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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 4.2 - 1314 Senior Center Fee Assistance Program Page 1 of 3 STAFF REPORT CITY COUNCIL DATE: March 21, 2017 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers FROM: Christopher L. Foss, City Manager SUBJECT: Senior Center Fee Assistance Program Prepared by: Micki Cronin, Asst. Director of Parks & Community Services EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The City Council will consider approval of a Senior Fee Assistance Program that will provide financial assistance to Dublin seniors in financially limited households. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Approve the proposed Senior Fee Assistance Program. FINANCIAL IMPACT: Fee assistance would be funded from the annual Dublin Benefit Concert (formerly known as the Youth Benefit Concert) and other outside donations or sources. This assistance program would only be available once funds have been received. Fund availability would be directly based on funds received. DESCRIPTION: In order to provide an opportunity for all seniors to participate in classes, programs and social events at the Dublin Senior Center, Staff is proposing a Seni or Fee Assistance Program. Staff has researched similar programs offered in other communities and used this research to model a program based on the City’s current Youth Fee Assistance Program. The Senior Fee Assistance Program is timely, based on the Se nior Center Registration Program coming into effect on July 1, 2017. The Senior Center Registration Program has a nominal annual fee for those who wish to use the Senior Center for recreational use. Following are the proposed program guidelines. 1. Fee assistance would only be provided to Dublin residents ages 55 and older. 2. Fee assistance would be funded from the Dublin Benefit Concert, an intergenerational partnership between the Youth Advisory Committee and Senior Center Advisory Committee. The concert is offered annually during the spring. This year the event will be held at the Dublin Senior Center on April 9, 2017. Page 2 of 3 Additional funding would come from other donations and outside sources. 3. Fee assistance would be granted for up to 50% of the registration fee. 4. The Program would provide $200 per person per year and must be used within a 12-month period from application approval date. 5. Funds can only be used for activities/programs/classes offered by the City’s Parks and Community Services Department. Funds cannot be used for rental of City facilities or picnic areas, the Senior Center daily congregate lunch program, Jazzercise, or events conducted by the Dublin Senior Foundation. 6. The Department’s registration system can allow for only the approved applicant to use Program funds to register, thus preventing the transfer of any unused funds to other members of the household. The funds cannot be credited or refunded to the applicant. Participants would not be able to carryover unused funds from year to year. 7. Applications for fee assistance would be reviewed and approved by the Recreation Supervisor or designee at the Dublin Senior Center. Proposed Eligibility Requirements and Fee Assistance Limits Staff proposes using the HUD income limits for Alameda County for lower income households and below to determine eligibility. The 2016 HUD income limits are listed below and would be updated each year. The shaded areas indicate categories proposed for fee assistance eligibility. Number of Persons in Household 2016 Annual Household Income 1 2 3 4 5 HUD Extremely Low $19,350 22,100 24,850 27,600 29,850 HUD Very Low Income $32,200 36,800 41,400 46,000 49,700 HUD Lower Income $47,350 54,100 60,850 67,600 73,050 HUD Median Income $61,950 70,800 79,650 88,500 95,600 HUD Moderate Income $77,280 88,320 99,360 110,400 119,280 Amounts for households higher than 5 members are available but not listed in the above graph. Funding Sources Until the actual level of demand for fee assistance is kno wn, Staff recommends focusing on securing donations for the program. Once the first $2,000 of funding is in place, the Senior Fee Assistance Program may begin accepting applications. In order to secure the first $2,000, Staff intends to solicit donations from charitable groups and individuals. This will include local non-profit organizations, service clubs, businesses, and foundations. Additionally net proceeds from the annual Dublin Benefit Concert will be split equally into the Senior Fee Assistance f und and Youth Fee Assistance fund. In the past, the proceeds only benefited the Youth Fee Assistance Fund. Approval/Review Process On an annual basis those seeking fee assistance would be asked to complete a one - page application/eligibility form that would remain on file for one year with the Recreation Supervisor for senior programming. The eligibility form would require Staff Page 3 of 3 to verify participant contact information, the names of those residing in the household, annual household income and sources of income. Once approved, participants would be able to use fee assistance funds to register for programs until the $200 limit per year is reached. The Department’s registration system has the ability to maintain the available fee assistance fund balance. The Senior Fee Assistance Program would be advertised in the Senior Center newsletter and other City materials. A tri-fold brochure would also be created. The Senior Center Advisory Committee reviewed the proposed Senior Fee Assistance program at the September 1, 2016 meeting and voted 3-0-0, with two Committee Members absent, to support the program. The Parks and Community Services Commission reviewed the proposed Senior Fee Assistance program at the December 19, 2016 meeting and voted 4 -0-0, with one Commissioner absent, to recommend to the City Council to establish a Senior Fee Assistance Program as proposed by the Senior Center Advisory Committee. NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH: None. ATTACHMENTS: None.