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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-IURAGOV-2024-01-19108 E. Green St. Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 274-6565 MEETING MINUTES ITHACA URBAN RENEWAL AGENCY GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE (GC) 8:30 A.M., Friday, January 19th, 2024 Common Council Chambers, Third Floor 108 E. Green St. (City Hall) │ Ithaca, NY 14850 Present: Kathy Schlather, Vice-Chairperson; Donna Fleming; Ellen McCollister Excused: David Whitmore; Susan Cummings Vacancies: 0 Staff: Nels Bohn; Charles Pyott (virtual) Guests: None I. Call to Order Vice-Chairperson Schlather called the meeting to order at 8:36 A.M. II. Agenda Additions/Deletions None. III. Verbal/Written Public Comments None. IV. Review of Meeting Minutes: October 26th, 2023 Fleming moved, seconded by McCollister to approve the meeting minutes, with no modifications. Carried Unanimously: 3-0 V. New Business A. Procurement — Independent Contractors Schlather explained this is the second year after issuance of the original Request for Proposals (RFP) for independent professional services contractors. As noted in the resolutions, a contractor selected through an initial competitive-selection process may be renewed for up to two additional one-year terms, without launching a new competitive-selection process. Approved/Adopted: 4/19/24 Governance Committee January 19, 2024 Page 2 of 7 2 1. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CONSULTING: H. Sicherman/The Harrison Studio Fleming moved, seconded by McCollister: 2024 Procurement of Community Development Consulting Services — H. Sicherman/The Harrison Studio WHEREAS, the contract with H. Sicherman & Company, Inc./The Harrison Studio (Sicherman) providing community development consulting services, including loan underwriting, expires on February 29, 2024, and WHEREAS, in accordance with IURA procurement policy and regulations contained in 2 CFR Part 200 for procurement of professional services, the IURA selected Sicherman through a Request for Proposals (RFP) selection process in 2021, and WHEREAS, whereas per applicable procurement regulations, a contractor selected through an initial competitive selection process may be renewed for up to two additional one-year terms without undertaking a new competitive selection process, and WHEREAS, a proposed 2024 contract would constitute the second one-year extension of the base independent consultant contract, and WHEREAS, Sicherman submitted a proposal to continue providing community development services to the IURA in 2024 at the following hourly rates:  $185/hour – Harry Sicherman  $145/hour – Michael Thomas (loan underwriting), and WHEREAS, the 2024 rates represent a 0% increase from the current contract rates, and WHEREAS, IURA staff is highly satisfied with the quality of services provided by Sicherman, and WHEREAS, the 2024 IURA budget authorized a total of $10,000 for community development and loan underwriting services, and WHEREAS, on January 19, 2024, the Governance Committee reviewed this matter and recommended the following action; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that IURA Chair is hereby authorized, upon review of IURA legal counsel, to execute a one-year contract extension for independent contractor legal services with H. Sicherman & Company, Inc. /The Harrison Studio, at a maximum hourly rate of $185 per hour with the total amount not to exceed $10,000, and be it further Governance Committee January 19, 2024 Page 3 of 7 3 RESOLVED, that the source of such funds for community development consulting services shall be derived from a variety of funding sources, including, but not limited to, CDBG and HOME funds, and expenses shall be billed to the appropriate source of funds for which the services were performed. Carried Unanimously: 3-0 2. LEGAL SERVICES: Mariette Geldenhuys, Attorney & Mediator Fleming moved, seconded by McCollister: 2024 Procurement of Independent Legal Services: M. Geldenhuys WHEREAS, the contract for independent legal services with Mariette Geldenhuys, Attorney-at-Law (Geldenhuys) expires on February 29, 2024, and WHEREAS, in accordance with IURA procurement policy and regulations contained in 2 CFR Part 200 for procurement of professional services, the IURA selected Geldenhuys through a Request for Proposals (RFP) selection process in 2021, and WHEREAS, per applicable procurement regulations, a contractor selected through an initial competitive selection process may be renewed for up to two additional one-year terms without undertaking a new competitive selection process, and WHEREAS, a proposed 2024 contract would constitute the second one-year extension of the base independent consultant contract, and WHEREAS, Geldenhuys submitted a proposal to continue providing legal services to the IURA in 2024 at a maximum billing rate of $245 per hour, a 2.1% increase from the current contract rate of $240 per hour, and WHEREAS, the IURA staff is highly satisfied with the quality of legal services provided by Geldenhuys, and WHEREAS, the 2024 IURA budget recommended a total authorized contract amount of $22,000 for legal services; WHEREAS, on January 19, 2024, the Governance Committee reviewed this matter and recommended the following action; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that IURA Chair is hereby authorized, upon review of IURA legal counsel, to execute a one-year contract extension for independent contractor legal services with Mariette Geldenhuys, Attorney and Mediator, at a maximum hourly rate of $245 per hour with the total amount not to exceed $12,000, and be it further Governance Committee January 19, 2024 Page 4 of 7 4 RESOLVED, that the source of such funds for legal services shall be derived from a variety of funding sources, including, but not limited to, CDBG and HOME funds, and expenses shall be billed to the appropriate source of funds for which the services were performed. Carried Unanimously: 3-0 3. LEGAL SERVICES: Law Offices of Sharon M. Sulimowicz Fleming moved, seconded by McCollister: 2024 Procurement of Independent Legal Services: S. Sulimowicz WHEREAS, the contract for independent legal services with the Law Offices of Sharon Sulimowicz (Sulimowicz) expires on February 29, 2024, and WHEREAS, in accordance with IURA procurement policy and regulations contained in 2 CFR Part 200 for procurement of professional services, the IURA selected Sulimowicz through a Request for Proposals (RFP) selection process in 2021, and WHEREAS, per applicable procurement regulations, a contractor selected through an initial competitive selection process may be renewed for up to two additional one-year terms without undertaking a new competitive selection process, and WHEREAS, a proposed 2024 contract would constitute the second one-year extension of the base independent consultant contract, and WHEREAS, Sulimowicz submitted a proposal to continue providing legal services to the IURA in 2024 at a maximum billing rate of $225 per hour, a 12% increase from the contract rates over the past two years, and WHEREAS, IURA staff is highly satisfied with the quality of legal services provided by Sulimowicz, and WHEREAS, the 2024 IURA budget authorized a total of $22,000 for legal services WHEREAS, on January 19, 2024, the Governance Committee reviewed this matter and recommended the following action; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that IURA Chair is hereby authorized, upon review of IURA legal counsel, to execute a one-year contract extension for independent contractor legal services with The Law Office of Sharon M. Sulimowicz, at a maximum hourly rate of $225 per hour with the total amount not to exceed $6,000, and be it further Governance Committee January 19, 2024 Page 5 of 7 5 RESOLVED, that the source of such funds for legal services shall be derived from a variety of funding sources, including, but not limited to, CDBG and HOME funds, and expenses shall be billed to the appropriate source of funds for which the services were performed. Carried Unanimously: 3-0 4. LEGAL SERVICES: Krin Flaherty, Attorney-At-Law Bohn explained that Flaherty has to pay for special insurance to perform work for the IURA, which increased by approximately 40% over the past two years, which is why her hourly billing rate increased; however, her billing rate remains comparable to that of the IURA’s other attorneys. Fleming moved, seconded by McCollister: 2024 Procurement of Independent Legal Services: K. Flaherty WHEREAS, the contract for independent legal services with Krin Flaherty (Flaherty) expires on February 29, 2024, and WHEREAS, in accordance with IURA procurement policy and regulations contained in 2 CFR Part 200 for procurement of professional services, the IURA selected Flaherty through a Request for Proposals (RFP) selection process in 2021, and WHEREAS, per applicable procurement regulations, a contractor selected through an initial competitive selection process may be renewed for up to two additional one-year terms without undertaking a new competitive selection process, and WHEREAS, a proposed 2024 contract would constitute the second one-year extension of the base independent consultant contract, and WHEREAS, Flaherty submitted a proposal to continue providing legal services to the IURA in 2023 at a maximum billing rate of $250 per hour, a 25% increase from the current contract rate of $200 per hour to cover increased insurance expenses, and WHEREAS, prior year invoicing show less than four hours have been billed per year, and WHEREAS, the IURA staff is highly satisfied with the quality of legal services provided by Flaherty, and WHEREAS, the 2024 IURA budget authorized a total of $22,000 for legal services; now, therefore, be it WHEREAS, on January 19, 2024, the Governance Committee reviewed this matter and recommended the following action; now, therefore, be it Governance Committee January 19, 2024 Page 6 of 7 6 RESOLVED, that IURA Chair is hereby authorized, upon review of IURA legal counsel, to execute a one-year contract extension for independent contractor legal services with Krin Flaherty, at a maximum hourly rate of $250 per hour with the total amount not to exceed $4,000, and be it further RESOLVED, that the source of such funds for legal services shall be derived from a variety of funding sources, including, but not limited to, CDBG and HOME funds, and expenses shall be billed to the appropriate source of funds for which the services were performed. Carried Unanimously: 3-0 VI. Other Business A. Green Street Garage Redevelopment Project — Status Report Bohn reported the Green Street Garage Redevelopment Project comprises four major components: Vecino Group’s Asteri affordable rental housing building; Green Street Development Partners’ “The Ithacan” rental housing project, which includes 200 units of primarily market-rate apartments; and the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center, the first fully electric conference center in the U.S, with 15,000+ square feet of meeting space. The following table provides a breakdown of the Vecino Group’s Asteri affordable rental housing project. The Asteri project also includes supportive services, provided by Tompkins Community Action (TCAction), for certain residents. Bohn noted the IURA also has an agreement with Green Street Development Partners that 10% (20 units) of its total housing units be occupied and affordable to households earning up to 80% of Area Median Income (AMI), with rents varying from $1,275 to $1,408. B. Committee Structure, Charge, & Membership — Review Bohn briefly reviewed the IURA’s Board and Committee Membership Structure, noting that the new Common Council Liaison to the IURA Board is Ducson Nguyen. Governance Committee January 19, 2024 Page 7 of 7 7 C. Review of IURA Financials: November/December 2023 Bohn reviewed the Grants Summary, explaining that the left-hand “On Schedule” column calls out any projects (with a ) that are not progressing on schedule and may need attention. It now includes the list of 2023 Action Plan projects. Both the 2021 New Gym Renovations (CDBG) and 2021 GIAC Youth Programming (CDBG) projects are behind in their submission of reimbursement requests to the IURA. Bohn reported all Loan Payments and Lease Payments are current, as of today. D. Staff Report Bohn reported that the IURA’s 5-year Consolidated Plan is currently being developed, in conjunction with development of the 2024 Action Plan. The schedule for development of both plans can be viewed at the following link: http://www.cityofithaca.org/DocumentCenter/View/16272/2024-City-of-IthacaIURA-HUD- Consolidated-Plan--Action-Plan-Schedule. VII. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned by consensus at 9:45 A.M. — END — Minutes prepared by C. Pyott, edited by N. Bohn.