08-08-0076
Board of Directors Room
City Hall — 500 W. Markham
Little Rock, Arkansas
August 8, 2000
4: 00 P.M.
The Board of Directors of the City of Little Rock, Arkansas reconvened from August 1,
2000 regular meeting with Mayor Dailey presiding. Clerk Nancy Wood called the roll
with the following members present: Directors, Cazort, Keck, Kelly, Adcock, Hinton,
Lichty, Vice Mayor Wyrick, Mayor Dailey — total 9. Directors Stewart, Pugh and Mayor
Dailey — total 3.
With a quorum present, Vice Mayor Wyrick declared the Board of Directors Reconvened
meeting in session and announced the purpose of the reconvened meeting was to consider
a resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into a contract with UAMS to operate
the Nathaniel Hill Daycare Center.
Director Stewart enrolled at 4:10 P.M.
1. RESOLUTION NO.10,869 - Authorizing the City Manager to enter into a contract
with UAMS to operate the Nathaniel Hill Daycare Center. Director Stewart stated after
reading the material passed out last Tuesday, that Head start has a very good program,
and Nat Hill also has a very good program as well. Director Stewart asked Mr. Carney,
City Manager, if in the talks with UAMS was there any discussion concerning teachers
possibly being hired into the new system. Mr. Carney stated after speaking with UAMS
he believed that a large number of teachers would be able to be employed by the new
program provider. The goal is that all of the personnel in the program now, would be
placed either with UAMS or within the City government organization. Mr. Carney,
following up on a question that Director Stewart has posed earlier, the reference to
therapeutic childcare versus the traditional childcare, Mr. Carney stated, the program
offered by UAMS would be the traditional program. There are approximately 69 or 70
children are enrolled, and the target is 120. If the City goes with the new contract, the
city can quickly move foreword with enrollment increase up to at least the 120 level. Mr.
Carney stated there was a representative from UAMS present to answer any questions.
Mr. Carney said staff is very pleased with the package of services. Director Stewart
asked how many of the 69 or 70 children would be eligible under this program. Eddie
Cole, Parks and Recreation staff, stated that enrollments are frozen because some
teachers have left and some have retired. He said he had asked Ms. Carr who is the
Director of Head start, and she felt certain that all 69 or 70 could be accepted. Director
Stewart asked how a child is evaluated to be eligible for this program. Ms. Diane Carr,
the Director for Pulaski County UAMS Headstart, answered the Headstart guidelines are
based on the poverty income level and since they have been with UAMS, they have been
able to expand the program beyond just those that meet those low- income guidelines.
Ms. Carr stated while those are the priority, the also abide by the state childcare
guidelines and the USDA food guidelines which goes up to about 180% of the federal
poverty guidelines. She stated they are able to take a large range of children. She
indicated the children already enrolled would be grand fathered into the program.
Director Stewart asked Ms. Carr if she would be doing the hiring of the teachers. Ms.
Carr said the supervisors usually do the hiring, but in reference to the question earlier
about the teachers, said up until the past year, most of the teachers have only the Child
Development Associate credential, but through a federal mandate they must now improve
the teacher qualifications. By the year 2003, at least fifty percent of their teachers must
have an Associates of Arts Degree. They are encouraged to hire teachers with a
Batchelor's Degree. She stated they have made a beginning on that requirement. One of
the benefits UAMS provides, is anyone who is interested, UAMS pays for the education
entirely for the Child Development Associates Credential, and then at UALR, UAMS,
they will pay seventy percent of the tuition and for those who choose to attend Pulaski
Tech, Philander, Arkansas Baptist, UAPB, are assisted with books, and other assistance
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with obtaining their education. Director Stewart asked Mr. Carney by privatizing the
daycare, how much money would the city be saving. Mr. Carney answered that the
subsidy amount through the years has varied somewhat, but approximately $600,000
annually, roughly half from the Block Grant, half from the City's General Fund,
annually. Mr. Carney stated he would expect to save the full amount by the calendar
year, 2001. Director Stewart asked Mr. Carney if he had any projects in mind for the
$600,000. Mr. Carney stated he had quite a list in mind, but thought the idea he has is
not to specify projects at this time but as you go into the Budget process, the dollars are
there, and would all be on the table and the Board consider all the needs of the City, look
at the big picture, which would give flexibility. Director Stewart asked if parents had
been notified on the possible change. Mr. Carney said he was not sure if parents had
been notified, but had talked individually with each of the teachers, and staff members,
but until there is something specifically to say about a change, there had not been group
meetings with the parents. Director Stewart said she had calls from some of the parents,
and were looking at school starting and if the daycare is going to be Headstart and
whether they want to continue to have their children enrolled there. Mr. Carney
answered Director Stewart by saying that if the Board approves moving ahead, staff s
thought is to immediately move ahead and make contract in writing with specifics of the
program changes with the parents.. Director Kelly stated his understating of quality
childcare does include the qualifications of the staff and staff to child ratio. His concern
in the new proposal was they program would be accepting children from birth to 5years
of age as opposed to the previous 2 `/2 to 5 years of age. Director Kelly stated, younger
children require a higher ratio, and wanted to know if the ratios being met or exceed for
children that young. Ms. Carr answered that the State ratio for infants and toddlers is 1 to
6, theirs is 1 to 4. She stated they were not sure what age was being served, or the need
for the community, and were trying to base the service on the need of the community. In
all areas they have had a lot of requests for infant /toddler care. Director Kelly asked for
an explanation of the personnel costs being lower, but the number of personnel being
more. Director Kelly stated there was a $250,000 difference. Ms. Carr stated one of the
differences is that security guards were not included, as they have different mechanisms
in place. Mr. Carney explained that some of the things that were done with the city team
won't be necessary, as many as two or three people were employed for food preparation,
but through another site, UAMS is able to handle this. Administratively the city has used
2 or 3 people in clerical staff positions, and this will be handled centrally with their
program. Director Adcock said that two or three of the teachers had called her, and were
excited about the new program, and asked for the Board to move on the proposal.
Director Hinton said he had one call asking about the salaries for people who had been
with the service for a good while, and if they could be compensated for years of service.
Ms. Carr answered they would try and place these people, based on education and
experience levels in the highest level they can within the limitations of the State system.
Director Hinton stated he knew the program was a quality program and statewide the
Pulaski County program is being talked about, and that they are doing a good job.
Director Hinton asked about the current contracts for janitorial service, and there is a
janitorial service contracted, and hoped this would continue. Director Keck asked about
the capitol expenditures. Ms. Carr said tables and chairs, toys, kitchen equipment, etc.
for each of the rooms, would be include in this. Director Adcock asked if the current
daycare equipment is replaced; if other daycares in the city could write letters and
possible have this equipment go to some of these centers to be used by children. Angela
Haley, a parent of one of the children currently enrolled at Nathaniel Hill, said her
concern was the guidelines UAMS Headstart used to accept children into the school, and
if the children already there would be able to go, even though they are not within that
guideline. Ms. Carr stated beside the Headstart program, they also operate a childcare
program, and have incorporated that through all the Headstart centers, and it would be
understood that all these children would be grand fathered in to the program and
maintained at the same fees they are paying now for a period of time.
The resolution was read, a motion by Director Adcock to adopt the resolution, with a
second from Director Cazort, and by unanimous vote of the Board Members present the
resolution was adopted.
Director Cazort made a motion to add items 2 and 3 to the reconvened meeting agenda.
Director Adcock seconded the motion. By unanimous vote of Board members present,
items 2 and 3 were added.
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2. RESOLUTION NO.10,870 — To authorize an agreement with Central Arkansas
Planning and Development District, Inc., to provide expanded case management services
for Welfare to Work eligible residents in North Little Rock, Jacksonville, Unincorporated
areas of Pulaski County, and for other purposes.
Ms. Barbara Osborne, Community Housing and Development, gave an update and
overview of the Welfare to Work Program and the agreement. Ms. Osborne stated the
Department of Labor made a monitoring visit to the City of Little Rock to monitor the
enrollments and expenditures of the Welfare to Work competitive grant. Resulting from
hat visit they had a couple of concerns, one was the level of enrollment and expenditures
to date, and later on when the monitoring report was received, they had three suggestions.
One was to increase the enrollments and to increase the expenditures; the other
recommendation was to develop a relationship with Central Arkansas Planning and
Development District who had at that time received welfare to work funds under the
formula funds to provide services to welfare to work clients in the Pulaski County area
outside the City of Little Rock. Ms. Osborne said they had included in their projections
approximately $1.2 million designated to serve the clients in that area. The contract
amount is $87,361. which is only dollars to provide case management services. The
additional services that will be needed by these clients will be billed directly to the City
of Little Rock, and paid out of the competitive grant. One of the other areas of
recommendations made by the Department of Labor is that the city would provide a
realistic projection on the number of dollars that could actually be spent between now and
the end of the grant period. If it appeared the city could not ensure them that the entire $5
million dollars could be spent, they required that the grant be modified. Ms. Osborne
said they have met with the finance staff to development this projection and it comes to
approximately 3.6 million dollars, at this point, as they have requested, at the end of
September, staff is prepared to comply with their requirement to modify the statement of
work in the budget. The contract with Central Arkansas Planning will greatly assist in
increasing the enrollments and expenditures. Director Adcock stated she had a real
problem with losing this money. She cited the $1.1 million "Fighting Back" grant to
combat alcohol and drug abuse because the city failed to spend any of the money or
implement most of the planned programs. Assistant City Manager Bruce Moore said the
report that is due to the Department of labor is just projections on our expenditures. The
agreement the city has with the Department of labor as far as corrective action presented
to the Board is by the end of September, when they are due another visit, staff will at that
time, sit down and look at the projections, and expenditures and base the
recommendations to them on that figure at that time. He stated that what Ms. Osborne
was referring to is as a partnership with Central Arkansas and have include their
projections and expenditures staff is looking at an additional 150 individuals as a part of
our Welfare to Work program. He stated he thought it was very important in our
message to DOL this afternoon in a letter is that now that we have this partnership with
Central Arkansas we want as the corrective action plan stated until the end of September
when staff would look at a modification. This just a preliminary projection and we are
still under the same guidelines with DOL as far as the end of September to submit a
modification. Mr. Moore sated we would be at 300 enrollees in this program and that is
significant progress. That is not including the 150 enrollees Central Arkansas is
projecting. Mr. Moore said he felt comfortable that projections would be met as far as
expenditures. Director Kelly said it was his understanding that the federal funds, the
hundreds of millions of dollars awarded across the country for this welfare to work
initiative , that the other states and communities are having very similar problems if not
more difficult problems in expending the funds because it was all new, and it was a
tremendous amount of money granted to communities who were ill prepared to make this
kind of system work. Mr. Moore said that was correct. It was a tremendous effort to get
individuals in to accept theses types of services. Director Kelly asked if the State of
Arkansas was also having to turn back money that was not spent over the current years.
Ms. Osborne said it was her understanding there would be a significant amount of money
turned back in from the State. The federal government had hoped there would be two
federal agencies that would come together to make this program work, and they have not
been successful in doing that across the country, and other agencies are receiving the
same pressure for the Department of Labor that Little Rock is getting to turn back dollars.
The clients that we are mandated to serve are those who have long -term welfare histories,
persons who have probably never worked, five - generation welfare recipients, and their
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lifetime benefits are running out and they are just beginning to respond too the media
blitzes and recruitment efforts in place. Another area making it difficult to expend funds
is the requirement by the Department of labor that we can't pay for services that are
otherwise available. She stated there could be 500 people enrolled in basic case
management, but not really be able to spend any dollars for childcare, etc, because they
are otherwise available. Director Lichty stated he recalled that there were approximately
1700 individuals eligible, and if we are up to 450 enrollees, what has to be done to
qualify for the additional $1.4 million dollars. Ms. Osborne responded that there were
1700 eligible welfare recipients who would have been eligible to participate in the
welfare to work program, and have enrolled approximately 1200 as of January. Two
hundred were enrolled in Little Rock with the competitive grant and Central Arkansas
had enrolled 168. By September the enrollments have to be kept on track and have
projected approximately 25 new enrollments per month, but expenditures, projected at
$200,000 dollars per month, because with these increased enrollments, should come
increased expenditures. Director Lichty asked quantitatively, what had to be done by
September 30'' to ensure we won't lose the $1.4 million dollars. Ms. Osborne answered
that with the two additional months we have to increase expenditures, and they have
increased significantly since the end of May. There will be four months of expenditures
to use as a formula to convince the Department of Labor that the opportunities are there.
What the Department of Labor is basing their recommendation for modification on, is
where we were at the end of May. Our numbers were down, our expenditures were
down, and that is what they were basing this on. Ms. Osborne stated they have
significantly improved in almost every area since then. She said they were asking the
Department of Labor to hold to their initial request, to come back at the end of September
and look at where we are, accept what is provided as a realistic projection which would
probably include all five million dollars. Mr. Moore stated to Director Lichty that what
the city has to do by the end of September, according to the corrective action plan that the
Department of Labor has approved and we are operating under, is to based on the number
of clients that have enrolled and the projected numbers to enroll, which is 450, based on
that number, how can we expend the total allocation of dollars. They want to look at
current enrollment, and our ability to project out the total expenditure. Director Lichty
stated there are things that are much worse than returning money to the U.S. Treasury
that aren't needed, and would hate to think we would look for ways to slosh money
around just to qualify for the five million. I hope you spend the money or project to
spend it in a judicious and worthy way. Mr. Moore sated he could assure him that Mr.
Carney would not allow the Department of Community Programs or himself to
recommend anything not justifiable. Mr. Carpenter stated that the federal regulations
dealing with municipalities and they are the most confusing and inconsistent and ever -
changing regulations they have had. An example is if you have a recipient that needs
housing, childcare, and a job, but if you use money for childcare and there is another
program available, then you can't count it. Some of the programs are still being run from
Washington with Federal Regulations even though they supposedly have been give to the
local governments, some of these programs are being run on the state level, and their
regulations are neither consistent nor is her certain they are following them when the city
is trying to follow them. The inability to say we will have this many by this date, at this
amount at this time, is really not possible. He said he thought the frame of reference is
that Federal Government has been doing this for fifty years and got out of it not because
it worked but because they couldn't make it work. Mayor Dailey said none of us like the
facts, if we have to send money back, but agrees with Director Lichty that we do not want
to squander the dollars, but thinks staff will be able to show by September 30, based on
what he knows, that there is a legitimate use for those funds still in the pipeline and
hopefully the Department of Labor would be satisfied by that. Mr. Moore said that was
the plan. Director Hinton made comments concerning the corrective action plan. Mr.
Moore explained that Part 1 of the corrective action plan was through May 30th and that
plan was to have the 100 enrollments, that goal was accomplished. Part 2 or the
corrective action plan dealt with the period of May 30'' through the end of the grant. At
that point the Department of Labor asked for our projections on expenditures and
enrollments that has been done. They have asked for additional information, on how the
projections were formulated. That has been done; the Finance Director and Grant staff
has been helpful in pulling all that together. What staff is operating under now, and in
conversations with them as recently as last week, we are still operating under the
corrective action plan Part 2. We are including a copy of the resolution, hopefully that
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will pass tonight, that show additional outreach and additional expenditures and
additional enrollment. Director Adcock asked how many employees is that section of
Community programs down right now with the five that left on JTPA. Mr. Moore
answered, that not counting the Director who is on sick leave, three staff positions. She
asked if there is a hiring freeze. Mr. Moore said there was not freeze. The resolution was
read, Director Adcock made a motion for the adoption of the resolution, seconded by
Director Kelly, and by unanimous voice vote of the Board Members present the
resolution was adopted.
3. RESOLUTION NO. 10,871 - To award a contract to Design Consortium, Inc. for
Design Consultant Services to update the Zoo Master Plan in the amount of $75,000, and
- for other purposes. Mr. Carney gave an overview of this item stating this was the result
of a completive process to launch into a new Zoo Master Plan. Director Cazort and Mike
Blakely, Zoo Director, had been involved in this, and would answer any questions.
Director Cazort pointed out this was money that was included in the budget for the Zoo
and have gone through a competitive process, this is an accreditation issue, that in order
to get back on track and continue movement toward accreditation, the Master Plan needs
update, therefore time being of the essence, he asked the Board for adoption at this
meeting. Mr. Blakely added, they would like to see the project going, it is a six -month
project and confident of Design Consortium as the Master Plan updater, and hoped the
Board approved it. The resolution was read. Director Cazort moved to adopt the
resolution, Director Adcock seconded the motion, and by unanimous vote of Board
Members present, the resolution was adopted.
Director Adcock made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Director Cazort, and by
unanimous vote of members present, the reconvened meeting adjourned at 5:25 P.M.
ATTEST: APPROVED::
Cit V N ncyG`Nood Jay7or Jim Dailey
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