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Scotts Valley council directs staff to launch 2024–25 community grants; proposes seeding autism‑certification for businesses
Summary
Council discussed the citygrant program (budgeted at $50,000), asked staff to finalize an RFP and consider making autism certification an eligible item; councilmembers and the city manager debated funding splits and outreach to local businesses and Visit Santa Cruz.
Scotts Valley City Council directed staff to finalize the 2024–25 Community Grant Program request for proposals and to include autism‑certification as an eligible use of funds, following a council discussion of priorities, likely costs and outreach needs.
The program was budgeted at $50,000 for the fiscal year, City Manager (staff member) told the council, and staff recommended prioritizing one‑time or capital projects rather than ongoing operating support. The manager said the city has previously awarded four to eight grants per year in the $5,000–$15,000 range and that the last two years produced seven awards each year for 14 grants total.
"We're a little late in the game this year, but, we're excited to be moving forward with it," City Manager (staff member) said, explaining the council had paused the program in earlier years while reviewing the city's finances and that Measure Xsupport had enabled restarting the effort.
Council members discussed whether to earmark part of the $50,000 specifically to seed a communitywide effort to become an autism‑certified community. The city manager described the credentialing body as the "International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education" and said training costs vary by organization size, starting in the "$1,500" range and rising to about "$10,000" when an on‑site assessment is required. The manager also said the credential requires that about 80% of public‑facing staff be trained and that certifications must be renewed every two years.
Vice Mayor Timbs urged the council to use part of the city's grant funds to seed business participation. "My advocacy actually here would be something up the lines of perhaps splitting the community grant 50/50 and having something like $25,000 allocated specifically for applications," Timbs said, arguing that a dedicated pool would make it easier for small businesses and hotels to afford staff training.
Other council members expressed general support for including autism certification as eligible but cautioned that many local nonprofits and service providers also rely on the city grants. Council member Lind and Council member Lynn said they were supportive of the program and wary of reducing funds available to previously assisted services such as the Boys & Girls Club and Meals on Wheels.
On next steps, staff said it would finalize and release the RFP and return to the council with funding recommendations after evaluating applications. The manager noted staff and community volunteers would assist with outreach and that the Scotts Valley Chamber and Visit Santa Cruz had expressed interest in promoting the certification and related travel opportunities.
The discussion occurred amid broader city updates provided earlier in the meeting, including a completed FY 2023–24 audit, a planning approval for a housing project at 4575 Scotts Valley Drive processed under state housing law provisions, and ongoing storm damage reimbursement discussions with Cal OES and congressional staff.
Votes at a glance: The consent agenda was approved unanimously earlier in the meeting; council consensus directed staff to proceed with the 2024–25 Community Grant Program RFP and to include autism‑certification as an eligible use, with staff to return with specific funding recommendations based on applications.
