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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-IURA-2025-12-18` 108 E. Green St. Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 274-6565 DRAFT MINUTES ITHACA URBAN RENEWAL AGENCY BOARD 9:00 A.M., Thursday, December 18th, 2025 Common Council Chambers, Third Floor (City Hall) 108 E. Green St., Ithaca, NY 14850 Members: Robert G. Cantelmo (Mayor), Chair; Karl Graham, Vice-Chair; Shaianne Osterreich; Siobhan Hull; Donna Fleming Excused: None. Vacancies: 0 Common Council Liaison: Ducson Nguyen [virtual] IURA Staff: Nels Bohn; Anisa Mendizabal [virtual]; Charles Pyott [virtual] City Staff: Lisa Nicholas, Director of Planning & Development Guests: None. I. Call to Order Cantelmo called the meeting to order at 9:05 A.M. II. Agenda Additions/Deletions None. III. Public Comments None. IV. Review of Meeting Minutes: November 20, 2025 Fleming moved, seconded by Hull, to approve the meeting minutes with no modifications. Carried Unanimously: 5-0 V. Neighborhood Investment Committee (NIC) A. HUD Entitlement Program: Minor Amendments to Meet CDBG Timeliness Requirement Osterreich explained that the Committee considered previous applicants who were not fully funded in the Public Services category for the reprogramming of $30,000 available funds declined by Catholic Charities of Tompkins-Tioga (CCTT) for Project #14, ISP, and recommended funding the following projects: (1) Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County 2-1-1 Information & Referral Helpline; (2) The Learning Web Approved: 1/22/26 IURA Minutes December 18, 2025 Page 2 of 7 Housing Scholarship Program Personnel Support; (3) Historic Ithaca Work Preserve: Job Readiness; and (4) CCTT Security Deposit Assistance Intensive Staffing. Fleming moved, seconded by Hull: 2025 Annual Action Plan (AAP) Minor Program Amendments to Meet CDBG Timeliness Requirement WHEREAS, on July 25, 2025, the IURA adopted a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Timeliness Work Out Plan (Work Out Plan) to ensure City of Ithaca CDBG funds are expended to comply with HUD regulations, and WHEREAS, a grantee is considered in compliance with the CDBG timeliness requirement if, 60 days prior to the end of the program year on June 1, the balance in the grantee’s line of credit, plus the balance of program income on hand including any revolving loan fund, is not more than 1.5 times the most recent CDBG grant, and WHEREAS, the Work Out Plan commits the IURA to evaluate in November if the IURA is on-target to meet the CDBG timeliness requirement and identify alternative CDBG projects as appropriate to meet the CDBG timeliness requirement, and WHEREAS, the CDBG timeliness expenditure ratio as of October 31, 2025 was 2.4, approximately $740,000 short to meet the upcoming June 1.5 CDBG timeliness ratio, and WHEREAS, the IURA is not on-target to meet the CDBG timeliness test in 2026 unless CDBG funds are reprogrammed, and WHEREAS, Catholic Charities of Tompkins-Tioga declined $30,000 in 2025 funding for Public Service project #14, ISP, which funding is now available for reprogramming, and WHEREAS, according to the City of Ithaca/IURA Citizen Participation Plan, a “substantial” change in the use of Entitlement Funds from one eligible activity to another eligible activity “… is defined as any change in allocation of funds for a specific activity that constitutes more than $25,000 allocated to that actual activity …”, and WHEREAS, reallocating a total of $30,000 to multiple eligible activities where no individual activity receives more than $25,000 constitutes a series of minor amendments, and WHEREAS, staff has initiated consultation with past and current grantees to identify potential eligible and implementable public service CDBG projects that can expend funds in a timely manner, and WHEREAS, at its December 11, 2025 meeting, the IURA Neighborhood Investment Committee reviewed this matter and recommended the following reallocation of CDBG funding; now, therefore, be it IURA Minutes December 18, 2025 Page 3 of 7 RESOLVED, that the IURA hereby adopts the following minor amendments to the 2025 HUD Action Plan to address CDBG timeliness requirements as follows: SUBTRACT: $30,000 2025, Project #14, ISP, Catholic Charities of Tompkins-Tioga (CCTT) ADD: $1,800 2025, Project #11, 2-1-1 Information & Referral Helpline, Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County $23,186 2025, Project #12, Housing Scholarship Program Personnel Support, The Learning Web $3,000 2025, Project #15, Work Preserve: Job Readiness, Historic Ithaca $2,014 2025, Project #16, Security Deposit Assistance Intensive Staffing, CCTT $30,000 And be it further, RESOLVED, that the Director of Community Development for the IURA is authorized to issue funding commitment letters in accordance with this resolution. Carried Unanimously: 5-0 B. 2026 Annual Action Plan Overview & Draft Action Plan Schedule: Report Mendizabal discussed the anticipated allocation of $664,000 in CDBG funding and $233,000 in HOME funding. She explained that the Neighborhood Investment Committee held an organizational meeting for the upcoming Action Plan and announced a change in scheduling from releasing applications in December with a completion deadline at the end of January to releasing applications in January with a completion deadline of February 20, 2026. IURA Minutes December 18, 2025 Page 4 of 7 C. Committee Chairperson Report None. VIII. New/Other/Old Business A. City/IURA MOU for Encampment Response Coordinator Motion to enter into Executive Session by Osterreich, seconded by Fleming. Motion by Fleming to end Executive Session, seconded by Osterreich. — EXECUTIVE SESSION — Cantelmo moved, seconded by Osterreich: City/IURA MOU Encampment Response Coordinator WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca (City) approached the IURA about a proposed agreement for the IURA to employ an Encampment Response Coordinator (ERC) for up to 20 hours per week to work in close coordination with the City on homeless encampment issues, and WHEREAS, the City proposes to reimburse the IURA for all expenses incurred to employ an ERC, and IURA Minutes December 18, 2025 Page 5 of 7 WHEREAS, a proposed City/IURA Memorandum of Understanding, dated December 12, 2025, (MOU) has been prepared to govern such an arrangement regarding employment of an Encampment Response Coordinator, and WHEREAS, the IURA has funded numerous activities to address and reduce homelessness, including financial assistance for the former homeless emergency shelter at 618 W. State Street, and WHEREAS, at the request of prior City Mayors, IURA staff prepared proposed City policies to respond to homeless encampments on City property that includes a recommendation to hire an Encampment Response Coordinator, and WHEREAS, IURA staff has maintained active membership on the following City working groups: • Working Group on Unsanctioned Encampments (2023) • Advisory Committee to Review and Evaluate Homeless Encampment Policies and Protocols (2024- 2025) • Encampment Response Advisory Committee (2025-2026), and WHEREAS, the City has received applicants for employment opportunities from people affiliated with Cornell University and Ithaca College who are residing in the U.S. on a visa, and WHEREAS, recent Federal policy requires certain persons holding a visa seeking employment to be employed by an E-Verify employer, and WHEREAS, E-Verify, is a web-based system administered by the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service through which employers electronically confirm the employment eligibility of newly hired employees, and WHEREAS, neither the City nor the IURA are currently an E-Verify employer, and WHEREAS, the incremental administrative effort to verify a new employee through the E-Verify system is modest for any individual hire, but collectively can become burdensome when a large number of employees are hired simultaneously, and WHEREAS, the City hires over 200 workers on a seasonal basis annually thereby creating a significant administrative burden for the City to become an E-Verify employer, but the City also loses out on a talented labor pool of candidates that hold a visa, and WHEREAS, upon the IURA becoming an E-Verify employer, the pool of eligible candidates for the ERP position, and any other future IURA position, may include persons holding a visa, and WHEREAS, increasing City/IURA collaborations offers an opportunity to stabilize IURA fiscal challenges due to declining federal grant support, and WHEREAS, the proposed MOU allows either party to terminate the agreement on 30 days written notice; now, therefore, be it IURA Minutes December 18, 2025 Page 6 of 7 RESOLVED, that the IURA hereby approves a Memorandum of Understanding for Encampment Response Coordinator with the City of Ithaca in a form substantially similar to the MOU dated December 12, 2025 (MOU), and be it further RESOLVED, the IURA Chairperson, subject to review by IURA legal counsel, is authorized to execute the MOU, and be it further RESOLVED, the IURA authorizes staff to take all necessary steps for the IURA to become an E-Verify employer, and be it further RESOLVED, the IURA hereby creates the Encampment Response Coordinator (ERC) position, and the attached job description, as an authorized employment position with a starting salary of $32 per hour in 2025 and 2026, and be it further RESOLVED, the term of employment of the Encampment Response Coordinator position shall not extend beyond the term of the City/IURA MOU, and RESOLVED, that the IURA authorizes hiring a part-time Encampment Response Coordinator at up to 20 hours per week upon execution of the MOU that specifies that all reasonable costs incurred by the IURA associated with hiring, employing, and managing the ERC shall be reimbursed by the City of Ithaca, and be it further RESOLVED, that the 2026 IURA budget shall be amended to reflect projected expenses and revenues resulting from execution of the MOU. Carried Unanimously: 5-0 B. IURA Grant, Loan, & Lease Reports: November 2025 Bohn reviewed the Grants Summary, explaining that the left-hand “On Schedule” column calls out any projects (with a ) that are declining funding or not progressing on schedule and may need attention. All loan payments are current. All lease payments are current. C. REPORTS: IURA Chair/Mayor, Common Council Liaison, & Staff IURA Chair/Mayor’s Report Cantelmo reported that the City presented its proposal to the Regional Economic Development Council for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), with positive feedback received, and a decision expected in Q1 of 2026. He mentioned there is also a Regional Economic Development Council-sponsored project that, in addition to the DRI’s $10 million, would include a $50 million grant under consideration. There will be a new Council liaison in 2026. Common Council Liaison Report None. IURA Minutes December 18, 2025 Page 7 of 7 Staff Report Bohn reported the following: (1) Closings with new homeowners for the INHS Sears Street Housing project are scheduled for January 2026. (2) Leslie Ackerman at INHS is retiring at the end of 2025. (3)The HUD Continuum of Care Homeless Grant application was withdrawn, but the intention is to reissue it with a new Notice of Funding Opportunity. (4) An audit of the IURA is scheduled for the second week of February. IURA’s accountant, Kim Cook, announced her resignation effective January 20, 2026. VIII. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned by consensus at 9:45 A.M. — END — Minutes prepared by S. Dean, edited by C. Pyott/N. Bohn.