TDH: 5/11/11

Yesterday we mentioned the timing of a $150,000 contract for the African American Youth Resource Center, coming up as staff recommends discontinuing funding about half of the city's 51 social service contractors. We weren't the only one to notice, as the youth center funding item sparked some frank discussion at City Council's work session yesterday.

Bill Spelman took the lead in questioning the contract for the center, described by assistant city manager Michael McDonald as a "one stop shop" near Cameron Road offering counseling, tutoring, referrals, education, health services and more.

Noting the city faced $25 million in social service requests and had only $13.2 million allocated, he questioned funding the center when "for every dollar we're available to spend, we've got two dollars in proposals to spend it.” Randi Shade, who along with Chris Riley and Lee Leffingwell sponsored an item last meeting looking at funding the center, said the request was born of the African-American Quality of Life commission, and wasn't an "apples to apples" comparison to the city's social service contracts. Spelman agreed, noting that under staff's current proposal "about half of the bidders in social service contracting process we're not funding. … Given that, then, it looks like we've established two processes here: one process that requires a lot of very detailed information about the nature of the organization … and another, parallel process which appears to be requiring a lot less information, and looks, and might be perceived, as a highly politically process."

Shade countered with examples of social services funded outside the city's suite of contracts, through the parks and public safety departments, for instance. McDonald added the Quality of Life commission was created to bring such issues to the forefront, a position similarly echoed by city manager Marc Ott. Still, Spelman told program head Michael Lofton, "I don't think we're doing you in favors by establishing a parallel process that requires less of you."

While not calling for Lofton to go through the same vetting process as all social service applicants, Spelman asked him to "prepare the same level of documentation … so that contract would stand up under scrutiny."

"We're willing to do whatever if we can continue to move forward," said Lofton, adding, "I don't think there's anything you can ask that we can't provide."

Sheryl Cole, occupant of the traditionally black Place 6 City Council seat spoke next. "There seems to be a premise that only the African-American council member can bring an [African-American-related] item forward," she told the room. "If that's true, I think I should not have to bring any other items forward."

Although she lauded her colleagues proactive response to the proposal, and Lofton and co.'s success in building support, she was obviously very troubled. Dispensing with all pretense, she asked assistant city manager Burt Lumbreras three questions: “How many social service agencies testified yesterday about their funding being cut? … How may African-Americans does Capital IDEA serve? … How many African-Americans does the Salvation Army serve? The only reason I'm bring up this line of questioning is because I think its a very good discussion for us to have – just like the discussion of whether I'm to be the only one who's supposed to bring an item forward for the African-American community," she pointedly added.

Again, while still carefully lauding her colleagues and Lofton, Cole said, "With 25 agencies [losing their funding], big agencies, from Capital IDEA to the Salvation Army, they will be walking the halls constantly, with their board members, talking about what they had did to get funding from the city. And I do not want you to be surprised if they are criticizing what you did. … Because one thing we know for sure is African-American organizations receive a deeper level of scrutiny."

With that, Cole offered her questions were to help the applicant prepare for that scenario. Although saying she believes the measure will pass, either this Thursday or soon after, she told Lofton et. al. “You have put yourself in a hot seat because of the political climate, because you're coming through a different system, because you're talking about the African-American Quality of Life, which half of the city may not remember.”

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