No additional fiscal impact. $2 million allocated on a one-time basis for the Innovation Fund from Measure X sales tax proceeds. Administrative and web portal costs will be borne by the County Administrator’s Office.
On November 3, 2020, voters in Contra Costa County approved Measure X, a countywide, 20-year, half-cent sales tax. The ballot measure language stated the intent of Measure X as “to keep Contra Costa’s regional hospital open and staffed; fund community health centers, emergency response; support crucial safety-net services; invest in early childhood services; protect vulnerable populations; and for other essential county services.”
The Measure X Community Advisory Board (MxCAB) was established on February 2, 2021, to advise the Board of Supervisors on the use of Measure X funds. On November 16, 2021, the MxCAB presented a report and funding recommendations to the Board of Supervisors. Among the many recommendations for funding approved by the Board of Supervisors that day was a one-time allocation of $2 million to establish an Innovation Fund to seed pilot programs and innovative projects. It was recommended that the funding be made available to "County departments, cities, and community-based organizations in response to local service needs."
The MxCAB suggested that Innovation Funds be prioritized for community-embraced and community-based programs and services and, minimally, to support the Measure X funding goal of Equity in Action (Goal #2): “We strive to be a community that prioritizes equity and removes structural barriers that cause inequities and poverty, so that all residents can thrive.”
The recommendation included allocating these funds to the County Administrator’s Office for development of Innovation Fund guidelines for review by the Board’s Finance Committee prior to issuing a request for proposals. It is anticipated that recommendations for allocation of funds will also be reviewed by the Finance Committee prior to submittal to the Board of Supervisors for approval.
On October 3, 2022, the Finance Committee considered the County Administrator's proposed framework of policies, guidelines, and procedures to implement the Innovation Fund, received public input from the MxCAB Chair and several members of the public in attendance, and made changes to the proposed framework, which are reflected in the attached presentation (see Attachment 1: Recommended Innovation Fund Framework) and which covers:
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Guiding principles distinguishing innovation projects from general application of best practices
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Quality standards for Innovation Fund proposals
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Program categories (see Attachment 1 for examples of innovation in each category from other jurisdictions)
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Eligibility requirements
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Phase process and suggested implementation schedule
Also attached are thought-provoking examples of innovative programs attempted in other jurisdictions in each of the program categories identified within the framework (see Attachment 2: Examples of Innovation Projects from Other Jurisdictions Fund).
The County Administrator's Office proposes a bid process modeled on similar County competitive programs such as the Keller Mitigation Fund Program and the Commercial Cannabis land use permit selection process. These programs utilized an internal review committee assembled at the discretion of a County lead department to solicit and evaluate proposals and make funding recommendations to the Board of Supervisors at a regular public meeting. Such a review committee would be assembled by the County Administrator and would likely be composed of selected County staff and could include representatives of County MACs, the Office of Education, local industry, and a local farm bureau, depending upon the final guiding principles determined for the Fund and the subject matter and target population associated with each of the proposals.
Upon review and discussion of the implementation framework at its October 3 meeting, the Finance Committee recommends narrowing the eligibility for the Innovation Fund from the original proposal of "County departments, cities and community-based organizations" to only "nonprofit community-based organizations," subject to additional eligibility requirements recommended by the County Administrator.
Upon the Board's final approval of the eligibility criteria for the Innovation Fund, the County Administrator intends to initiate Phase I of the process on or about November 1, by inviting submittal of Concept Papers. The process from concepts to final contract awards is expected to take about five months to complete, with final project recommendations to be submitted for Board consideration following review by the Board's Finance Committee.
Speakers: Mariana Moore, Chair, Measure X Committee; Gigi Crowder; Barbara Howard, 40 Voices Campaign; No Name Given; Caller 6770; Elder Desiree, 40 Voices Campaign; Wanda Johnson; Philip Arnold; Stephen Smith; Kenneth Robinson, 40 Voices.
RECEIVED report on the proposed policies, guidelines, and procedures to implement the one-time Measure X-funded Innovation Fund to be administered by the County Administrator's Office; MODIFIED the eligibility for the Innovation Fund to exclude County departments, cities and other governmental agencies and include only nonprofit Contra Costa community-based organizations.