole.

Again, I'm not we're not suggesting that we take away your responsibility as elected officials.

We are cautioning you that the methodology presented right now is extremely defensible, and there's uh it's very very open to how we came to these conclusions.

When you start picking and choosing based on preference, every year is going to be a pick and choose based on preference, and it's gonna be harder and harder to have those tough conversations to say no, this this doesn't work, no, that doesn't work, because it'll be based on whim, right?

Or or or vibe or feeling.

So that is that remains your choice.

I'm not telling you not to do it that way.

I'm telling you it's gonna be harder for you if you do it that way.

No, absolutely.

And for the record, I've never reached out to either one of you about any of these local these applicants, or any.

For the record.

Open playing field.

That's that's what I'm looking for.

I'm just trying to stretch the dollars, and I have all the faith in your your picture.

I do.

I and I'm not gonna, I don't want to take anything away from anybody.

I'm just trying to stretch these dollars, which are not our dollars, they're hugs dollars, right?

Taxpayer dollars.

And to that point, I mean, how we structure this in the future, uh we can say if we want to stretch this, we're not gonna make an award greater than X, right?

Okay, that's a thing that you're allowed to do as well.

I mean, we score it, and there's a maximum award number.

Maybe it's you know, 190,000 is uh is a lot of money for sure.

It is uh until there's a project that you really want to give 190,000.

And that that one that one popped out in my head, just out of all.

Yeah.

Uh they're all warranted.

So all warranted.

You have a staff here that's technically uh proficient and sophisticated.

You have a department that's willing to do uh the work alongside of you and take your direction.

Uh so you know, we're here at your pleasure.

And and for the record, I don't want to pick and choose and let's take 40,000 away from them.

I'm just that one stuck in my head, and there's so many two point something million that people are asking for.

Some qualify, some do not, and I know you're ready to go.

I just uh yeah, I just wanted to express what what I'm thinking here.

Fair?

Thank you.

Very fair.

So what we discussed last year was to, I mean, let me ask you a question first of all.

Who sets the scoring rubrics?

Um, so it's between me and uh there's a grant coordinator.

We kind of run the ideas past each other, and then ultimately I sent it to um uh to Dustin, and then so does the city can you get me a water.

Yeah, and that was shared with you at the last at the last committee meeting.

Was to I mean let me ask you a question first of all who sets the scoring rubrics um so it's between me and uh there's a grant coordinator we kind of run the ideas past each other and then ultimately I sent it to um uh to Dustin and then so does the city can you get me a water um yeah and that was shared with you at the last at the last committee meeting we said here's how we're gonna score this that that was shared with you then yeah but we didn't have the opportunity to say we want it scored differently did we absolutely could have I don't want to put you on the spot but that's why we shared it because what we said a year ago so I won't vote on this at all because what we said a year ago was we wanted the small nonprofits to have an opportunity at this money that's what we said a year ago and if you look at this list and I'm not gonna answer uh address any one of these businesses or nonprofits at all I'm not gonna address that because I don't want to end up on the front page of the hell deals just like Joe Clement said I could name most of them that have access to a lot more funds than some of the smaller ones did we say we wanted it more of a smaller nonprofit feel and we wanted more of the smaller nonprofits to finally have an opportunity at some of these funds.

So when you directed us that you wanted to see a wider net cast you wanted to see more applicants I think we did deliver that there are significantly more applicants than there have been in the past you know something else I I do want to highlight again um is use the example of like RCCJ like they did receive the we called it capacity building administrative dollars um they resubmitted their application and they were very close right if you look at the numbers and the scoring they might need one more cycle to show to you know to make their their numbers greater or to kind of get them over that hump.

I think it's it's not a next day fast solution because ultimately these are services right like these people do need it.

So if we go from from you know let's say you know Morningstar mission they they've said that they're doing 350 meals a day and then I'm taking that money away to support a smaller nonprofit that's only serving like 50 meals a day right if we start moving those metrics and and it kind of changed the fundamental um you know theory I guess of like longevity and some of these these things that we have said are important that we're on that very first line which I can go back to it it that slippery slope begins.

You don't understand so like if we can get them to where they are now servicing a hundred two hundred meals a day you know then then it makes it they make them competitive with the bigger ones but it's not an overnight solution.

I I is it's really hard for me to like to communicate it but I hope that makes sense LEDA got 7500 and that's significantly less than they've gotten in the prior years.

But if we're being equitable did the African American business association only get 25 because that's all they asked for because equitable means they get up and that's equity.

That's a great actually that's a great question.

So we um reduced the amount so Leda in the past had received um anywhere between it was like 1500 um they asked for I want to say 2000 this year I don't know why that full box isn't filled in um but they I believe it was 200,000 this year.

We reduced it to 75 because you know that is still keeping them sustainable but the African American business associated only asked for 80 right and so we are able to subsidize and give them a little and see what they can can they produce the same type of results that that Leda has instead of just closing off and saying well you scored a little lower you know by this is a this is a good in my opinion a very good compromise this was their first year right?

Their first so I think that that is an example of us reaching out to other nonprofits and giving other ones a chance within the parameter without showing a bias or without you know like preference over one organization to another I think I have to do this again because I'm not working on this I'm sorry.

But I would like the other council men and women and the mayor to weigh in on this as well.

I I don't want to we're missing one.

Yeah.

I would like to move this forward, at least let's have a discussion in at a council meeting so the public can hear it.

We can talk about it.

I'll say the same thing I said today.

Um we are making headway.

It's better than it was last year and the year before, I believe.

Not is a is it perfect?

No, absolutely not.

Well, I think we're making we're stretching the dollars a little more.

Are there things that we don't like?

Absolutely.

But there are things I do like.

Um want to comment on it.

Well, if I vote no, this still goes to the full council because it doesn't matter whether I vote no or not.

So it goes to the full council.

It's an advisory vote to council uh oftentimes as a matter of courtesy.

The staff won't bring something to the full council if the committee voted it no.

Uh I think because we have a statutory deadline that's imposed to us externally a tie vote, we would probably bring it to council.

So if you feel in your convictions that you are unwilling to vote, that is a fine thing.

Uh I will respect that.

This is nothing personal, but this is business, and we're the ones that have to face the public.

We're the ones that answer for this.

So this is nothing personal at all.

This is business.

So if there's any more of the presentation you want to give, go ahead and then we could take it to a club.

Okay.

Um I just kind of wanted to do a reminder, the owner of occupied rehab.

Um this, and and I I love this picture because it does give you an idea of what could happen and what is to come.

Um, and this I believe is going to be a very popular program, one that we will probably want to keep, and we might actually want to increase funding for in the future.

So this is like a you know the future is bright.

Um, and I believe that this uh, you know, we'll we will need to work with this committee as well, coming up with like a matrix on how now how do we get um homeowners, how do we rank homeowners in getting these home repairs, and um are we gonna keep it with exterior?

Do we want to do interior public?

Um, you know, public safety issues.

So this is something to come to keep on your radar.

Um, and I uh I have a lot of faith that that's um gonna keep you guys busy.

Um uh the next was Miracle League.

We already spoke about that about ADA um accommodations there, and then um at the last meeting we had talked about options for the snow removal program.

So we have come up with uh two options, but if you have any suggestions or ideas, it's definitely workable.

Um the snow program as of right now is sixty uh 55 and up or 65 right up.

I don't have it uh 65.

65 and up, sorry.

Um and it is first come first serve.

Uh and it has been mentioned that maybe we need to be reaching out to more uh of the vulnerable population with this uh and making sure that people who can't maybe can't afford snow removal, you know, are the ones ultimately taking advantage of this instead of a first come first serve.

So there's a couple different options.

I met with IT to go over.

Um option one is we could um do kind of a point system.

That's what we do.

Um uh over 80 would be like an extra five points, um uh disabled mobility impaired five points, snap recipient five points, veteran three points, let's alone three points.

Um as we get closer, if we'd like to set up another committee meeting to where we can go over very specifics, um I can work up scenarios, but ultimately that would be kind of an option.

Option number two would be a uh just a one and done, are you a snap recipient?

Because then that would show that they uh qualify within the low to moderate income uh category.

And I would also add there's always option three, which is to leave it the way it is.

Which is not what we're suggesting, but again, uh respecting the elected officials, you you have that right to say no, I don't want to do that right now.

And and can you talk about the backstory, how we came to be, let's change this a little bit.

62-year-old 65-year-olds.

Anecdotally, anecdotally, I had the opportunity to talk to uh the majority of uh the uh folks that took advantage of this service last year.

Uh and many people absolutely do need it, and there were many people that called me uh because we had a a poor performing vendor, quite frankly.

It was a source of great frustration for us uh and the residents, but uh come to be there were more than a few people who called and said, you know what, I had my grandson do it, I did it myself, I hired a guy.

Like, so that told me that you know this is a service that perhaps incorrectly, but I understood to be uh dedicated to real at-risk folks who can't do that, have groceries delivered to their home, have medications delivered to the home.

It's really a lifeline, right?

Uh, not a nice to have.

That was my impression.

So if that if that was indeed accurate, here are some options to make sure that this service is extended to those people who need that as a as a lifeline uh rather than a nice to have.

That's the background on that.

Thank you.

We'll have discussion.

Yeah, yeah.

Just we just wanted to show some progress on it.

Okay, thank you.

Um and then as we move forward, this is the um this looks probably familiar from the last packet.

These were the ones that um were part of the recommendation and a description of the service that was being offered.

Um in the original packet that I gave you, had all of the applicants.

So I think that's a really good way.

If you need me to reset it to you, I'd be more than happy to resend it to you.

Um, but these are the ones that um were up for staff recommendation.

So if you have any questions specifically about um about them, I'd be more than happy to answer any of those questions.

I would like to stress I'm not an expert in any of them because it is an application and it's there were 33 of them, so there's a lot.

What is the percentage of sharefest clients that are served from the city of Joe?

Yeah, um that's a good question.

I don't have that at the top of my head, but I can tell you that um I can't tell you legals falls wrong, and it's really bothering me up there.

But uh I can tell you that I have met with almost every food pantry here in Joliet.

Uh I I focused on that when I was at the county.

I ran a garden program, so I was at all the food pantries pretty consistently.

Um and one shared consensus is if we didn't pass AirFest, I don't know what we would do.

Um, because they help all the food pantries.

So they're not categorized as like a um as a Northern Illinois food bank, they're not classified as that type of infrastructure, but they yes, um, and part of their request that they asked for were tires for their truck, which helps them, you know, um service the local food pantries that we have.

Do you have any questions?

And I oh, and one more thing about ShareFest specifically, because that is such a great question because we've added this, you know.

It's very lots of debates go on in our department, you know, funding.

Um something that's really interesting is they did ask for you know shelving and some things that were more like building, and then that's when you know we're like we gotta draw a line because we're not here to fix their building, we're here more on a service.

So, what is a service?

What can help, you know, what will help them serve Joliet, not their building.

So that's a discussion that if approved, we would ultimately, when we dropped up our scope of work, we'd be very, very specific that you can only do this, this, this, and this with the funds that serve only Joliet.

Um then these are the facility ones saying like um, and that is all that I have for you.

Thank you.

Before we do that, I just want to say um thank you for all your hard work.

I do believe we are heading in a better direction than where we were we were in regards to um helping others, other organizations out.

We're not where we need to be by any means.

Um whether you know the city has to throw in some dollars at a later date, but we're not where we need to be, but I'm happy where we're going.

We're not there.

I mean, I I would like the other uh you know, we are a committee.

I would like the other councilmen and women to in the mayor to weigh in on this.

Um but I I would make a motion.

We have a deadline.

I don't want to jeopardize um any other organization from June 1st, but I would like to move this to full council to have uh more discussion.

So that that's those are my thoughts.

Could I just say something?

You can't you can at the end.

Okay.

Public comment.

Respectfully, thank you.

Thank you.

So I I would make a motion to move the full council so we have discussion.

We won't, I don't believe can fix fix it here.

My my thoughts.

So, counselor Ibarra, uh if the motion is just to move it to full council, you're not voting to uh approve it, you're just voting to uh move it forward.

So if that makes a difference in how you how you how that express how you want to express what you believe.

Because this is no disrespect to all the work you did.

This is no disrespect to the time that is put in.

This is no disrespect to the agencies that are there.

I do think this is a discussion.

It would it would have helped to have a third person.

Um my vote is just to pass it up and let all of us decide, discuss it collectively, because my comments are the same that they were last year and the year before that, is that I want if you're saying we can change the matrix, then we should change the matrix.

Because I would like smaller nonprofits to have an opportunity at this.

I have there is no disrespect.

I have the greatest amount of admiration for people who serve.

But if you serve and you have access to a lot more money than these smaller nonprofits, that's something that we had communicated the last year that we wanted to see and we didn't.

So my vote is not to approve all of this.

This is just business.

But my vote is to send it up to the full council to have more of a discussion about it, because this is not what I envision.

We all take a lot of heat about these dollars for some reason.

These dollars generate a lot of interest, and you know, some of the interest might be for the fact that I probably texted 40 or 50 different agencies to say, hey, these dollars are coming up, because it was kind of 11th hour when I found out there was less than 10 days left for this.

So next year that we definitely need to start in January, start getting them ready so they are fully prepared for this, so they know it's coming up, so they can you know take a grant writing class or get some kind of instruction within this, either what with us or outside of us, so they can learn how to do this.

Because the grant writing is just storytelling, and if you can tell the best story and then show your numbers or show whatever is involved in this, I am not happy.

It is not what I asked for, but I will make a motion.

Did you make a motion?

I made a motion at all.

Then I'll second that to send it up to the full council and let us all have more of a discussion.

And like I said, it's nothing personal, it is just business.

So do you want to call the roll and we'll go ahead and councilman commun?

Aye.

Councilwoman and Barrow.

Aye to send to the full council and we'll discuss it more.

Yes.

So motion passes.

Is there any public comment?

This is the time for public comment.

Okay.

It's the system.

It's the matrix.

It's not right in any.

Come up to the mic so we can hear you.

And I don't understand how you could think the matrix is correct.

If you're like me, I work in a continuum.

I work with along with capital charities, the mission.

Everybody up there is deserving of the money.

But it's got to be a way you can take some of that money and help the small nonprofit.

Imagine how I feel if I've done this for 20 years and see what goes on.

We will never is I could have the best grant writer on the planet.

But if you're doing this and your matrix is the way it is, I would never get done.

I could be 95 and still won't get any of these funds.

Ours, we service a smaller population.

So you're going to be more at risk.

It's the way the system, the matrix, is you guys have to change and fix that.

How can you think I can serve the veterans, which is a nice piece of the pie from Catholic charities, when they get veterans, they come to me.

When they get veterans, they come to me.

If they are at the mission and they're disabled and homeless, they're going to come to me.

I have to service them with a smaller staff, smaller funds, and to make sure we can give them the best care.

And every time I would apply for any of these funds from the city, you don't get a dime.

And you'll hear the same story, and it's the same people because they're serving a bigger population.

So they're gonna get a bigger pie.

But that pie has to be changed.

There's no way anybody sitting here tonight can think that's right.

It's frustrating.

Very frustrating.

I'll be turning 70 if I live next month.

I've taken money.

Thank God I was blessed to have a business.

I ran a home health.

I'm a real estate investor.

There's no way I would let my business go down.

I work very hard and tirelessly, and my staff does, because I'm very passionate about veterans.

My son was a veteran, my family, my husband's family.

My husband lost his brother in the service.

It's very next year I plan and I've worked with developers, and we're gonna do 80 homes for veterans.

If that's the last thing I do on earth, I'll make sure they get good service and care.

Because if I'm gonna wait for this BEOG or the funds from the city, I can forget it.

Because the system is not working.

And it's up to you guys to change this matrix.

Because it doesn't work.

Everybody up there is deserving on that list, including us in here.

She's deserving, I'm deserving.

We're doing the same work.

It's just frustrating.

Very frustrating.

And you hear the same thing.

And I know my grant couldn't have been that bad.

I can like I say, I could have the best grant writer, but it's not I'm gonna be more at risk.

I'm serving a smaller population.

So I would never qualify for any of those funds.

And it's not right.

It's you guys gotta change it.

You gotta make it right.

So everybody can benefit.

It's not fair.

So if you can think that's right, that's crazy.

That's insane.

You know, I'm sorry, I don't mean to be out of line, but it's just not right.

It's not right.

That's all I have to say.

Thank you for your comments.

I just want to say, we can always schedule a greatness here.

Yeah.

So to talk about why they didn't get a design.

If you don't mind me speaking, go ahead.

I I uh, you know, there are parameters because they're not Julia dollars.

So though that is one reason why probably some, like they did last year and year before did not qualify.

Which I'm sure is part of it, but you you make a bell at point.

And the two up here, Dustin and Bridget, they're not the boogeyman woman, right?

We're we're oh no, I'm a pretty good.

You're voicing your frustration.

Over in Wheaton, they serve a lot less veterans than I do.

I get a lot of their clients because ours is a low-bearing people that with more issues, veterans with more problems, substance abuse, alcohol, whatever.

We get a lot of their clients.

They get funding off through roof.

The city, their city donate money for homes for them.

200,000 every year.

It's just unbelievable.

And they serve, they have more funding in that area, is what they tell me.

Yeah.

But I can't be I can't believe we don't have enough funding here in Joliet to help out.

I'm sorry.

I'm very confident with the team we have.

And that's what I said earlier.

It's a lot better.

I believe we're we're outreaching a little more.

We're the the dollars are being structural.

I think we can do better.

I know we can't Bridget spent her like five months.

She's a month.

A month, but she has a wealth of knowledge of the colony.

Dawson has a lot of, I believe with us, all of us working together.

We can get there.

I just, it's not perfect.

Yeah, they have to change the matrix.

It's nothing against the people, it's the way you have it set up.

And I don't know the matrix because I don't know what your application said or didn't say I just I just want to stress.

Remember, we had twice the applications we did last year.

It was very, very, very competitive.

And it's a small organization like us, but you're serving tons of people.

So it is what it is.

Well, I only have one comment on this.

It's not allegedly, but it's hopefully not for me, because I voted no, but hopefully the data center will be bringing a hundred million dollars.

And I'm confident, Joe, that we can figure out a way to distribute some of that money through the through um channels that haven't been funded up to this point.

I don't think I think that's a city manager decision along with the council city manager and mayor, but I know that's a lot of money.

Well I just think that's many years down the road, and I think um just me personally, I believe we waste more money um sometimes that we could maybe help all their organizations out.

Okay.

I'll leave it at that.

Okay.

Any other comments?

No?

Do we get a motion to adjourn?

So move on Friday.

I thank you everyone.