Label
Department of Housing and Community Development
American Rescue Plan Allocation 2022 Utilization Plan
Housing Preservation Services - Toledo Roof Tops Program
Director Rosalyn Clemens (x3647)
Revised 09.15.2022
Title
Amending Ordinance 245-22 authorizing the appropriation and expenditure of $2,900,000 from Local Fiscal Recovery Fund for the City of Toledo Roof Tops Program; authorizing the Mayor to accept bids, award contracts and enter into necessary agreements for said program to include the waiver of TMC Ch. 187 for the purpose of entering into an agreement with Benevate, Inc. dba Neighborly Software for the development of an online portal for the Roof Tops program; and declaring an emergency.
Body
SUMMARY & BACKGROUND:
Ordinance 245-22 authorizes the appropriation and expenditure of $2,900,000 for projects and costs associated with the Toledo Roof Tops Program. The Toledo Roof Tops Program will consist of a partnership with Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union, Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity and the Department of Housing and Community Development to provide financial assistance to eligible households for repair or replacement of approximately seven hundred (700) failing roofs on owner-occupied housing in Qualified Census Tracts (QCT). Roof Tops grants will be provided to households with income at or below 60% of the area median selected through a lottery. Households with income at or below 80% of the area median, not selected in the lottery, will have an opportunity to apply for assistance consisting of a 50/50 Low-interest loan/matching grant through the Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union. The ARPA Roof Tops funds will be allocated to partners outlined in Attachment A for administration and grants to fund construction costs.
To facilitate timely disbursement of construction funding, City of Toledo Department of Housing and Community Development Roof Tops construction funding will be escrowed with title companies, selected through an RFQ.
This amended ordinance requests to include authorization to waive the competitive procurement requirements of TMC Chapter 187 in order to begin immediately developing and implementing a portal for the Roof Tops Program through the Department of Housing and Community Development.
Benevate Inc. is the producer and sole source vendor of Neighborly Software’s Housing, Economic and Community Development hosted software platforms. Their online platform allows for the efficient intake, review, funding and administration of federally assisted housing and community development programs. Benevate Inc. has developed and customized for the City of Toledo, online platforms for the Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (EMAP), funded with CDBG-CV2 funds, and Toledo Lucas County Emergency Rental Assistance Program (TLCERAP), funded by the U.S. Department of Treasury, in March of 2021. The online platform will be tailored to meet eligibility and compliance requirements of federal funding, allow for assigning of internal and external reviewers to score and make funding decisions, incorporate automated email and letter response features, provide reporting and mapping of program beneficiaries, contain multiple language features; and can be accessed via smart phone, tablet or a computer. Benevate Inc. is committed to expediting the customization of an online portal for the pending Roof Tops program. Contracting with Benevate will allow the City and partners to launch the program no later than September 30, 2022.
Summary
NOW, THEREFORE, Be it ordained by the Council of the City of Toledo:
SECTION 1. That Ordinance 245-22 is hereby amended.
SECTION 2. That the appropriation of $2,900,000 is authorized from the unappropriated balance of the Local Fiscal Recovery Fund to Account Code 2021-16200-5ROOFTOPSPNEI and the expenditure of same is authorized for the Toledo Roof Tops Program.
SECTION 3. That the Mayor is authorized to accept bids, award contracts and enter into necessary agreements for the Roof Tops Program including administration, construction, and title company escrow services and upon terms and conditions acceptable to the Director of Law and the Director of Housing and Community Development.
SECTION 4. That the Finance Director is authorized to draw warrant or warrants against the Account Code in Section 1 in an amount not to exceed $2,900,000 in payment of the above-authorized obligations upon presentation of the proper voucher or vouchers.
SECTION 5. That subject to approved appropriations the mayor is authorized to enter into an agreement(s) with an amount not to exceed $30,000 for development of the Roof Tops portal.
SECTION 6. That this Council finds and determines it is in the best interest of the City to waive the competitive bidding requirements of TMC Chapter 187 for the reason that the unsafe conditions of existing owner-occupied housing makes a property non-compliant with City housing codes causes neighborhood instability for many Toledo neighborhoods and time is of the essence to structure an efficient and accessible Roof Tops program.
SECTION 7. That this Ordinance, being an emergency measure, shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. The reason for the emergency lies in the fact that the Ordinance is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety and property, and for the further reason that this Ordinance must be immediately effective in order to timely begin this revitalization work in Toledo’s neighborhoods.
Vote on emergency clause: yeas _____, nays _____.
Passed: _________________, as an emergency measure: yeas _____, nays _____.
Attest: ________________________ __________________________________
Clerk of Council President of Council
Approved: _____________________ __________________________________
Mayor