Council Approves Contract For Tenant-Based Services, Other Consent Calendar Items

As part of Monday’s consent calendar, the City Council approved a $175,000 contract with Step Up on Second Street to provide supportive services to eligible participants receiving tenant-based rental assistance. 

“On January 31 the City submitted a formal grant amendment request to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to allocate funding for supportive services under an existing Continuum of Care (CoC)-funded grant that provides tenant-based rental assistance to households who formerly experienced homelessness in Pasadena,” according to a City staff report.

In recent years, the City has been limited in its ability to fill vacancies in the CoC Rental Assistance program due to not having a dedicated supportive services provider. 

Without intensive case management services available, high acuity individuals with significant barriers to maintaining their housing independently may not be successful in the program. The commitment to fund supportive services will improve bed utilization and reliably support housing stability among all participants on an ongoing basis.

The term of the subject HUD grant begins February 1 of each calendar year and renews annually. 

Here are the other items approved on Monday’s consent calendar:

•  An application for State of California Encampment Resolution Funding, Round 2 for eligible programs and activities that serve people experiencing unsheltered homelessness living in encampments. ERF-2-R funds may only be used for proposals that connect people experiencing homelessness in encampments to interim shelter with clear pathways to permanent housing or place people directly into permanent housing. If awarded funding, it is proposed that the program be co-administered by the Public Health Department and Union Station Homeless Services The City’s proposed application will include funding for street outreach, motel vouchers and housing navigation for up to 50 people per year who are living in encampments. The state Encampment Resolution Funding (ERF) Program was established to increase collaboration between the California lnteragency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH), local jurisdictions, and Continuums of Care to assist local jurisdictions in ensuring the safety and wellness of people experiencing homelessness in encampments, provide grants to local jurisdictions and Continuums of Care to resolve critical encampment concerns and transition individuals into safe and stable housing, encourage a data-informed, coordinated approach to address encampment concerns. The ERF Program was initially authorized in 2021 through AB 140 , which allocated $50 million for what would become the first round of funding. 

• A contract for the purchase of 15 public transit vehicles including the first zero emission vehicle for Pasadena Transit. On January 30, the City Council adopted the Pasadena Zero Emission Bus Rollout Plan that provides the roadmap to transition the Pasadena public transit fleet to zero emission by 2037. The proposed vehicle replacement recommendations are consistent with the adopted plan. Several Pasadena Transit and Pasadena Dial-A-Ride vehicles have either surpassed or are nearing the end of their useful life and must be replaced. Replacing these vehicles will keep the systems operating reliably for the passengers and the community they serve. It will also help address the problem of greenhouse gas emissions produced by older, less efficient vehicles. In preparation for future zero emission vehicle purchases once the infrastructure is in place, the first pilot zero emission bus in the fleet recommended for purchase, will provide critical experience needed to inform the planning, operating and maintenance prior to ordering a larger number of zero emission vehicles. 

• A $1.1 million contract with NWN Corporation to provide Microsoft teams phone system and Five9 Cloud contact center implementation. The Department of Information Technology (DolT) delivers voice services to employees across forty-two locations within the City limits. Voice services are provided via various legacy telecommunication systems with multiple generations and types of telephone sets. The current systems have reached their manufacturer end-of-life and support status, and the current maintenance provider offers only best-effort maintenance and support, which can lead to extended downtime if issues arise. 

• A contract with Moore Iacofano Goltsman, Inc (MIG) for a Safe Speed Media and Outreach Campaign in an amount not to exceed $85,000. The Department of Transportation (DOT) applied for funds through the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) in January 2022 for a Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Outreach Program. As a result of this application, the City was awarded $187,000 in OTS Grant Funds for this proposed program for the period from October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023. As part of this grant, $85,000 was reserved for a Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Outreach Program focused on motorist behavior through a campaign that will reach residents and visitors throughout the city and raise awareness to the dangers and consequences of vehicular speeding. Street teams will distribute safety information to Pasadenans at high-traffic locations in the City while a social media campaign will be initiated and traditional media such as posters in store windows, buses/bus shelters, and safety pamphlets utilized. The campaign consultant will distribute safety information and facilitate educational activities at up to three community events throughout the City. As a separate effort, but also funded through this grant, the City will upgrade the City’s traffic camera data collection capabilities to detect, collect, and store pedestrian, bicycle, and motorist traffic count data citywide.

• A $495,000 contract with Rotocraft Support for the purchase and installation of one Wescam MX-10 EO/IR camera system. The Pasadena Police Air Operations Section is a multi-disciplined aviation operation with the primary role of providing support to first responders. Additional functions include narcotic interdiction, search and rescue, fire operations, gang enforcement, and other inter-departmental operations. The unit operates five patrol helicopters, seven days a week, providing a much-needed safety barrier for our ground officers and other first responders. Frequently, multiple helicopters are required to be operated during various times of the day and the camera is used regularly during flights. Aside from Pasadena, the unit provides aerial responses to the Foothill Air Support Team (F.A.S.T.) and our two sister cities, Glendale and Burbank. This accounts for a coverage area of approximately 163 square miles between the 11 partner agencies. In addition, flight crews are frequently tasked with assisting other county, state and federal agencies in support of homeland security missions, infrastructure inspections, and critical incident planning. 

• A $150,000 contract to Dooley Enterprises Inc. for the purchase of ammunition for training purposes. The Police Department is required to provide regular and ongoing firearms training to its police officers; such training requires the purchase of practice ammunition. The Police Department must also equip its officers with duty ammunition for their pistols, shotguns and rifles, which requires the purchase of duty ammunition. 

• Amendments to the FY 2023 Capital Improvement Program. Throughout the Fiscal Year (FY), the Department of Public Works in conjunction with other impacted departments reviews active CIP projects to determine if budgetary changes are needed. 

•  FY June 30, 2022 annual financial reports. This action is to receive and file the City’s nine (9) annual financial statements and four (4) compliance-related reports for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. All financial statements received an unmodified (or clean) opinion. The Single Audit Report reiterates that there were no financial statement findings and reports two grant-related findings. The findings were related to the timely filing of the consolidated annual performance and evaluation report and the missing verification of suspension and debarment of a vendor. There were three instances of deficiencies in internal controls identified in the Independent Auditors’ Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting and on Compliance and Other Matters for the Rose Bowl Operating Company (RBOC) audit and the Pasadena Community Access Corporation (PCAC) audit. The audit for the RBOC identified two deficiencies in internal controls, one was a material weakness and one significant deficiency. The audit for the PCAC identified one material weakness in internal control. Management for the RBOC and PCAC have acknowledged the findings and incorporated processes to ensure these deficiencies are corrected. A presentation will be made by the City’s Finance Department and external auditors, CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, at the April 24 Finance/Audit Committee and City Council meeting.