AGENDA CAPTION:
Title
Receive a staff presentation and discuss possible reallocation of General Fund (formerly Coronavirus Relief Fund) dollars previously allocated for use by the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce.
Body
Meeting date: December 6, 2022
Department: Planning and Development Services
Amount & Source of Funding
Funds Required: Click or tap here to enter text.
Account Number: Click or tap here to enter text.
Funds Available: Click or tap here to enter text.
Account Name: Click or tap here to enter text.
Fiscal Note:
Prior Council Action: On April 20, 2021, City Council approved Resolution 2021-67R designating categories and criteria for the use of general fund dollars made available due to the award to the City of CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds and partially allocating those funds. $200,000 was allocated to the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce for small business assistance.
City Council Strategic Initiative: [Please select from the dropdown menu below]
COVID Response
Workforce Development
Comprehensive Plan Element (s): [Please select the Plan element(s) and Goal # from dropdown menu below]
☒ Economic Development - Workforce & Education Excellence
☐ Environment & Resource Protection - Choose an item.
☐ Land Use - Choose an item.
☐ Neighborhoods & Housing - Choose an item.
☐ Parks, Public Spaces & Facilities - Choose an item.
☐ Transportation - Choose an item.
☐ Core Services
☐ Not Applicable
Master Plan: [Please select the corresponding Master Plan from the dropdown menu below (if applicable)]
Choose an item.
Background Information:
The San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce has yet to utilize the $200,000 allocated through former Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF). The past Chamber President and CEO discussed reallocating the funding to other entities, with City Staff. The programs suggested were a proposed QuickBooks program by Splash Coworking and funding for childcare through a program run by Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area. Rather than have the Chamber in the middle processing payments, it was recommended that the funding be directly allocated to these two alternative programs. A letter of support from the current Chamber President and CEO is attached.
The Splash Coworking QuickBooks program will be run through its non-profit arm, the Riparius Foundation. It has two major components. First a QuickBooks ProAdvisor will train 3-5 people with bookkeeping experience to become certified in QuickBooks Online. The goal of this training and certification would be to provide the participants with the ability to work for the businesses in the second track and to help them develop their own bookkeeping business. Second, the ProAdvisor will provide classes to 8 to 10 local business owners each quarter as an introductory class that will help them understand how to use QuickBooks Online and how to integrate it into their own businesses. Each business owner will be matched with a Bookkeeper trainee who will help them set up their QuickBooks account and will work with them for a year to make sure their data is correct and reconciled on a monthly or quarterly basis. Each business will receive one year of QuickBooks Online. At the end of the year, the ProAdvisor will meet with the business for three hours of consultation to help them transition out of the program and continue using QuickBooks for their business. Eligible businesses must be located within San Marcos and employ fewer than 26 full-time employees. They may be an established business entity or a “start-up” that is trying to establish a business presence. Administration of the program will be tracked on timesheets. A term sheet is attached with additional details about the program. Total cost will not exceed $100,000.
Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area (WSRCA) proposes adding a gap funding program to their existing child care scholarship program. WSRCA supports families, providers, and local communities by assisting parents who are striving to become self-sufficient with scholarships to pay for child care for families whose income is 85% of the State Median Income or less. They continuously provide child care technical assistance and training to child care providers through the Texas Workforce Commission Workforce Solutions and Child Care Services (CCS) in our nine-county area. WSRCA contracts with BakerRipley Community Developers for all child care services. The proposed WSRCA program will serve families whose income is greater than 85% of State Median Income ($72,582 for family of four) and less than 80% of the City of San Marcos Median Area Income ($88,250 for family of four). These families will benefit from these funds as a temporary bridge to prepare for the on-going full cost of early care and education for their children. Family eligibility includes the requirement that each parent, step-parent, or guardian living in the household must be working, attending school, in training/other educational program, or a combination of these, at least an average of 25 hours a week over a review period - or actively looking for employment. This funding would be used only for San Marcos families. Total cost will not exceed $100,000.
City Council has the option of allocating the funding to one or both of these programs, reallocating away from the Chamber to hold for different programs, or having the funding remain with the Chamber for now.
Council Committee, Board/Commission Action:
Click or tap here to enter text.
Alternatives:
Click or tap here to enter text.
Recommendation:
Staff is seeking direction for reallocation of $200,000 in general fund (formerly Coronavirus Relief Funds) previously allocated to the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce.