City Council
MEETING DATE: 5/25/2016
TITLE:
Title
Contract with the Ramsey Group to Prepare the Assessment of Fair Housing
End
FROM:
John A. Corella, P.E., City Engineer
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager (or designee) to enter into a Professional Services Agreement (PSA) with the Ramsey Group to prepare the Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) for submittal to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
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BACKGROUND:
The new Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) provides the framework for HUD’s proposed strategy to improve and replace the process currently known as the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI), which HUD grant recipients (such as cities, counties and public housing authorities) must undertake in order to keep their obligation to "affirmatively further fair housing" (AFFH Rule). The AFH addresses concerns raised by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and stakeholders about the current AI process in order to better help communities accomplish their fair housing obligations and incorporate fair housing choice into their planning activities.
More specific, the new AFH is a comprehensive plan required by HUD that will address housing discrimination, the operation of housing markets, investment choices by holders of capital, the history and geography of regions, patterns of development and the constructed environment within Cathedral City.
Each HUD grant recipient and entitlement city must prepare an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) prior to the implementation of the next five-year Consolidated Plan. The due date for an AFH is based on the City’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Consolidated Plan cycle. The City’s first AFH will be due 270 days prior to the program year that begins on or after July 1, 2017. The City of Cathedral City is one of sixteen jurisdictions across the United States to be a first submitter of the AFH. The due date of the AFH to be submitted to HUD is October 4, 2016.
DISCUSSION:
In order to develop an unbiased analysis of City’s fair housing climate, staff elected to solicit proposals from qualified professional consulting firms to gather information from the community and prepare the comprehensive AFH on behalf of the City.
On April 28, 2016, the City received nine proposals from professional consulting firms interested in preparing the AFH for Cathedral City for submittal to HUD. Based on the specific criteria of the request for proposal (RFP), City staff evaluated and narrowed the proposals down to four qualified local agencies to prepare the AFH. Please note, CASC Engineering submitted a proposal with only a rate schedule and no total cost estimate. Below are the remaining firms qualified to prepare the AFH:
|
Consulting Firm |
Location |
Amount |
|
CASC Engineering |
Palm Desert, CA |
Rate Schedule |
|
Castaneda and Associates |
Riverside, CA |
$17,915 |
|
Inland Fair Housing |
Ontario, CA |
$25,000 |
|
The Ramsey Group |
Valencia, CA |
$15,750 |
Based on the deliverables, availability of resources and cost of the proposal, Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager (or designee) to enter into a PSA with the Ramsey Group to prepare the AFH for submittal to HUD. The recommendation is based on the following reasons:
1. The firm has a strong understanding of the information that needs to be gathered to prepare the AFH; and
2. The firm cost estimate and hourly rates are economically feasible; and
3. The schedule of work to prepare the AFH meets the criteria specified by HUD and the City; and
4. The firm is located in Southern California and, therefore, can maintain the presence needed to conduct the assessment.
Furthermore, the Ramsey Group has prepared similar plans for local CDBG entitlement cities and cities outside the Coachella Valley such as Encinitas, Chino Hills, and Santa Barbara.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The cost of the AFH will follow the cost estimate and hourly rate schedule in the proposal submitted by the Ramsey Group for an amount not to exceed $15,750 from the Engineering Budget account number 100-156-8601.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. The Ramsey Group AFH Proposal
2. Professional Services Agreement- TRG