[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6539782,"mediaKeyId","3585942-7004d8dc317fbcbfb2f0ff9ac6347a4a","parentId",3585942,"title","Policy & Services reviews nonprofit partnership applications; schedules June 4 deliberation","audioSeconds",5608,"startMs",4486000,"endMs",10094000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3585942-7004d8dc317fbcbfb2f0ff9ac6347a4a&start=4486&end=10094","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3585942-7004d8dc317fbcbfb2f0ff9ac6347a4a/thumbnail_4486000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6539782/Palo-Alto/Santa-Clara-County/California/Policy-Services-reviews-nonprofit-partnership-applications-schedules-June-4-deliberation","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6539782-42f91d5f047c13a3009ed7c53476ad6d/orig.mp4?Expires=1775022206&Signature=PEpBeCGD2sXJzxSgZtUMZDzWJx79EYpMx1BeVOSKB6kfDVwDxi--QfwtaKk8TIRqrLgabc5E94NXIlT4uzh7tvXaoy2xlG1vkIY4tx1PiO3-0KJLVqsXwTMR3hqdLYGMi3zAwx~BEmdpRPJq0eJlPH7gmnPMVz2eb~37qlEJQ7~mktXY8OInQ5EfTHnlyHwmcvv5SuhG2ICIAJW3WUnzsfLSGeVHDp8Zwe878X0WjuzRBl7wpzUIt97GnWTjBsOm5LnX9EPJFzUMuGZvdJgGHU2qPbQYslDj9AoG0PK6Mb84YdRudgH0yBdsc3N1sFXSrDqF2SNKdBacmWR0go4zUw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Palo Alto","date","2025-05-27T14:53:51Z","article","The Policy & Services Committee on May 28 received the Phase 1 applications for the city's nonprofit partnership work plan, heard short presentations from a dozen applicants and directed staff to provide a condensed evaluation ahead of a June 4 committee deliberation.

Staff member Lupita Alamos summarized the application review rubric staff would use to evaluate requests under four criterion: community reach, equity impact, alignment with council priorities, and program sustainability. Alamos said staff avoided ranking organizations solely by the number of Palo Alto residents served because service types and scales vary widely; instead staff proposed assessing whether Palo Alto residents are served, reviewing program description, goals and outcomes, and assessing funding request relative to program budget.

Alamos told the committee staff also planned to include applicants' prior city funding in the summary and a short classification of service categories to aid side-by-side comparison. She said staff would aim to provide the evaluation variables committee members requested and to be transparent about missing information.

The meeting included brief pitches from organizations that had applied for Phase 1 funding. Examples of applicants and remarks during public presentations:

- Third Thursday / Palo Alto Chamber Foundation (Charlie Weidans): described monthly Third Thursday events on California Avenue that attract an estimated 400 to 900 visitors and said data show a 40% increase in visitors on event nights; the Foundation said Third Thursday supports local businesses and civic life.

- Musical Memories Foundation (Cheryl Merrymount): a new nonprofit proposing music programs for seniors including interactive performances, workshops and movement sessions focused on memory-care and underserved seniors; the speaker said the group launched in January 2025 and would dedicate any city funds to Palo Alto programs.

- UNAF / Palo Alto International Film Festival (Misha Milojkovic): provided comparative figures showing many small-city film festivals run on budgets larger than UNAF's request and emphasized festival community programming and year-round free offerings.

- DreamCatchers (Nicole Chu Wong): described nearly two decades of free after-school academic and social-emotional programming for low-income middle-school students and families; the presenter said DreamCatchers is the only free after-school program of its kind serving socioeconomically disadvantaged Palo Alto middle-school students and families and partners with PAUSD for site space.

- JobTrain (JobTrain staff): said the workforce-training nonprofit served more than 400 Palo Alto residents over the past three years and offers medical assistant, CNA and hospitality workforce pipelines.

- Youth Community Service (Maura Uhman): described Youth Connect, a youth mental-health and connectedness program started as a city contract in 2017; staff noted the county provides match funding and that the program serves more than 2,300 individuals annually.

- LifeMoves / Opportunity Services Center (Sophie Pigman): requested funds for meals after the program lost complimentary meal providers; staff said food costs rose from approximately $18,000 in FY25 to an estimated $66,000 in FY26 and emphasized meals' role in case management and engagement.

- Peninsula Healthcare Connection (Christina Barajas): described trauma-informed mobile and clinic-based care for unhoused and medically vulnerable people and said funding would support outreach and case management.

- Avenidas / ADAS Cafe (Kathleen Foley Hughes): requested support to expand community events and programming at Mitchell Park, including dance and social opportunities for mission-based employees with disabilities.

- Museum of American Heritage (Michelle Fabian): asked support to expand garden hours from the current Friday-Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. to six days a week (8 a.m.-4 p.m.) and requested funding for maintenance and visitor amenities.

- Palo Alto Special Education PTA (Brian Baker): a newly chartered PTA requested $5,000 to pilot social-skills programming for students with disabilities across school sites.

Committee members debated evaluation approach and timeline. Chair Bienker emphasized the program is a pilot to introduce transparency and a predictable cadence for requests and suggested committee members test partial funding scenarios. Council member Stone asked staff to include an overview showing which organizations already receive city funding (for example CDBG, HSRAP or other line items) and which do not; Stone said that context would help avoid double-counting and understand \"who is relying on which pots of money.\" Council member Liu suggested categorizing applicants by service type so the committee can compare similar proposals and said she favored including vacancy and sustainability indicators.

After extended discussion the committee agreed staff should produce a condensed evaluation for committee review. Members asked staff to use high/medium/low bands across the key evaluation areas (rather than a strict numeric rank) and to include prior city funding amounts and funding sources where available. The committee scheduled a follow-up Policy & Services meeting for June 4 at 8:00 p.m. to discuss the evaluations and prepare a recommendation to the full City Council; staff said the packet for that meeting will be provided as a late packet if needed.

The committee did not make award decisions at the May 28 meeting. Staff and committee members reiterated that applicants will have additional opportunities to address the committee and council during the June review and that staff will update materials to reflect committee feedback.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Policy and Services Committee Meeting - May 28, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Staff presented Phase I nonprofit partnership applications and an evaluation rubric; more than a dozen nonprofits gave brief presentations. Committee asked staff for a condensed evaluation (high/medium/low bands) and scheduled a follow-up committee meeting for June 4 at 8 p.m. to prepare a recommendation to council.","taxTitle","Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California","taxId",3867,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":44,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6539787,"City begins review of consultant management practices; staff to develop tools and training",1973,2513000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3585942-7004d8dc317fbcbfb2f0ff9ac6347a4a&start=2513&end=4486","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3585942-7004d8dc317fbcbfb2f0ff9ac6347a4a/thumbnail_2513000.jpg","/articles/6539787/Palo-Alto/Santa-Clara-County/California/City-begins-review-of-consultant-management-practices-staff-to-develop-tools-and-training","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6539787-2e29c08e795d0825790684817319a8a2/orig.mp4?Expires=1775022206&Signature=fnL9ijNzQ8-5Qoh0eGAEnINYoMBl761Hs9rNQ1MMbjqj300wkk88UHDDSmRguGTAo8ZviYYE4kzogFtAsOj6-b1UmIlsVGWvflh4bhWOoQD1SiifhaB~vRCjxWWxht93DyK~iSJKCrdRgJbOYc4BwUgzsMzxa8n38YuErv1tKj2T6jE4FAzge9gTCl0mSUMaD0UP5HkVvOYN7l28YRVDmEndmm5gFfp~rhggSzJ3V1gagblDq3G2xKuAAMcC2WLix2QlcR9-Xj~4XFkWJTedB6NTOproS64M3RMqgzO0HdUTOVmH79nX9HI6ILRjXlT6wigIJauL6Qp9SQx0ugYfuQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Policy & Services Committee on May 28 received a staff briefing on a citywide work plan to develop and implement best practices for consultant management, with the goal of improving decision-making, product quality and consistency across departments.

City Manager Ed Shikada introduced the project as a comprehensive effort to examine how consultants are selected, scope work, are managed through the life of projects, and how staff skills and organizational supports can be strengthened. \"This is a comprehensive review of how we make decisions on consultant engagements and then how those engagements proceed,\" Shikada said. He said staff found few ready-made public-agency resources and sees an opportunity for Palo Alto to develop tools that could benefit other cities.

Staff described a six-step work plan that includes: (1) reviewing current practices and interviews with staff; (2) evaluating whether in-house staffing is a better long-term option versus consultant work; (3) documenting improvements and clarifying the role of city staff's \"local knowledge\" in consultant projects; (4) identifying skill gaps and training needs; and (5) producing workflow templates, dashboards, and structured training for project managers.

The work plan notes several challenges: depth of the consultant market in specialized areas; the effect of poorly defined scopes of work; staff turnover; and the fact that consultant work often involves controversial public projects. The city manager said he has asked the auditor to include consultant management best practices in Baker Tilly's upcoming advisory work so the city will have both staff and external perspectives.

Council members discussed objectives and practical implementation. Chair Bienker said the topic \"boils down to expertise, efficiency and economy\" and urged the city to protect public trust by clarifying how consultants are used. Council member Stone emphasized the need for consultants to present objective analysis and for clearer expectations that consultants adjust recommendations when council signals a different preference. Council member Liu asked for a clear definition of \"consultant\" for the project (examples given included architects, engineers, supplemental staffing and special studies) and whether the review would consider large capital-program consultants and recurring contracts such as audit services.

Administrative Services staff explained ongoing training for staff who write scopes and administer consultant contracts, and said a renewed focus on contract administration began about a year ago. Staff also noted that some consultant work is approved by council on a calendar-year basis; the work plan used calendar-year 2024 contract approvals as an initial sample for analysis.

Committee members generally supported the work plan and encouraged staff to limit new process overhead while producing practical tools. No formal committee action or vote was taken; staff intends to report further and present findings to the full council after the July recess as the project develops.","The committee reviewed a staff work plan for developing best practices on consultant selection, contracting and project management. Staff said the project will include interviews, budget reviews, training and templates; an advisory from the auditor (Baker Tilly) is expected to supplement the effort.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6539793,"Policy & Services committee recommends approval of FY2026 audit plan after risk assessment briefing",1023,1473000,2496000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3585942-7004d8dc317fbcbfb2f0ff9ac6347a4a&start=1473&end=2496","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3585942-7004d8dc317fbcbfb2f0ff9ac6347a4a/thumbnail_1473000.jpg","/articles/6539793/Palo-Alto/Santa-Clara-County/California/Policy-Services-committee-recommends-approval-of-FY2026-audit-plan-after-risk-assessment-briefing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6539793-b36369e8caa421363534b17af14aac02/orig.mp4?Expires=1775022206&Signature=AW1vy4zQ0CW0rfCcaGujUgjYYbGzum1ivEIR1G-68df~RXVdaVKmSoad5-g4Y2cc0vt4scNtgljvcPfm~BOIDvyBzam5SLNW2nywvg0C-~OO2tSOjGe9f3Di4hH5-pOCZMZ14BSnuLT~xqWQTFJ9H8LmXwijFYbel-YpRVc8e0ORcKgsHEXvn5pI~8wQlYGWij42xgZ9YgrI-xn4CYgb~z4BVFz~Tqb3uC2sRz-aaopc~oDzneUWHQrCgsQXg1pcRLkv7gGicvaNyWt43cb170zcwylo2HPk2VMohDbgfkZ3CF8LFKOpf2No8Wtq-cs7GrwVUFHQyEFbfQ6UwapDAw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Policy & Services Committee on May 28 recommended that the full City Council approve the Office of the City Auditor's citywide risk assessment and the fiscal year 2026 audit plan.

City Auditor Miss Murdock presented the results of the audit office's risk assessment and the proposed audit plan for fiscal year 2026, saying, \"Thank you so much. Thank you for the opportunity to present the results of the audit office's citywide risk assessment and resulting audit plan for fiscal year 2026.\" The plan was developed with input from council, the executive leadership team and department staff and will run from July through the following spring, the auditor said.

The auditor said the risk assessment drew on a survey of council, the executive leadership team and 11 departments, and prioritized risks by likelihood and impact. High-priority topics identified for audits or advisory projects include below-market-rate (BMR) affordable housing, contract solicitation thresholds and contract management practices, utility reserve and asset management, fleet resources and climate action progress, and traffic safety improvements. The audit office also intends to carry out three audits and three advisory projects, and to follow up on prior audit recommendations.

Council members asked the auditor for scope details. Council member Liu asked whether the BMR audit would cover vacancy data, wait-list administration, and whether the audit would include properties managed by Alta Housing; Miss Murdock confirmed vacancy and time-to-fill data are in scope and said Alta Housing, as an organization that works with the city, is subject to the audit office and staff will coordinate with them during the audit. Miss Murdock also described the traffic safety audit approach: \"How is the city determining where to make traffic safety improvements? What sort of data is going into that decision making to ensure that improvements are being made in areas where there might be the most risk to pedestrians?\" she said.

Committee members discussed contract solicitation thresholds and whether the city's current dollar thresholds remain appropriate in light of inflation and administrative burden. The auditor said the audit plan includes an advisory analysis of solicitation/authority thresholds and a contract management best-practices advisory.

After the presentation and a period for questions, a committee member moved to accept the staff recommendation and another member seconded. Committee roll call recorded Council member Liu: yes; Council member Stone: yes; Chair Bienker: yes. Chair Bienker announced, \"Yes. Motion carries.\" The motion to recommend City Council accept the FY2026 audit plan and corresponding task orders passed by unanimous roll call of the committee members present.

The committee did not direct changes to the plan at this meeting. Miss Murdock and audit office staff said projects will roll out between July and October and audit work will be completed in the following spring. The audit office noted some risk areas have been on successive annual risk assessments and that advisory projects are intended to supplement departmental work and identify opportunities for improvements.","The committee voted to recommend City Council approve the Office of the City Auditor's citywide risk assessment and the fiscal year 2026 audit plan, following a presentation on prioritized risks and proposed audits and advisory projects.","actionData","errors"]

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Policy & Services reviews nonprofit partnership applications; schedules June 4 deliberation

City begins review of consultant management practices; staff to develop tools and training

Policy & Services committee recommends approval of FY2026 audit plan after risk assessment briefing