Good evening.

It is six o'clock, and I'd like to go ahead and uh call this meeting to order of our city council workshop on the grant process.

Um we will begin with um Councilman Thomas leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

To the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God and justice for all Mr.

Johnson, will you please call the roll?

Councilman Adams, Councilman Debartel Laban here, Vice Mayor Fugit.

Here, Councilman Grant here.

Councilman Helsley, Councilman Honeycutt.

Here, Councilman Lloyd here.

Councilman Parker and Councilman Thomas.

Eight members present, Vice Mayor.

Thank you.

Um as we get started tonight, I just want to um kind of talk about the purpose of the meeting while we're here and the flow of the meeting.

So grant making is a large and complex and multi-department process for the city of Knoxville.

And as um we've never had a workshop like this that talks about the mechanics of the grant making process.

And as we are on the eve of the budget, and um this is a good time to have this, and I appreciate the administration working to pull all these people together.

And last time I look about 75 slides to try to explain this process.

So I will turn it over to um Cheryl Ball here in a minute, but do want to say there is a lot of information at um as we go through this.

I'm sure questions will come up.

Some of them may be answered in subsequent parts.

So jot them down, jot your questions down if you can, and then we can um ask questions at the end if if it hasn't been answered sufficiently throughout the presentation so that we can try to make this as smooth as possible.

So thank you.

I'll turn it over to you, Ms.

Ball.

Thank you, Vice Mayor Fugit.

I appreciate you all having us here tonight.

We're excited to share with you a little bit about the grant making process at the City of Knoxville.

This is the agenda and the key topics we're going to review tonight.

Uh, eligibility of agencies, city grant making overview, individual grant making program review, federal grant program review, an overall timeline and calendar, and community improvement funds.

So that is the basic format for today's workshop.

And to get things kicked off, I am going to turn this over to uh Kitheren Smith with the finance department, the deputy director of finance to share with us some of the eligibility details for the organizations that would receive money from the city of Knoxville.

Kitrin.

Thank you, Cheryl.

Excuse me.

When it comes to the city's grant making, there are three governing documents that we adhere to.

First being the city code, specifically division two community agency appropriation guidelines.

It references eligibility requirements to receive these funds, application and reporting requirements for the recipients of these funds.

The second being Tennessee Code, specifically TCA 6-54-11, and that's titled The Appropriation of Funds for Nonprofit Organizations.

I'm sorry, these types of appropriations.

Next funding sources.

The first being city funding, and that is incorporated in the city's annual budget process.

An example of that will be our community agency grants, which we'll speak to a little later today with Jennifer Searle do that.

And then we have our community safety and empowerment grants with La Kenya, we'll talk more detail about.

And then lastly, a current copy of a W9 form.

If for any reason a nonprofit is unable to provide all of this required documentation, we do require that they obtain a fiscal sponsor, and that fiscal sponsor then provides the required documentation.

And as funds are dispersed, they'll be dispersed to the fiscal sponsor for use by the awarded nonprofit.

That's okay.

Okay.

Yeah.

Restart the presentation.

Yeah, well, not the computer restart the presentation, maybe.

Okay.

While you're doing that, I'm gonna make an announcement that I forgot to make at the beginning.

For everyone who's listening and everyone in the audience, just a quick reminder that the comprehensive plan is uh no.

Yes, the comprehensive plan listening sessions are beginning.

And so I'm gonna go over those dates.

These are on April 26th at the Urban Wilderness Gateway Park, and at one o'clock, and then at Christenberry Community Center at 3:30 on the 27th, Lakeshore Park at the TVA pavilion from 4:30 to 6:30, and then it's Cancler YMCA 4:30 to 6.30.

April 29th, the City of Knoxville Public Works Facility at 5 o'clock, ending at 7.

And then on April 30, yes, the East Tennessee Historical Society on Gay Street from 11 to 1, and also that day at Whittle Springs Middle School from 4:30 to 6:30.

So please consider going, encouraging your neighbors to go, and the uh you can find out more information at what's next Knoxwell.com.

Are we working?

See, there we go.

Okay.

The the forever reboot that works.

Yes.

Okay.

Okay.

All right.

Um, after a nonprofit has applied for and been awarded a grant from the city, there are distribution requirements that department that the department must follow.

If the funding is being issued on a reimbursement basis, we require documentation of the expense that was that we are reimbursing.

This can include uh copy of a canceled check, perhaps the copy of the invoice that the nonprofit paid, anything basically to document the payment that the nonprofit made.

At that time, uh we also re-verify the nonprofit's registration with the Secretary of State.

Additionally, if the grant is a pass-through with a sub-recipient, there also may be additional requirements that'll be listed in that specific grant contract.

But most importantly, no matter the funding source of the grant, all city finance policies are followed.

I know there has been uh questions regarding the difference between grant making and defied defined service agreements.

Uh so I'd like to clarify that if I can.

Um, a defined service agreement or contract is an agreement within with an external entity for the city with this with for this with an external entity to provide the city with a particular service, forgive me.

Uh the funding for these agreements are included in the city's uh standard budgeting process, and they do follow all city procurement policies.

An example of defined service agreement that we have here at the city, one would be the Young Williams Animal Center for Animal Control, uh also community schools, or perhaps the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center.

Um, also, just so that you are aware, uh, these types of agreements will be covered in more detail in a future uh council workshop that you'll be having on procurement.

I believe uh Vice Mayor is kind of in process of working to schedule that.

And then lastly, the city's grant making process.

The city strives to ensure that its grant making process is a very intentional operation that supports eligible nonprofits within the city whose mission supports the mayor's priorities as well.

And that is the focus of our workshop today.

And I will turn things back over to Cheryl to continue.

Um the city has seven different grant making programs, parks and recreation challenge grants, safety grants, empower knocks grants, the African American Equity Restoration Task Force grants, neighborhood empowerment grants, community agency grants, and housing and neighborhood development federal grants.

You all have seen this graphic in the past.

This provides details on Mayor King Cannon's purpose, values, mission, and priorities.

I wanted to show this before we get into the details of each of these grant making programs to highlight the priorities of public safety, healthy and connected neighborhoods, a clean and resilient future, thriving businesses and good jobs, and good governance.

You're gonna oh pardon me.

I did the last slide.

Okay.

Just uh I had a question about the neighborhood small grants program and wanted to know if that was gonna fall.

Under neighborhood empowerment grants?

Okay, awesome.

Thank you.

So on each for each grant making program, you will see as a part of the presentation which particular priority or priorities each of those programs are going to be addressing uh through the programming that those entities would provide.

Each department runs their own grant making program.

They all go through the same internal review process, which could include but is not necessarily limited to uh cross coordination across departments for funding requests.

We do not generally fund the same program out of two different grant making programs.

I we won't say it never happens because there are situations that warrant that particular thing to potentially happen.

However, we go to great lengths to make sure that we don't do that.

What might happen is that an organization might receive funding from more than one grant program for different programs that they operate, but the same program would not get funding from two different grant making programs for the most part.

Like rarely, very rarely does that happen.

And when it does, it's an intentional conversation.

There's a specific reason that we, as a team, have decided to do that, but it is pretty rare that we have done that.

And so I wanted to clarify that.

Also, they have all of these grant programs have to go through the internal budget approval process with finance.

They have to verify that there actually is funds in the budget to support that.

And the law department reviews all of the details, including um development of the agreements, etc.

and all the legal documentation that goes with each grant.

Oh okay.

I just didn't want to miss that.

Sorry.

Thank you for keeping me honest.

I just saw red out of the inside of my peripheral vision.

I was paid.

When grant applications become available, regardless of department, they are all promoted at least in these ways, and sometimes in additional ways.

So there's always a press release about grant making programs, their social media posts.

It's put on the particular department web page.

It's also put on the grants web page.

The city does have a web page that has all of the grant making programs there.

And the department that's responsible directly emails not just the past recipients, but anyone who has contacted them since the last one, or even you know, two or three years in the past and said, hey, I'm interested.

Can you make sure that I get notification when the application is available?

Everything you're going to see in the presentation today is based on FY2526.

That's an important thing to note because year over year things do adjust, money adjusts, things come a little different.

So that we're presenting to you what's happening in this current year that we are operating in right now.

There are a couple of exceptions.

They generally you'll see throughout the presentation are related to outcomes.

Because we're still in this fiscal year, and in some cases, we don't know the outcomes yet because the year's not over.

Um, but we wanted to show you outcomes.

So we went back to the previous fiscal year and pulled outcomes from that year just to show you as an example of the types of things that have uh happened as a result.

And you'll notice at the top of the slide, if it's a previous year's outcome, it's underlined, it's sort of highlighted so that you'll see that.

And our speakers are going to make sure that they call out to you and let you know that it is the previous year's outcomes.

Just wanted to bring that up to your attention.

And next, we have parks and recreations challenge grants.

And with that, I will turn over to Miss Cheryl Ely, Director of Parks and Recreation, to share about their program.

Good evening.

Thank you all for allowing us to come before you all.

Um, our challenge grants are a long-standing 25-year program.

Um, it's really about enhancing our our public spaces and our facilities.

Um, it works with our capital improvements, and um, we have a couple of ideas of some of the projects that have been funded over the leap years, and it aligns with uh the healthy connected communities part of our priorities.

So our minimum, there is not a minimum, but we try to offer up to about three thousand dollars in any of our grants.

Um, it is a reimbursement grant, um, and that means that they're not gonna get in the organizations will not get any funding until the project is complete.

Um, and there is a 50% match.

So basically, I always say there's a little bit of sweat equity into it to get that project gone.

Um, we're um once the applications come in, we have a small group that we review those those applications.

Um, we have a deadline of about January 30th to have our projects done, and um again, they have a reporting requirement for each one of those grants.

This is a list of communities that or groups that have um been awarded or will be awarded or could be awarded um on uh this for this fiscal year.

And so what'll happen is I think on your April 28th, which is next Tuesday agenda, these challenge grants will come before you all to approve.

Um, and as outcomes have gone, so they planted trees and we have some um water fountains and some trash cans that have been installed and um a lot of other projects that have happened with those groups that were just um outlined before it.

And if you look at the pictures here, this is in the the gazebo is in fourth and gill, and they painted it, they try to planted trees at Tyson Park.

We now have trash cans at some of the Cat stations and a um water fountain over at arms of some of those outcomes.

And I'll turn this over to Director Middlebrooks.

Thank you, Director Ely.

Um really appreciate that.

And good evening, uh everybody.

Um we are really appreciative of the opportunity to talk to you a little bit about uh the community safety and empowerment grants.

Like our colleagues who are here tonight, the grant making process is kind of just a small portion of what OCSC does, but it really is a great opportunity for us to engage with community partners and invest in the work that is so important and critical to our community.

So with OCSC's grants, you can see here we actually have seven distinct grant making opportunities across four initiatives that are listed above, and all of these are going to align with the administration's priorities of public safety and healthy and connected communities.

So we'll start with our community safety grants, our safety grants.

And these grants actually predate the founding by a little bit, the founding of the Office of Community Safety aspect of our work.

So some of you all may remember that in 2020 and 2021, our community was really devastated by increases in community-based violence, including an increase in incidents involving young people.

And in February of 2021, City Council allocated $1 million for the administration to really think about and explore avenues for violence reduction and prevention and hearing from community members and service providers.

One of the needs that was pretty acutely and immediately identified was a need for more investment in programs to engage and support our young people, and that's what spurred the initiation of some of our safety grants.

So in the summer of 2021, we launched our opportunity youth grants.

These grants primarily focus on engaging teens and young adults, primarily between those ages of 16 and 24 who are at high risk of being involved in or impacted by violence.

Funding may support things like program participation costs, supplies, stipends for participating in internships for those participants and other programming related costs.

We also have our youth violence prevention week microgrants, and the youth violence prevention week microgrants are really focused on supporting community organizations in the observation of National Youth Violence Prevention Week.

These activities are really designed to raise awareness around the impact of violence of all forms and all forms on our young people, and programming that's eligible for this funding may serve young people.

It could also serve adults, educators, faith leaders, or the community as a whole.

And with programming happening between May and October.

And for Youth Violence Prevention Week microgrants, the maximum award is $3,000.

Youth Violence Prevention Week typically happens the last week of April, near the end of April into early May.

And I would note that we are currently in Youth Violence Prevention Week, and there are funded activities that are happening as I speak to you right now.

Applications for both of these opportunities are received typically through November into early December, and they are reviewed by a committee of up to seven members, which consists of community members and city staff.

Funded organizations are expected to provide reporting at the conclusion of their programming, which will include programmatic updates, reporting of expenditures, information around the demographic summary of those who were served.

We also encourage them to share some anecdotes with us and photos of programming.

And we see a wide range of activities and engagement for our young people, everything from arts-related activities to internships and career readiness under the opportunity youth engagement grants.

So during the 2024-25 grant cycle, with our opportunity youth engagement grants, those funded organizations were able to survey for over 800 participants.

They provided things like skills building, leadership development, and relationship building, and really led participants in exploring all sorts of activities ranging from the arts, recreation, career opportunities, and educational opportunities.

For our youth violence prevention week grants for the 2024-2025 program cycle, over 900 participants were served through those programs with a focus really on things such as conflict resolution, life skills development, and developing effective communication skills.

Next, we'll talk some about our Empower Knox grants.

These grants provide an opportunity for us to support programs serving young people generally between the ages of 12 and 24 across a range of needs and experiences in our community.

So these opportunities include our Empower NOTS grants and our youth focused events grants.

The focus of the Empower Knox grants kind of changes from year to year and has been determined by some of the priorities that are set by the mayor's youth council, which is a council of 15 high school students that serve to elevate youth voice in the policy making decisions of the city of Knoxville.

And so for this year, that focus is youth mental health.

Last year we had a focus of workforce readiness that projects were really focused on funding.

The events grants are really designed to fund to help support organizations that are doing events and activities for young people that are focused on exposing them to new opportunities, giving them some recreation, and these can include anything from many camps to talent shows to festivals or conferences.

So for the Empower Knox Grant, we have a total budget of $85,000 across these two opportunities.

But that award, the participants in those in the particular cohort for that year also receive technical assistance related to the focus areas.

So for example, this year it is youth mental health, and so they are receiving technical assistance from Harmony Family Center.

Last year, under the Workforce Readiness Cohort, they received technical assistance from Vision Lid LLC to help support their ability to serve their young people meaningfully in those areas.

For the event focused grants, the maximum award is $1,500.

Again, for the Empower NOPS grants, the kind of larger cohort grants, those applications again are received typically between November and early December, and they are actually reviewed by members of the mayor's youth council.

So they serve as our review committee for those grants and make the recommendations around what organizations should be funded.

Programming for those occurs between February and September, and funded organizations are expected again to report information related to summaries of their demographic information, activities funded and supported through the program, photos and expenditures.

The event event grants are received on a rolling basis between November and May 1st and are reviewed by staff in that they come in just kind of one or two at a time.

Funded organizations again are expected to support to report information summarizing their activities, their expenditures and share photos.

No event grants have been awarded this year.

It's typically around this time of year that those applications are reviewed and come before council for approving, but we understood that council did not want to review additional applications ahead of this particular workshop.

So no awards have been awarded under the aggression under the event funding this year.

Excuse me.

For the 2024-25 fiscal year, the Empower NOTS grants served over 800 participants with over 1,600 hours of programming being delivered.

And participants had the opportunity to really build some resilience and some skills through STEM, through arts activities, recreational programming, workforce development, and personal development.

And for the events grants, we were able to fund some mini camps, a community-wide baby shower, and a choir performance.

And you can see a few pictures here of programs that were supported by the Empower Knox funding.

Next, I'll talk a little bit about the African American Equity Restoration Task Force grants, and from here on out, I will just refer to it as the task force because that's a mouthful.

But the task force was established by City Council in late 2020 and really works to identify strategic solutions to improve areas of disparity and disenfranchisement in the East Knoxville community.

So the task force grants really focus on supporting community-based organizations serving in East Knoxville in at least one of the investment areas that the task force has identified through their strategic framework and framework process.

So funded projects focus on education, community investment or engagement, home ownership, small business or workforce development.

We have a total budget of 150,000 for the task force grants with a maximum award of $20,000 per organization.

Again, these applications are received between November and the first week of December.

And these applications are actually reviewed by the investment committee for the task force, which includes seven members, excuse me, of the 11 member task force.

Once the investment committee has reviewed those applications and developed some recommendations, they then bring those to the full task force during a regular task force meeting for review and approval that staff then brings to City Council.

Funded projects occur between March and October, and awardees are expected to again report summaries of the activities that were supported with the funding, summaries of demographic information for those that were served, impacts of the programming, and a report of expenditures.

And again, you can see here a list of the organizations that this council approved just a few weeks ago.

For the 2024-25 project year, the funded organizations served over a thousand individuals with over 2200 hours of service provided through those projects.

Alright, almost there, guys.

I promise.

So through the neighborhood empowerment grants, we have two grant making opportunities.

The neighborhood small grants program supports placemaking, health and wellness, cultural activities, and public safety through one-time projects or neighborhood improvement strategies.

These can include beautification projects, neighborhood festivals, national night out activities or other neighborhood focused events and activities.

And so funding through the small grant through the microgrant program, excuse me, can help support the purchase of supplies, printing, food, or other materials that are really going to support encouraging neighborhood engagement and gathering to build these neighborhood organizations.

The neighborhood grants has a total budget of $20,000 across both of these opportunities.

The maximum award for the small grants program is $6,500, and the maximum award for the micro grant opportunity is $500.

Similar to the neighborhood challenge grants, the small grant program does require a match that can be achieved through fundraising or through volunteer hours, and it's really encouraged and pushed that residents engage their neighbors and it become a collective effort because the whole purpose is community building.

Neighborhood small grants are reviewed by the neighborhood advisory council.

This includes site visits to some of the applying neighborhoods.

But funded programs across both of these opportunities are expected to report project details, the goals met, expenditures, and photos from their projects.

So you can see here some of the organizations that have been funded through the small grant program and the microgrant program for this year.

And when we think about some of the outcomes that we have seen, these funds have supported repairs of recreational spaces in communities, beautification projects, help to increase community building efforts and participation in events as well as increased use of community spaces by more residents.

So thank you for the opportunity to share a little bit about our work, and I will pass it over to Jennifer Sarrell to talk about community agency grants.

Could you give us an update on the current status of the neighborhood small grants program?

So the small grants program.

We are kind of the projects that you saw have been are in process.

We are currently waiting through this process to better understand how we are moving forward with the small grants process.

But I'm just wondering if there will if you anticipate that there will be a new timeline for applications.

Okay.

Hi, thank you so much for inviting me to speak about community agency grant program today.

The community agency grants support a wide range of arts, culture, social service organizations that align with the city's priorities.

Organizations can apply for operations and/or capital needs.

Separate applications are required for each request.

Opioid abatement grants are a more recent addition.

They are funded through settlement dollars from opioid manufacturers and pharmaceutical distributors.

The first round of opioid abatement grants were funded in FY 2024-25.

These are restricted funds that can only be utilized for primary prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery support, or education and training.

States and counties receive the vast majority of the settlement dollars.

So for FY 2025-26, the grant total was just over 2 million.

The application process is straightforward.

Funding for operations grants are paid quarterly unless award the award is $6,000 or less.

Capital grants are reimbursement-based and require documentation of expenses and payments.

Applications are reviewed by staff and the administration, taking into consideration funding allocated through other City of Knoxville sources if applicable.

Reports are required for all grants.

Grantees are asked to report on their accomplishments, how funds were spent, and include a story of impact.

I did most site visits during the second and third quarters with a handful remaining.

So I'm I'm sorry, for clarification, just because we're talking about the different years.

So right now, people apply, you make your decisions, and then that is those decisions will be in the budget we get on Friday.

Correct.

Okay, thank you.

Well, but we we have a budget in our agenda for Tuesday.

So they have numbers that have gotten to those totals.

I'm sorry, I'm not following the question.

Is that it's just the budget ordinance is already a part of our agenda because we have to approve it at the first reading.

So I would assume there would be numbers that add up to that total that we've already been given.

You know.

But the focus of this is for the current fiscal year.

Right.

But we're they're talking about what we're doing now.

I'm just saying that the application process that she referred to that's going on now is for next fiscal year.

Ms.

Parker is saying we have an ordinance on our agenda on Tuesday about the next year's budget.

So the total of the grants should be reflected.

We just don't know what who they're going to until we receive the budget tomorrow.

Is that correct?

Well, the community agency grants are listed in the budget ordinance.

They will be in the budget.

They will be in the budget.

Ordinance.

I'm sorry, I haven't done as much research on our agenda that we just got on Tuesday yet.

So the arts and culture awardees?

Yeah.

Okay, thank you.

Over 500,000 was invested in arts and culture organizations.

All the organizations listed provide free programming, and many have long-standing outreach programs.

One highlight is Joy of Music School.

It is a founding member of the Knox Area Mentoring Initiative, which is a group that strengthens mentorship best practices, expands capacity, and recruits volunteers.

They also have many long-standing partnerships that meet students where they are.

These include boys and girls clubs, Knox County Public Defender's Office, Community Schools, and Central Hispano.

They recently expanded partnerships to include Restoration House and the Muse.

This enables many more children to explore and participate in making music.

Here is a list of the community and social service organizations that receive funding.

As I mentioned before, community agency grants support a wide range of organizations and services.

The listed organizations provide it needed services to members of our community at every life stage.

Starting at birth, over a thousand families receive books and literacy materials at will baby checkups through a collaboration between Friends of Literacy and River Valley Health to the other end of the spectrum.

Subsidized caregiver services provided by senior citizens home assistance service helped seniors age in place.

In meetings with grantees and other funders, I hear repeatedly about the need for access to affordable health and mental health care.

Organizations providing health and mental health services received the largest portion of funding, totaling over $820,000.

Youth serving organizations received over 400,000 and was the second highest funded category.

Many of the organizations provide tutoring, enrichment, and mentoring.

We know that a child with a trained and supported mentor demonstrates increased resilience and healthy relationships and decreased risky behaviors.

Capital grants.

Capital funded projects include a mixture of arts and culture as well as social service organizations.

A highlight here is River Valley Health, formerly Cherokee Health, received a capital grant and opened a walk-in clinic in Mechanicsville that provides medical, mental health, and medication management in one stop.

This filled a gap in services in our community and decreases the burden on patients and emergency rooms.

Here are some of the outcomes for the first half of the fiscal year.

Organizations can use community agency grants as matching dollars to access additional funding, which increases their ability to serve the community.

One of the positives that has come about from the COVID time, as we refer to it, is that there is increased collaboration among organizations, resulting in better referrals and continuity of service.

Here are some photos.

The photo on the left is an example of how arts organizations make their work accessible to the community.

This is the Knoxville Symphony playing at a hospital.

They also play at Metro Drug.

And KLF's Amachi program is in the center, and they train and support mentors to pair with children who have a justice involved parents.

Now I will turn it over to Director.

Oh, Cheryl.

Back to Cheryl.

Thanks, Jennifer.

Um we're gonna shift gears just a little bit now and talk briefly.

Can we can we have uh just before we get off all these, just I'm gonna take a minute to see if there's any burning question before we go to HUD?

To federal grants?

Okay, to federal grants.

Because this because what you're talking about is city money or money that flows directly through the city from the state for opioids.

So sure.

Is there anything urgent?

Okay.

Go ahead then.

Sorry.

Now we're gonna shift gears.

Um we're gonna talk next.

Kevin DeBose is going to talk next about uh federal grants, which do function differently than uh when we have we federal grants are just more challenging.

We often have federal dollars that we would use to work with community organizations as sub-recipients.

Subrecipients still have to adhere to all of the federal guidelines, which can be very tedious if you have not yourself ever dealt with a federal grant.

Um there are so many different layers of rules.

The accounting is very detailed and super specific, and the reporting requirements require significant amount of data track and tracking even before you get started with your program.

So I just wanted to take a quick moment to sort of reset the stage as we move into talking a little bit about federal grants, and now Kevin DeBeau's will share that.

I keep turning my microphone off when I keep meaning to be hitting this slot.

I have to have two fingers and two buttons.

Clearly, I can't pat my head.

I did have a quick question before Director DeBo starts, but it seems like this is only a discussion of HUD grants or housing related grants.

Is there a reason why that's your sole focus when talking about federal grants?

Well, uh, this the focus, I'm gonna give it a go to see if I catch what what you're asking.

Um this workshop, we were asked by a vice mayor to talk about grant making programs, which is where the city is providing dollars to another entity to carry out whatever those particular services are, and we have grant making programs that we utilize in addition to all the ones you've already heard about through HD for they just happen to also be federal grants instead of local dollars.

Ms.

Parker, I did not ask for them to give, and you know, this could be my mistake, but I did not ask for them to uh tell us about every grant that the city asked for from federal dollars.

It w I thought the purpose of what folks were originally asking about were how were community groups awarded grants from the city.

And so that's what I asked them to focus on.

My apologies.

Well, and just that there are other grants that are going to community groups.

Um related to federal full responsibility for that because I did not go into that much depth.

I was working on this.

We can do that later.

I mean, I I don't I have no problem asking.

I wasn't trying to not ask for everything you wanted.

I failed to understand that.

So I apologi my apologies.

Well, and particularly it'll be around the um uh Department of Justice grants that have been um reallocated or used uh towards community funded programs or community-led programs.

Um and there's been some confusion with one DLJ grant particularly that I've been trying to get more information about whether that has been used to grant funds.

So I will follow up and try to get more information on that one specific grant.

Um, but even with uh for example, the ARPA funds, uh some of those funds have gone to um community partners to carry out uh some of our priorities, and I believe this is the last year uh to ensure those funds are spent down, and we began um when we received them tracking them online, but we haven't gotten a report on those in a while.

So I just didn't know.

Um some of it is housing related, you know, in terms of um uh I think some was going to be used towards um uh non-congregate shelter, um, but I don't think that project moved forward, and so there's just some other grant programs that it would be good to get updates on that have been used to.

And in some cases, it's provide grants, and in some cases it's like what was mentioned previously with the mental health care, uh trying to get a better understanding of it.

Uh they're uh contracted out uh services.

So you know, there's some clarity to get there.

Okay, we're happy to provide whatever if you'll follow up on that.

Happy to we'll we'll follow up more on exactly what it is, Ms.

Parker is talking about the grants so that we don't miss anything next, so that I don't miss anything next time.

My apologies.

Thank you.

Um the housing and neighborhood development department as well as the um federal grants for community development.

Uh the first thing I want to mention is that the city of Knoxville is what is called an entitlement, entitlement city, which means for a couple of programs we receive funding automatically based on several factors, uh population, you know, some of the social economic conditions in our in our town.

We don't have to apply for it, it comes directly uh to us in the way of three programs.

One is the community development block grants, the other is uh emergency solutions grant, and then the third one is the home investment partnership, um, which we won't cover today because it's it's all development related.

I want to tell you about CDBG, our community development block grants.

It's been around since 1974.

Um it was established by the Housing Act of 1974.

It followed the urban renewal era that was just very harmful and had an isolating effect on communities.

Um this approach to community development was for the first time, HUD it was partnering with local governments to solve some of their um community development uh needs.

Um in that same act with Section 8, just different way of thinking.

Prior to that time, they had only uh funded uh public housing.

And um we can use C D BG for a wide variety of things, however they the programs must be consistent with the consolidated plan.

And so we uh develop a five-year consolidated plan.

I know we're talking comprehensive plan right uh during the season, but it's different.

Uh comprehensive plan, of course, relates to land use and planning.

Uh consolidated plan means that all of the HUD funding programs consolidated.

You must have a five-year plan that outlines your community needs and how you're gonna solve those problems.

And um we present that plan, work very hard with the community to develop that that plan, and we update it every year through the annual action plan.

In fact, we had our third public meeting uh last night um, you know, as a part of our annual um plan update.

Um the major focus, it won't surprise you for our consolidated plan is to keep people in their homes, keep people housed.

That's what we're hearing from the community.

That's what the data shows, and so the majority of our funding relates to that.

The emergency solutions grant um it started in 1987 as emergency shelter grant, and it was given to local governments to to deal with their shelter needs, and for the first 22 years, that's what it was about, and then uh in 2009, it was refocused uh with a rapid rehousing um uh new focus, uh trying to get people back into housing and just not in a cycle of shelter.

Um the city historically has been an entitlement for ESG.

Um, however, that has changed recently where we don't meet the thresholds, and our share now goes to THDA, but in this past uh year, THDA gave the money to us.

All what we would have received came directly to us.

Um ESG requires a dollar-for-dollar local match, and the city does that and even more uh for what we do.

Ummunity development block grants, I must mention there they're no no local match to that.

Funding, you you see the funding amounts there, and I just want to point out to to you that over the past 25 years those federal funds have reduced greatly.

It used to be the federal pot was the big money and the local pot was the small money.

Um, but you know, the way it is now, we we spend about 10 10 million dollars out of our local general fund for housing and for homelessness, which is about triple um our federal amount.

Um under CDBG, it's important to note that 15% of it uh can be used for public services.

Public services are the social service type uh activities that don't contribute to uh a housing units or our feet of infrastructure, those those those hardcore items, and HUD allows you to spend um uh 15 percent of those those funds for that.

Um we are in a different seat with regard to uh federal funding.

With with a normal grant fund, you know, the city is the grantor, and the local nonprofit is the grantee.

Uh in our seat, HUD is the grantor, and the city is the grantee.

And we agree to a boilerplate of federal requirements to comply with you know that agreement.

First, they're gonna make certain that we're solving our local needs and that we are accomplishing what is set out in that consolidated plan.

But we're also dealing with um everything from uh labor um requirements to now even citizen uh verification.

And I wanna point out that um a lot of cities have hired a community development administrator to help with that complexity in the city of Knoxville.

I think we have the best one.

Her name is Linda Russ, she's sitting right behind me, if you'll wave.

And Linda and our our grants team, you know, do a great job.

Linda has 30 years of experience, last 13 with the city of Knoxville.

And uh we are just very high thought of um by um our funders and our compliance um has um led to uh a lot of opportunities for the city.

Next slide.

Here is a listing of of some of the uh awardees.

Um you will see the the data will show that um over six hundred um uh well that's next slide, sorry.

Six hundred people uh have benefited uh from these programs, and all for the most part um are to help folks either stay in their home or to get back into to their housing.

The next is a photo of some of the um activities that we're funding.

Uh the two photos to your left show um um operation backyard, and they're actually building a ramp, operation backyard leverages a great deal of of money from the community uh that goes to minor home repairs, ramps, weatherization, CAC, which is that that far right photo also has a minor home repair that focuses on uh roofs and HVACs and other um problems that can threaten um and homeowner, a low-income homeowner.

And so we we largely focus on um getting funds out to those sorts of activities with that.

I'm going to now talk a little bit about a schedule.

So as you can see from this chart, we have application the we have chosen to put here trying to simplify each of these programs as you can imagine within their timeline, have I dunno, anywhere from 20 to 70 different milestone dates within those timelines for administering uh a grant program.

Anyone who has ever administered a grant program knows that it requires that.

Um to simplify it from a public perspective, we thought one of the most important dates was the what month does that application become available.

And so that's what we have listed for each of these.

You'll notice they are color-coded just for making it easy for anyone referencing this particular presentation.

Those are the color codes that we used for each of the topics that we covered today.

And then the next line you'll see there is what month typically is some variation, of course, occasionally, but for the most part, what month typically would we target having something come to city council so that you all know uh more or less when to expect that?

Why different times of year has been a question that I know many of you all have asked us, and it's really based on a lot of different things.

Um, for example, um Youth Violence Prevention Week is a nationally determined week, and it is happening as La Kenya said literally there is programming happening right this minute.

Um the timeline of these grants are based on what's going on in our community to respond to community needs.

And there's really a broad cross-section of reasons these things happen at different times.

The community agency grants that Jennifer was talking about are aligned with our budgeting process.

Um the parks and rec lines aligns their grants with when neighborhoods are, I mean, when community groups are most likely to do the work that is required.

And so they're all they all are in response to specific things going on directly in our community.

Another question that I know folks have had, and that several of you have asked me about, is um why do we not have them all on the same time same agenda?

Why don't they all come to you all on the same city council agenda?

And there's the the reasons that we just talked about that I just stated, you know, responding to different needs within our community, but also even the ones like I know La Kenya has uh three different ones that are on a almost the same exact timeline, but they don't necessarily all come on the same agenda because of our internal systems, it becomes a big strain on our internal systems to get all of those ready for you all at the exact same time.

And so that's why we do it in a phased and staged approach.

Our finance team, our law department has to write an agreement, you know, have an agreement drawn up for each and every one of these.

And so by spreading it out and spacing it, it makes it easier on our internal systems to manage those effectively.

And we just wanted to provide um a little bit of context for why that has happened in the way that it has in the past.

Um with that, I think that we will turn it over to Savannah to share share.

Oh, I'm sorry, but Mr.

Yes.

Do you have a question?

Yeah, um, just retaining the graph.

I I actually like how this graph is the grant schedule.

So one of things that came to mind is when does the application close?

Right.

So having, you know, looking at describe having something public facing that shows okay, application opened.

What is the month that that application process or opportunity will close?

I think it'd be a you know a good resource for you know people in the public to be able to shoot.

Yeah.

We can definitely do that.

The intent is to put this up on that grants uh website that we that I referenced earlier that we have, um, but we can make that addition to it before we do that.

Thank you.

Yeah, thank you.

I think that'd be a good idea.

Um, did you have okay?

Miss Kirk, if you'll tell us about our money that counts.

Yes.

Good evening.

Well, I it the reason I ask her to do this really is this is a public meeting.

It is being recorded for the public, and this is another way city dollars are granted.

So I thought it was only uh right that we talk about our council funds.

Thank you.

Um, yeah, so um the community improvement fund was created um in 1989.

Prior to that, um city council's discretionary funds came from the um money acquired um by sale of surplus real property.

Um the ordinance that was passed by council in 1989 did two things.

It moved those funds to um the debt service fund to retire our debt, and then it created the community improvement fund.

Um, and that fund is an accounting speak fund 202.

And so that's why you'll commonly hear them referred to as community improvement funds or 202 funds.

It's the same thing.

Um course, the the purpose of that fund is just uh for council's discretionary spending um and the eligible uh projects are basically anything that any organization is doing that meets the requirements of the state code and the city code um that was already discussed.

We follow those as well.

So is as long as they are eligible, um, they can provide the documentation.

If it is a project that um council sees worthy, then it counts.

Um so currently uh that fund has 135,000 in it at the beginning of each fiscal year.

Well, at the beginning of the this fiscal year, um, which is split into the nine different uh council member accounts, so it's 15,000 uh per council member.

Um there's no minimum or maximum for organizations.

If this body wanted to give the full 135,000 to one organization for one project, they can do that.

Um so the maximum is just based on the the fund balance, whatever is in that fund.

Um initially, um, like I said in 1989 when the fund was created, um it had a much larger balance.

Um there were uh couple of different reasons, which we won't get into as to why the the fund the balance went down to zero in 2003 and 2004, and then um in 2004, 2005 it was brought back to 90,000, which was 10,000 per council member.

Um, and then it it it was recently raised to 15,000 per council member.

Of course, I review those uh applications as they come in.

Um I work with organizations to ensure that they can provide the correct documentation.

If they can't fight provide the correct documentation, then we work with a fiscal sponsor, um, same as the other grants.

Um and then once all of that is met, um of course, quarterly, I'll send that out to you via email.

Um you will have um read-only access to the spreadsheet, which has their um the organization name and the reason um to respond if uh you want to appropriate funds.

Um the reporting is subject to uh the the part of division two of the city code that says such other information as may be required by council.

Um I have to this date not had um anything required by council, but if council wants reporting from the organizations, that can always we can always do that.

Um and then this is part one of two slides.

So this is for um a full fiscal year.

It was um fiscal year ending 25.

These are the organizations, um, the reasons and uh what what they originally requested and what um council is uh able to appropriate.

Um and you'll see there's various reasons in there.

Um and sometimes the reasons are going to supplement what organizations are getting from other um areas in the city.

Uh for example, the a tree tree planting program.

Um, you know, they have employees and um things to do the planting, but they needed to buy trees.

So we've had council members buy the trees for them.

We have organizations that want to do um like historical neighborhood markers.

Um they get other sources to get the the signs, they work with the city sign department to make sure all that's kosher, and then um they come to us to get installation, so um council funds um 202 funds do supplement some of the uh projects that you'll see going on throughout the city.

Um festivals sometimes they'll come to council to get um like uh barricades, um barricades or security for the festivals, um other things are students that are going on field trips, but the students or the schools can't afford um to pay for the bus driver or um the the tickets um and and things like that.

So those those are the the kind of projects that this fund helps with.

And then I think we have one more slide, and this is just um this was the the most recent quarter of this year, um, which council just recently approved.

Thank you, Ms.

Kirk.

Uh I will say um if you notice we went um for those of you new to council, uh council went up 20 years with no increase in uh funds to um the counts to our 202 funds and the previous city council uh had a suggested increase rate that we would ask for to get back.

No, I'm we won't get to 80,000 while any of us are on council.

I'll just let's just say that.

But but I mean again it's got to be in the budget, but but it did go up some, and so there is a hope that we can make steady increase um because everything costs more, and and again, we have more and more folks who have need.

Um, so thank you for that, Miss Kirk.

And um, I know many of you on council know this, but in full disclosure, I wanted the whole community to know how our 202 funds worked.

And for some people they may not even know they exist, so now they do.

Okay, we can open it up to uh any questions.

Um if you've jotted some down while we were doing this, um now is your time to ask.

And I will just say again, for the record, my understanding was we um wanted a presentation on the grant making process, and um, so if there's been confusion about what you presented based on what I asked you to present, we can follow up and and uh perhaps do an abbreviated version on on other things.

Thank you.

You have your light on first.

Go ahead.

Um I had a few questions.

Um these are uh particularly for Mr.

Kevin uh the homemakers program.

Um so exactly how long has that been in existence?

Uh since the 80s.

Since the 80s, yeah.

Okay.

Um since you've been on board, has there been a change in funding?

Has it fluctuated?

Has it remained the same?

Um what what have you seen over the last few years or since you've been in this position?

Yes.

So thank you for the question.

So the homemakers uh program, just some background data is totally funded by local dollars, not any federal dollars.

Um, and what we do is we um take blighted property that is either in a redevelopment area or that has gone through the court process to um you know declare it, you know and have habitable, we'll acquire those lots and those properties, and we'll um make them available to individuals or developers to develop.

Uh the city has a homemakers ordinance that is very specific about how that is to be done.

Um so um the changes that I'm seeing is that development has become more complicated.

Um, you know, we have bigger projects on homemakers.

I guess for the first 20 years or so they were mainly just single family um homes.

So we have a couple now where they're multifamily developments on those lots, and uh one of them is over five million dollars.

And so um we're probably gonna need to take a look at that ordinance because the ordinance is contemplates um more of a smaller um single family deal from several different angles, and so you know that's something that our team is going to be working with uh administration and discussing in the future.

And I and me and you met um and we we kind of had some conversation about this particular ordinance originally, as you said, you know, that one year, there's a one-year deadline that these projects have.

And right now we're kind of experiencing a situation where they need more than one year, right?

Yeah, you know, because you got the now you have the the middle housing standards that um a couple of our projects are taking advantage of and you know, just the complexity of of getting started doesn't always fit well within those time frames.

Okay, and so um, you know, and we even talked about a homemakers part two to uh help um moving forward, but that's something we're thinking about and going to work work closely with you all to to figure that one out.

Okay, thank you.

Um I'll probably keep you keep you on here.

This is kind of like a two-part question.

Um for director uh Middlebrook and yourself, right?

So looking at the homemakers program and then looking at the African American restoration fund, right?

Can those two things coexist?

Um I don't know, maybe Rob can answer this, but is there a way that particular fund can help support or help elevate the homemakers program?

Yes, I I do think so.

You know, I want to point out two things.

One is that about two-thirds of the projects um teeth around 70 percent are affordable housing projects, and so you know, there is a preference, a point preference for affordable um it would homemakers was in the ordinance um expanded so that they could deal with problem properties beyond affordable housing, and so there is some flexibility because you know you have a big 3,000 square foot home, you know, it might not be the best affordable housing outcome, but it could represent a blighting influence on the neighborhood.

And specific to your question, um the Deputy Director Um Davidson has been working very closely with our team, sits in on all of our um abandoned blighted and vacant properties meetings with an eye on you know how can the two work together.

And so, you know, I do I do see that there's opportunities for some synergies there.

Um, and as we move forward and that as we think about vacant lots, um, because I do think in our city, we don't have a lot of greenfields.

What we do have is um blighted corridors and a lots of neighborhood vacant lots, so that that's where we really need to get you know bang for our buck in terms of development, and so we will be work continue to work uh work together.

Thank you.

And and you know, and I I asked that question, um, Vice Mayor and for my counterparts to uh in particular remembering why the African American Equity Restoration Task Fund was created, right?

Um, I think you know, I don't have to go into a history lesson.

I think we all know when you look at urban renewal, right?

Homes were taken away.

Um when I look at this list, you know, of the awardees, um, all of them are doing great work.

Um I know that from being boots on the ground.

Um they're all nonprofits.

There's not one for-profit uh awardee on this particular list.

I do see East Knoxville homeownership for 10,000 this year, but just figuring out how we can leverage this fund with the prompt the programs that we do have and just not keeping them centrally located with a nonprofit focus is what I would like for us to maybe start considering.

Okay, I have a I have a question then based on that.

Um my understanding is it is the task force that reviews request.

Is that correct?

For the grants, yes, the task force reviews uh the applications, the uh investment committee reviews the applications and makes recommendations.

Um I would know, in addition to uh the the work in partnership um that Director DuBose mentioned um with our office and staff, uh Director Davidson and other staff that support the task force.

Uh his office is also fantastic about engaging the task force, sharing information updates, getting insight, discussing with members of the task force opportunities for partnership, and I think that that's something that we will see continue uh as we go.

And I think with regards to the applications that we get in um to council member grant's point uh about them all being nonprofits, uh as direct as um uh deputy director Spith pointed out kind of in her opening, that is kind of a limitation of our grant making process.

We um our funding has to be directed at nonprofit organizations.

It's a requirement.

So we can't we can't give grants through these processes through to for profit organizations.

For profit institutions.

I do want to clarify for profit had a wholly owned subsidiary that was a nonprofit, then they could apply.

Correct.

They could apply for a grant, right?

This this particular workshop has been on grants.

I do want to point out that the homemakers program is not a grant-making program.

That is not what that program is, and there are for-profit entities that participate as a part of the homemakers program.

We didn't cover the homemakers program because that's not a grant-making program.

But but it's something worth discussing to figure out how we can get more money to help do that.

Okay, thank you.

Mr.

Grant.

Yeah, and so to you know what Mr.

Kevin had mentioned, in terms of utilizing this fund, so this fund can't fund the homemakers program, is what I'm being told.

So I I know we can't fund a for-profit, right?

So, like if McDonald's applies, we can't give a for-profit money directly, but it's I just it's about being a grant or not being a grant.

Yeah.

If it is a grant, you you've heard about all of the grant-making programs that we have.

If it's one of those programs, it must be a nonprofit by all of the statutes that Kitron went over at the beginning.

Those are the requirements legally that we have to follow.

For other programs that are not grant-making programs, it it which the homemakers program, as you mentioned, is not a grant-making program.

So for-profit and nonprofit both can participate in uh that particular program.

So just to make sure I'm not confused.

The African American Equity Restoration Task Force.

Is it a fund, right?

To my understanding, it's a fund.

It is not a fund.

Okay.

There's not a fund set up for the African American Equity Restoration Task Force.

There's a line item in the Office of Community Safety and Empowerment Budget to support operations, activities, and programs through the African American Equity Restoration Task Force, and that's where their grants come from.

There's no African American Equity Restoration Task Force Fund.

Okay.

Well, I'm definitely glad you said that because for the last since the beginning of it, the community thinks it's a fund, right?

I think we work past, you know, it being a pot of money.

I think there's been you know better education in terms of putting that information out to the community.

But when I talk to constituents, they think this is a fund.

They don't think it's just a grant process, right?

And so that's that's where my question actually came from.

I thought it was just a particular fund that we can say, okay, you know, how can we transfer these funds to the homemakers program or other programs within the city to help restore equity back into these underserved neighborhoods and and and communities.

And so I've taken a look at the resolution, I've looked at the bylaws.

Um appreciate you for providing that to me.

Um, you know, obviously we, you know, new council members, we weren't here.

That's why we're having this when this resolution was was created.

I do find it concerning that uh in reading the bylaws, only task force members can make recommendations to the mayor in terms of appointing uh task force members.

Um I find that concerning.

That was the resolution that was passed at the time.

If council wants to change the resolution, you know, I mean, that's the only way to to change that, but that was the resolution adopted um by council at the time for how the how those um how that would be set up.

Okay.

Um reason in and and the reason why Mr.

Frost, what were you saying?

Uh thank you, Vice Mayor.

I haven't read the bylaws.

I don't know if that can be changed by council or it has to or if it's part of the bylaws of the group.

I see councilmember Parker.

If it's our committee, we can change the requirements for that committee.

It's a city council committee.

They have to change their bylaws.

If if I may.

Yes.

Um so the free flowing easy like Sunday morning.

Um the uh committee uh reviews uh and the supports doing interviews of individuals who have expressed interest in being on the task force and makes recommendations to the mayor.

Um I believe and Ms.

Okin, correct me if I'm wrong, individuals who are interested in serving uh on the task force uh can apply for uh service on the committee in the same way that other folks have, but the task force just serves as an additional point of contact uh to engage those individuals, uh talk with them, um, you know, gauge their interest and their experiences.

Um I believe, if I'm not mistaken, um, that council members have you know presented folks that they were interested in seeing on the task force, so I believe that the administration takes uh into consideration individuals from you know different sources, but the task force serves as uh an additional source beyond staff uh to vet individuals who have expressed interest in serving on the task force because they've done the work.

Well, thank you.

I I also haven't read the resolution in a while, but this idea that the mayor appoints to the task force is completely incorrect.

Well, it it's just uh I assume that the mayor brings forth appointees that council must approve, like every other thing that she does.

Correct.

Any mayor does, not she, but any mayor recommends people to sit on various things like the KUB board or the other things that we all vote on.

Right, but there are certain committees that we establish.

Right.

Um that don't go through the mayor.

We definitely need to review that resolution because the resolution establishing the committee members uh came through council and then each appointment has come through council, and I just I don't remember it being a recommendation of the mayor.

Mr.

Johnson, you have can shed light on this.

I can speak a little bit to this.

So uh back in 2021 when the task force was formed.

It's been several years.

And they worked together to come up with a proposal for appointments.

And those did come to council, of course, in a resolution.

I've got it pulled up actually at the moment.

You have the resolution.

So does it require uh that to come from the mayor?

It's kind of silent to the mayor's role.

It doesn't really speak to that.

Right.

So we we haven't given the mayor a role.

The the bylaws do say that the mayor will make recommendations to council and council will approve or deny.

The bylaws of the task force.

I can send those to you.

Well, I'm saying if we revise the resolution forming the task force, then that trumps the bylaws.

I think that's what uh Mr.

Frost is saying is he's he's not sure because he hasn't read the bylaws.

So I can I can send those to both of you.

I can send them to all of you.

Can I sum this up to say that we will figure this out and talk talk about this?

Because yes, if we change the law, then the bylaws have to match what the resolution says.

So can we ask Mr.

Frost to look at all that and get back to us perhaps at our next council dinner you might have an answer for us?

No pressure.

When is that?

It's not like Tuesday, is it?

Oh no, we have Beerboard Tuesday.

You got plenty three weeks, Rob.

Mr.

Frost.

Mr.

Grant, back to you.

Yeah.

Um thank you.

I mean that that definitely gave a little bit more more clarity in terms of like me when I read the bylaws, I was my interpretation was the task force gets to choose who's added.

Those recommendations are then given to the mayor, and then the mayor brings it to us for approval.

Um so I you know I would definitely like to look into that.

Um the task force itself is made up of 11 members.

It's been that way since the the beginning.

Has it been 11?

I I'll I can't tell you.

I'm gonna go based just kind of on my recollection.

I was not staffing the task force at its establishment, and so someone else may have a better recollection than me.

I believe at the onset there may have initially been 12, but one of those seats was designated for a specific person who later moved.

Um it wasn't assigned to a position or just an open seat, it was designated to a particular person.

Uh is my recollection, but that may not be completely accurate.

Uh and so from the time that I have been involved, it has been 11.

Okay.

It um I may answer that question.

There were 13 persons that were appointed in July of 2021, but that was also inclusive of Vice Mayor Gwen McKenzie.

By name, not the vice mayor.

No, correct.

It didn't name the position, just Gwen McKenzie.

Thank thank you for that.

Um, it kind of goes into what I have, you know, kind of what I have to say next.

And I'm hoping this is received.

When I when I go back and and I look at the minutes from each African American task force meeting, we've never had a full quorum.

Right?

So when when when I look at the 13 originally from 2022 up until 2023, we've never had all 13 present.

When I go all the way from 2023 to 2024, up until present day, we haven't had all 11 present.

And so uh to me that raises concerns.

I believe I believe a quorum is six.

I believe you have to have six.

It's 50 percent plus one.

Right.

So so with a committee of eleven, that would be six.

It would need seven, actually, if it's thirteen.

More than half as a quorum.

Okay.

Although I have not read their bylaws.

So I think we have 11 present day today to as of today, we have 11 committee members.

So it would be six.

Um I attended the last meeting briefly uh last Monday, uh the 13th.

And um there was there was concerning things that you know I took notice uh one being time.

And I and I get we all have you know other obligations.

Um but starting the meetings on time, I think is something that we need to strengthen, right?

When you're asking the public to come out, um whether people show up or not, whether committee members are on time, I I would ask for more punctuation in terms of starting on time.

Um I mentioned, you know, I mentioned we haven't had a full committee.

Um I'm looking at, you know, if I go all the way back to 23, it's eight people, seven people, six, six, seven, six.

Uh, you know, so I, you know, if in and I see the the transition from meeting monthly, which I can I understand that can be a bit overwhelming.

Um since then, you know, last year, 2025 was quarterly.

Uh the first two meetings this year um have happened and they've been quarterly.

Um and we're yet to have 11 members present.

And so even downsizing the obligation, right?

Um making sure that if these people are going to commit to this task force, we're all we're asking is four times a year ahead of time for you to be present and make a full commitment to this task force.

Um because if you don't take it serious, how can the community take it serious?

And so I would ask, you know, in terms of you know, looking at this task force, and like I said, I get it, we're all busy.

But if you can't commit four times a year, you don't need to be on this committee.

And so making sure that we draw that line and have that understanding and set that standard, this particular task force is too important for us to not have people come on and be fully participated and engaged in the process.

I will just say um lots of boards have bylaws that require that have an attendance requirement, and if you don't meet the attendance requirement, you can be removed.

Okay.

So anything else, Mr.

Grant?

I want to go back to physical sponsors.

Um, in terms of the grant process, in terms of how we uh I know a lot of programs and organizations they need their you know, physical agents in order to receive funding.

Um taking in consideration in terms of how we do that, having a percentage cap, I think is important.

Uh based on the research that I've done, you know, on average uh when you look at physical sponsors somewhat as a pass-through, you're looking at anywhere between three to five percent as a as a fiscal agent.

Um if there's going to be full service, if there's going to be any any heavy admin, um you're looking at anywhere between five to ten percent.

Um I would like for us as a city to take that in consideration when programs and organizations are applying for for grants and they do need a physical sponsor, holding that physical sponsor to a certain percentage cap, if we can, I think is important because if not, that that vulnerable program, uh they're vulnerable to whatever that physical sponsor acts for or request, right?

Um, which in my own case, you know, was 20 percent, which was absurd, right?

At the time I didn't know that.

But for those organizations and programs who don't know or vulnerable for funding, making sure as a city we have certain percentage requirements so those small organizations don't get taken advantage of by those larger physical agents.

So just taking that in consideration as well.

Um I don't know, maybe you know, the finance would be included in that, law, right?

We you know that sounds like it would be a uh legal requirement that we'd have that there needs to be more discussion on with a difference between a physical agent for a contract or a defined service agreement.

That is very different situation than for a grant.

Um we have a lot of the same fiscal agents that are known entities, East MC Community Design Center does this regularly, and if I'm not mistaken, doesn't charge.

Yeah.

So I think I think Mr.

Grant's point is if we're gonna have physical agents, perhaps the city can help make sure that folks we have the reports.

Yeah, we have the report.

You can look and see what is a consistent sort of reasonable charge.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That's all I have.

All right, thank you.

Does anybody else have any questions?

I'm sorry.

No.

I just turned it on.

Okay, thank you.

For Director Debot, I wanted to clarify just to make sure I heard some things that you said clearly and understood it because it was something new to me, I think heretofore the homemakers program has basically been for single family residences of blinded property.

But if I heard you correctly, there's an opportunity there where it the homeowners program might include blighted multi-unit properties under the umbrella.

Is that what I heard you?

Yes.

You know, for the most part, the lots are neighborhood lots.

There was nothing prohibiting multifamily uh before.

Right.

It it just never happened until recently.

Right.

And so now particularly with the middle housing standards.

And um, you know, we've acquired some, you know, double and triple lots.

Yeah, you know, so again, trying to find ways to uh produce housing units.

Yeah, it's it's um allow for this opportunity.

Yeah, thanks for putting that on my radar screen because I hadn't heard that.

So that's one good thing I got out of this workshop.

So just keep us informed about how we can remove those obstacles for uh to make this happen.

So there's an opportunity there to increase housing and remove blight.

Yeah, and that's what we're looking for.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Councilman Honeycutt.

Yeah, thank you.

Uh I just appreciate the workshop and everyone's time tonight.

It's been uh informative and hopefully for the for I know for council and hopefully for the public as well.

Uh I have sort of just two uh big picture questions uh that hopefully bring clarity for us and the public, sort of on the front end of the grant process and the back end of the grant process.

So on the front end, and this is a general question, so uh for everybody really, you know help clarify like what the sort of scoring criteria are or the sort of published scoring framework that you use for the major grant programs, like and how you give feedback to the people that maybe got the grant or didn't get the grant, so to help organizations learn and get better in the future.

So that's kind of the front end.

Uh and then on the back end, how are we sort of capturing and documenting the outcomes uh and celebrating the success stories uh of the of the grants and and the impact they're having.

So I'll answer the second one because that's easier.

Yeah.

Um we tried very because we agree with you about the outcomes and we want to celebrate.

This is really when you look across all of these grant programs, there is so much good work happening in our community, including the 202 funds.

Like this is really it's it's it's really great when we can see the synergy of uh a grantee receiving some local dollars to do something and then you know uh coming in behind that with filling in the gap of additional dollars with 202 funds to really round out an initiative is really great.

So that's why it was really important to us to put the outcomes slide for each particular grant program.

Um is that all of the outcomes?

No, because as you could see, you know, there's often literally so many different organizations.

We couldn't list them all.

We tried to pick and give you like a little highlight of the ones that seemed like the most impactful or the most broad reaching.

Um so we do have the means by which to capture those outcomes.

And um, have we done a great job of uh sharing that and celebrating it?

Maybe not so much.

And so that's on us to work on how can we do a better job of making sure we're making you all as well as the public aware of that.

Now I'm going to go back to your front end question and say it would it would really require each and every one of these folks to provide you with a different answer, I think, related to that.

Um because they all really have different uh frameworks that they work within.

I mean, we can certainly go through that if you would like for each of them to do.

I don't want to speak I know you ask it as a broad overarching, but I don't feel like it would be appropriate for me to try to So each department has their own criteria and their own system.

Absolutely.

Maybe again, even if you could speak high level to some of the major ones and then send us more detailed information would be fine.

Absolutely.

Absolutely and I could just say from the OCSE perspective without trying to go as you saw we have several different initiatives and uh each one of them have a different project goal goals.

But our uh kind of um uh criteria are directly related to the project outline uh the project goals outlined in the guidelines in the application guidelines so for each of our grants there are application guidelines that um grantees are encouraged to read thoroughly uh that kind of lay out sorry the criteria is very clear to the uh to the person applied lay out what the project goals are and so the criteria uh for review are kind of measured against what the overall project goals are for a lot of these it's kind of um not uh we are not asking you to do a hyper specific thing we're asking you to meet a certain criteria and so that's kind of how we determine our criteria uh for each um program and then I believe you asked also about how uh feedback is communicated if there is feedback uh um that reviewers provide to us with regards to how applications can be improved or what some of the concerns were or questions where we do pass those on uh sometimes via email a lot of times via conversation with them just to provide that feedback um and you know sometimes talk through with them um some opportunities to think about uh how they may better communicate because a lot of it sometimes comes down to how they communicated their programs um and then uh to uh the the later question uh around um communicating outcomes for uh many of our projects we do impact reports that are available that live on our website um and so we are in the process of working with our commons department uh to finalize some of the most recent impact reports for the uh grants that we got in you know we're in an interesting situation where um we kind of are collecting data and putting information together at the same time that we're reviewing uh applications uh and so sometimes it takes us a little while to actually compile it in a report but we we really try to do is make it um accessible to folks uh with highlighting the few um meaningful data points and then sharing some of those anecdotes that's why the anecdotes and the photos that we collect are important so we can put those in a report that folks can access uh so on the OCSC website under our reports tab um we have impact reports for many of our grant programs.

Thank you.

Mr Grant Yeah and and and appreciate you uh Councilman Honeycooke for raising that.

Um you mentioned a point system um maybe considering having a point system have we considered possibly having a point system for our grant process to give uh not only grant recipients but those who don't necessarily get the grant that particular cycle letting them know the target like you said okay well maybe next year because what I have noticed is there's a there's a gap in communication in terms of grant proceed grant um individuals and organizations who don't necessarily receive the funding giving them a better explanation as to why via a point system I think can be more effective um because what happens is they apply they don't get it they apply again and don't get it and then the third time they just don't even bother I I see a lot of that.

And so to me I think we can kind of help mitigate some of that stuff by you know possibly having some type of point system um that can give those those grant applicants targets right if I didn't get it this year by five points how can I better you know fill out this application to try to you know hit that that target.

Can I ask a follow-up to that as you get ready to do this because my organization plot applies for lots of grants and don't get them and try again and so I I'm asking I assume that while there can be a point system of of a rubric if you will about what types of things are most important.

If you've got the grant dollars in a year they have I imagine you're trying to disperse them in that year so the range I I would think would be more like a bell curve that's that some years it may take a higher score to get something than another year.

So I do agree with my colleagues up here that um some much more feedback when as someone herself who would like much more feedback when you don't get a grant what did you totally miss the mark are you in the ballpark but you know this is really more our focus um I I think goes a long way to helping an organization fulfill its mission in a way that they can actually get some funding help to do that.

So to me, I think it gives more of a systematic structure when you when these committees do change our system doesn't, right?

Because here are the things.

Right.

I mean, because depending on who the personnel is on that particular committee reviewing that grant, they're probably I mean, we're well, and I will also say for those of you who are new on council, in two years there'll be a new mayor, and there could be a whole new set of priorities and a whole new set of what they choose to focus on.

So I think it will be administration dependent somewhat on what they're focusing on, because there could be somebody who's very interested in funding some of the things that Mayor Kankan is interested in that Mayor Jones or whoever may be Mayor X, whoever that may be in two years, may not be a priority as they develop their budget.

But I agree with you.

I think there's merit in trying to do that, at least while because people do turn over and you don't know.

I did want to just real quickly say um every single one of the folks that presented today has had those conversations with anyone who is asked.

So if if an organization is doesn't receive funding, and and I just know because I just happened to walk in to Jennifer Sarrell's office one time when she was having one of these conversations.

And so even for folks that when she's delivering news that you know they maybe are not gonna be um receiving funding, she's going through the process of explaining to them what happened, and I all of the folks up here are doing that, and anyone I will tell you as someone who also in a past life applied for many, many grants.

Um it it is important to ask.

It is a it is incumbent, sometimes you know, someone that is a grant that's giving out a grant um is gonna just automatically tell you, but if they don't, it is absolutely appropriate to ask and to receive that feedback.

Um I think that's we that's something we can do as council people is encourage folks that we know apply to ask those questions because sometimes you don't know if you should or not if you're new to this process.

So I think that's a good idea.

Any another question?

No, I was just gonna say I I agree.

Um, but but even with that in the future, I mean, if a passing score is 80 and I get a 79, I know I failed, right?

And so just people aren't gonna gonna ask, right?

It's just well, and and that's not actually exactly how the the rubrics that we do have are gonna that are gonna work because sometimes it's it's not a pass fail, right?

It's it's about how much dollars people have asked for and how much dollars we have.

And so it's the bell curve that Lynn referenced is it's it's not a hard pass fail.

It's like there's a because if we if we don't have enough dollars to fund everyone who asks, although we do have some who generally are pretty close to being able to fund almost every ass that they get, um then you have to you can only fund what you have the money to fund, and so it there is a there's a little bit of nuance, it's not as black and white as uh pass mail.

But I think what councilman grants and and vice mayor if you get our our sort of um talking about is the clearer and more objective we can make the scoring criteria and and communicate that clearly to the public the better, yes, absolutely and remove any potential um perceived subjectivity.

Yes, agreed.

So that so whatever that criteria is, making it clear and communicating it on both the front end and the back end uh is just great for everybody.

Yes, absolutely.

Yeah, councilman.

Okay, councilwoman Parker, do you have a question?

Yeah, just to clarify what um additional information will be coming to us.

Um what I was talking about earlier with community agency grants.

If we look in our agenda in the budget, it's budgeted at 2 million eighty-nine thousand.

And then it says pursuant to section 2602 of the code of the city of Knoxville, appropriations are hereby made to the community agencies and organizations and in their corresponding amounts as set forth in the appendix here too.

However, there's no appendix because the budget hasn't been released yet.

Well, my question is when do we get the appendix?

Because we'll get a full budget tomorrow, but for the public's sake, this agenda item should be complete, kind of like what we've discussed and raised in past um meetings about uh things that are referenced in our agenda should be included in the agenda.

So for the public's sake, when will this appendix be added to the agenda is a question I have.

My understanding is it will be released tomorrow and added to the agenda.

I I don't know that piece, I know it will be on the website.

Um I will find out.

Yeah, and and I I would urge though that our agenda should be complete.

I mean, even this here, um, this is why I've had concerns about our our process.

Once the budget comes to us for the first vote, we should have the full budget.

And uh if it appears on our agenda, you know, Tuesday, whatever that date is, it should appear on our agenda with all attachments included.

So that's part of the fault of me and this council asking for our agenda sooner, so that we got the agenda.

They used to give it to us on a Thursday fully ready, so it should to your point.

That means it should have been in here tonight if if you're going by that.

But um it's just that I know the budget's been printed, so these decisions have been made.

I don't understand why this appendix wouldn't be in there.

That's just a concern.

I imagine the appendix is in there, but if the budget hasn't been released, I would think they wouldn't want to release one part of the budget out of context of the entire budget.

But that's as I can't answer for the mayor, I'm just guessing, but we'll ask her.

For the process, I think that we have some input uh we do into the process, and that's a part of the process that I have concerns with.

Um it limits how much time we actually do have to review the budget and including the public.

And this is one thing that I keep stressing, it's not just council's job uh to review the budget, but we hold legislative budget hearings so that the public can also review the budget uh and weigh in and provide their feedback.

So would I want this to be as transparent and clear for the public as possible?

So when you know when the budget's released, all appendices and and whatnot should be included with that.

Okay, duly noted, we will make that case, and for the record, our legislative budget hearings are May the 7th.

Yes, okay, all right.

But our budget hearings are May the 7th from what 8 to 5.

Uh they begin at 8 a.m.

The public hearing would begin at 5 p.m.

No, I mean I mean, but if anybody the pu excuse me, the public meeting where we are having our workshop with our budget or that's open to the public.

Yes.

So that that was my point.

I don't overcall things the right name, but that's when we have will.

So if you want to know and come and hear when the budget is being explained to council and questions that council may ask, it is a it is an open to the public meeting on May 7th from 8 until 5.

Now, I'm also being reminded by my helpful colleagues that I should tell you that the state of the city report is also tomorrow, where the mayor will give her state of the city and give and and talk about the things that she is proposing in next year's budget, which council will get hand delivered to them tomorrow at the state of the city address, which begins at 11 30 a.m.

at the urban wilderness park gateway park.

Okay, anything else?

All right, so um I was about to say Charlie.

There he's gonna be mean to you.

Okay, um, I'm sure there's more business we could talk about, but I do appreciate everyone who um this was not an easy lift because we've never asked for this before.

I appreciate it.

I think it was very informative.

I think this is the kind of thing that we can build on about grants and outcomes, and you know, maybe we revisit this another time for the outcomes, but um I appreciate everybody doing a lot of work for this, and uh learned a lot.

But um I appreciate everybody doing a lot of work for this, and I learned a lot, I think we all did.

And so with that, with two hours on the dot, we are adjourned.