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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN HSSSC 2022/07/19 2020-2022 HSSSC-21 July 19,2022 CHR. LEE LOY: Members, as the author of this bill, I just want to highlight what this bill does. It moves some of our deadlines up. Basically, a lot of the collection of our applications normally—came in at November. But a lot of this work kind of revealed was there were a lot of confusion between the application process, the deadlines for the application process, along with the six-month reporting requirement that the previous nonprofits have to provide for. And so what this bill does, two things,provide a little bit more time for that information to come in, along with cleaning up some housekeeping measures as far as language, and stylistic changes that fit nicer with the current structure. And then I would like to point my Council Members to a communication from our Finance Director Deanna Sako, that offers comments. And really it is this is the work that the Council will do; however,just being very clear from Finance Department, they still have a number of other things that do from the Finance Department. So although we take these applications earlier, once it gets over to Finance Department, we still will get the competed list back at the exact same time. With that, if my colleagues have any questions, I'm open to answering them. MS. VILLEGAS: Yes. Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. So the reason for the removal of, like I see here it says by the Finance "director," or"regulations of the director of finance." The purpose for transitioning that? CHR. LEE LOY: Those are just housekeeping measures that was offered up by Legislative Review (sic) Branch, MS. VILLEGAS: Gotcha. CHR. LEE LOY: Just to keep it more consistent with some of the other stylistic descriptors that are currently in our Code. MS. VILLEGAS: Gotcha, gotcha. Thank you for clarifying. Appreciate that. I yield. MS. KIMBALL: Chair, this Council Member Kimball. CHR. LEE LOY: Okay, Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you, Chair. I just wanted to affirm; I don't if you have anybody from Corp. Counsel available. But a question was raised to me about if this would at all impact the timeline for the PONC (Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Commission) stewardship grants. My assessment is that it would not because this exists in the Code, whereas the Page 2 HSSSC-21 July 19,2022 stewardship grants are managed through the Charter. But I did ask Corp. Counsel to review that in advance of today's meeting. I'm not sureI think it's fine, but I did want to have that answered. Thank you. CHR. LEE LOY: Sure, Ms. Kimball. Judge Strance, if you could help Ms. Kimball. (Note: At this time, Corporation Counsel Elizabeth Strance came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. STRANCE: Thank you. Good morning, Elizabeth Strance, Corporation Counsel. Council Member Kimball is correct. The PONC grants are contained in a separate part of the County Charter, and a separate area within the County Code. So the provisions that are being proposed for an amendment apply to the grant-in-aid program and would apply to some other specified grant. They would have to be made pursuant to these provisions of the Code. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Judge Strance. Ms. Kimball, any follow-up? MS. KIMBALL: No. Thank you very much, Judge Strance, for that clarification. I yield. CHR. LEE LOY: Here in Kona, Ms. David. MS. DAVID: Thank you, Chair. Corp. Counsel, I'm not sure if you saw the letter from Finance Director Sako, and expressed her concerns on revising the due dates. And she mentioned that these deadlines, set by the County Charter, how does this proposed bill—if these deadlines are set by County Charter, how does that—or does that conflict in any way? MS. STRANCE: I haven't had a chance to review that in detail. MS. DAVID: Okay. MS. STRANCE: I would get back to you. MS. DAVID: Yes. MS. STRANCE: And discuss it a little bit with the Finance Department, more precisely what they're concerned about, and then I can come again. MS. DAVID: Okay, I appreciate that. Because yeah, I'm looking at this letter. You know, I'm not one; I mean, I've been on the nonprofit, and I know from personal experience that everyone has some really, really tight timeframes in order to complete their job. I don't know if Deanna is available, or will she Page 3 HSSSC-21 July 19,2022 be—maybe the next time this comes up. So until them, I'm going to beI'm going to have my reservations, and discuss it more when she comes up. So thank you very much, Corp. Counsel. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Ms. David. Mr. Inaba, you had your light on. MR. INABA: Yes looking at the bill, it seems that we are the three primary functions are pushing up the date that the Finance Director establishes a fund by one month pushing up by month, the day that the applications are submitted to the Finance Director, and then the last one being—talking about, as Council Members, us being able to visit. But do we currently have in Code a deadline for return of the applications from the Finance Department? CHR. LEE LOY: Normally what happens is we get it by March 1st, which coincides with our budget, that first iteration of our budget. So currently, the applications are due, or submitted to us by January 31st. The Finance Department will evaluate, through their clearing-house, to ensure that all the documentation and compliance is in order, and then return all of the various applications that meet the compliance alongside our first iteration of the budget, which in Code comes to us on March 5th, around that time. And then we go normally go through our budget review process with the various agencies, and then our nonprofit grant-in-aid. So absolutely, this bill does do those things, push up a lot of the applications, and when the announcements for the application. But as Director Sako mentioned, it doesn't speed it up on their end. It's still going to come to us at the exact same time. And I just got slipped a note, I have Lisa Tada in our Hilo Chambers. Thank you, Lisa. (Note: At this time, Budget Specialist Lisa Tada and Budget Administrator Ted Schrey came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. TADA: Good morning. We also have Ted Schrey, our Budget Administrator on via Zoom. MR. INABA: Okay, so maybe further boiling it down, then what this does is just give you folks an extra month to do what you do on your end, is that right? MS. TADA: It does give us an extra month theoretically. Our concern is that we would still not be able to review those applications one month prior to when we normally start to review them and vet them due to our budget process. So during the months of November through January, we're actually working heavily with the other County departments in compiling and drafting the March 1st budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Page 4 HSSSC-21 July 19,2022 So by moving the dates—or the deadlines for the nonprofits up by a month, that wouldn't necessarily mean that we would be provided more time to review these applications sooner; which is why we were saying that regardless of what the deadlines are, Finance would most likely still be providing the list to Council somewhere around mid-February, as we normally do. MR. INABA: Okay. For me, I doI wish we could get the applications back, but I understand that you folks have a lot going on around that time. And the only thing that concerns me about the date is thatoh, sorry—do we know when we provide the applications—or the request for applications to the public? What day that goes out? CHR. LEE LOY: Currently in Code, those normally go out, there is an announcement made during that Thanksgiving break. But now that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to announce earlier, and then have them return earlier, to just give the nonprofits a little bit more time. You know, this truly is highlighting a lot of the dialing-in of Finance Department with the budget and some of the work, and all the other grants-in-aid. So we're just trying to give everybody a little bit more time. Unfortunately, as Lisa knows, they also have their agency budgets that they deal with around the same time. MR. INABA: So by reading subsection (A) here in the bill, are we saying that by October 30th our nonprofits can be applying for this program, or that's just when we're going to send out a notice. Because to me, it matters when they can actually apply. Because if we're going to move a deadline to December 31st we're putting everybody into the holiday season. So I want to make sure that if we are going to allow people to start applying October 30th, then it's reasonable; they have a lot of time. But if we're going to put it out, for people to actually start applying, say November 20th, we're shoving it in to the holidays, and it makes me worry. That's the only thing I'm worried about here. CHR. LEE LOY: Yes, but that's on the nonprofit themselves, right? We're giving them more time. They can start applying early. And Ms. David could actually speak to this, and even her staff, that the current deadlines are over the holidays, and there's a mad-dash to get everything done all around the same time. And this just bumps it up 30 days. MR. INABA: So they will be able to apply, starting October 30th? Or that's when the application goes live? Okay. CHR. LEE LOY: That's correct, Mr. Inaba. The application will go live in October, on October 31st Page 5 HSSSC-21 July 19,2022 MR. INABA: Is it stated anywhere, explicitly in Code, that that's when the applications go live? CHR. LEE LOY: Maybe not that specific language, but that's what we're adjusting right here, is that date that those applications will become available. MR. INABA: Okay, I'll yield for now. Thank you. CHR. LEE LOY: Ms. Kierkiewicz. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair, for putting this forward. And I think I see what you're trying to do here. But I think this is only going to work if we are able to get eligible applications from the Finance Department earlier, which gives this body a bit more time to evaluate and award sooner, because the sooner our nonprofits know what kind of funding they can count from the County, it allows themI believe you're going here with this to just figure out what other grants they might need to pursue to make their budget whole. So I'm going to suggest maybe keeping this in Committee, and adding a few more dates after we talk story with Finance Department about what's doable. Because I agree, it's never a good time to apply for a grant. There are so many grant opportunities out there, and nonprofits will make the time to apply if it's important. And so I like where you're going with this; but I just think that if it's going to be successful, we have to be working in concert with Finance, and making sure that we're getting eligible applications sooner so that this body can score and make recommendations, and nonprofits are alerted much sooner than we have done, like this particular fiscal year. So I'm willing to entertain keeping it in committee with a few more adjustments. Thank you. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Anyone else? Seeing none. Yeah, I'm open to that suggestion of holding it in committee, because there are a number of other areas that we have to dial in to this process. And as Ms. David touched upon, some of it is embedded in the Charter, which is a very hard corner for us and the Finance Department. And so as we dial in these various grants, not only ours, but Ms. Kimball touched upon it, with our PONC grants, and then even our Innovation grants at R&D (Research and Development). This is all of a very interesting dance that we have to do with our budget and the hard corners that are within our Charter. So Ms. Kierkiewicz, if you'd like to make that motion? MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Sure. Chair, is one month enough time? Okay. Page 6