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Task force rejects Racial Justice Coalitionrequest to change fiscal agent and its budget revision
Summary
The Middletown ARPA task force voted down a request from the Middletown Racial Justice Coalition to change fiscal agents and also rejected its proposed budget revision, citing turnover, timing and unanswered questions about contracted staff and administrative fees.
The Middletown ARPA Task Force on Aug. 21 rejected a request from the Middletown Racial Justice Coalition (MRJC) to terminate its fiscal-agent agreement with Middletown United Fathers and to enter an agreement with a new fiduciary, and the panel also declined to approve MRJCa later budget revision.
Martha (staff member) told the task force that MRJC had lost its executive director in April and was operating with an interim director; she said the coalition must fill the executive-director position before Dec. 31 or its project would be terminated because ARPA-funded positions cannot be newly hired after the Treasurydeadline. "They do understand that they must fill that position before December 31," Martha said, adding that if the position and fiscal-agent agreement are not in place the award would be terminated and unspent funds would return to the U.S. Treasury.
A committee member moved to permit MRJC to end its agreement with Middletown United Fathers and contract with a 501(c)(3) fiscal agent; speakers raised multiple concerns about the time remaining in the spending cycle, turnover among contracted instructors and whether the proposed fiscal agent would charge an administrative fee that MRJC could not pay from ARPA funds. One member urged revoking and reprogramming the award into guaranteed direct assistance if MRJC could not show it could meet Treasury and task-force requirements.
After discussion the motion to allow a change of fiscal agent failed. A later motion to accept MRJCs budget revision also was rejected. The task force directed staff to notify MRJC of the decisions, to prepare an agenda item if termination becomes necessary, and to present options for reprogramming any returned funds.
The task force did not approve MRJC's revision because several members said they lacked confidence that the coalition could contract staff and finalize a fiscal-agent agreement in time. The staff summary of options included notifying the coalition, inviting it to the next meeting and, if necessary, preparing a termination-and-reprogramming plan for the common council.
