City Of West Palm Beach: City Of West Palm Beach Recent Policy Actions

West Palm Beach FL

12 August, 2021

10:26 AM

Description

Press release from the City of West Palm Beach: 08/12/2021 8:30 AM WEST PALM BEACH, FLA (August 12, 2021) -- Below is a summary of some of the approvals and decisions made by the City Commission at a meeting on Monday, August 9, 2021. Approved an agreement between the Palm Beach County Food Bank, Inc. and the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach to implement a Benefits Outreach Partnership where the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach will host a representative to assist people with filing for Florida Food Assistance Program "SNAP" benefits. The representative will be hosted on-site at the Mandel Public Library one day per week for eight hours at no cost to the City. Approved the use of $998,000 in discretionary unassigned funds to make building repairs, including sealing and weatherproofing for City Hall. Over the past two years, City Hall has had numerous leaks after heavy rainfall. The leaks impact multiple departments from the 5th floor down to the 1st floor. These leaks have caused a disruption in services due to staff being relocated while the affected areas are dried. In some instances, outside vendors had to sanitize work areas causing further disruptions and additional costs to the city. In order to mitigate and correct the concern, the city contracted with an engineering firm to analyze and assess the leaks. Upon inspection, the firm noted numerous areas of the building that needed targeted caulking, water repellant, and a complete sealing of the structure. If left unresolved over time, the leaks will get worse and cause additional maintenance costs, carpet damage, dry wall damage, and potentially compromise the structural integrity of the building along with increasing the probability of microbial growth. Approved ratifying the acceptance of a $100,000 Closing the Gap Technical Assistance Grant from the Florida Housing Coalition Center for Racial Equity to provide technical support aimed at increasing black homeownership rate within the City of West Palm Beach. The Closing the Gap grant will provide two years' of technical assistance aimed at increasing the black homeownership rate within the city. A framework for promoting black homeownership will be developed to include a work plan based on local data, identified outcome measures, a list of responsible entities, and a time frame for implementation. This framework will include an implementation plan on community engagement, policy and program alignment, capacity building, and private sector engagement. Approved the acceptance of federal entitlement grants in the amount of $4,705,024. The City of West Palm Beach is an entitlement recipient of federal funds from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program (HOPWA). The funds are intended to address the community development and housing needs within the corporate limits of the City of West Palm Beach by achieving the overall goal of decent housing, providing a suitable living environment, and expanding economic development opportunities principally for low- and moderate-income individuals. Approved the second reading of Ordinance No. 4962-21, providing for revisions to the dates for candidates to qualify for General Elections in March 2022 and all future elections for city offices. The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections has requested that municipalities amend their qualifying period, so that their qualifying ends on or before the 95th day before Election Day in order to accommodate vote-by-mail requirements, as further set forth by Florida statute. The statute authorizes the city to change the dates for qualifying and for the election of members of the governing body by adoption of an ordinance. For a complete list of the approvals and decisions made at the August 9, 2021 City Commission Meeting, please click here to view the pass/fail agenda. To watch meetings live or to watch recorded meetings on-demand, please visit the city's website, wpb.org, or tune in to WPB-TV on Comcast Channel 18. ### This press release was produced by the City of West Palm Beach. The views expressed here are the author's own.