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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPre-LegislationJ-02-1095 9/26/02 RESOLUTION NO. 02-1072 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO DESIGNATE AND RESERVE $1,000,000 OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2002 SURPLUS AS STRATEGIC INITIATIVE RESERVES AND $2,000,000 AS MANAGEMENT RESERVES TO FUND A CITYWIDE POVERTY INITIATIVE. e Sri\ Yi-lw hJ BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA: Section 1. The City Manager is directed to designate and reserve $1,000,000 of the fiscal year 2002 surplus as Strategic Initiative Reserves and $2,000,000 as Management Reserves to fund a citywide poverty initiative. Section 2. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption and signature of the Mayor.1/ 1/ If the Mayor does not sign this Resolution, it shall become effective at the end of ten calendar days from the date it was passed and adopted. If the Mayor vetoes this Resolution, it shall become effective immediately upon override of the veto by the City Commission. CITY COMMISSION MEETING OF S E P 2 6 2002 Resolution blo. 02-1072 PASSED AND ADOPTED this 26th day of September ATTEST: PRISCILLA A. THOMPSON CITY CLERK APPROVED AS TO FORM AND CORRECTNESS: 0 VILARELLO ATTORNEY 6889:ELF Page 2 of 2 , 2002. UEL A. DIAZ, MAYO O2-1072 7?„., _a- .( J-03-247 3/25/03 RESOLUTION NO. 0 3 "`"` 3 f 8 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION AUTHORIZING THE EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS, IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $200,000 TO UNDERWRITE EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PHASE II OF THE MAYOR'S CITYWIDE POVERTY INITIATIVE (ACCION M•IAMI - MICRO -LENDING INITIATIVE $150,000); FROM THE SPECIAL REVENUE ACCOUNT ENTITLED, "POVERTY INITIATIVE;" ALLOCATING FUNDS FROM FISCAL YEAR 2002-2003 BUDGETED FUNDS; FURTHER DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE THE NECESSARY AGREEMENT(S) TO IMPLEMENT SAID PHASE AND PRESENT THE NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT(S) TO THE CITY COMMISSION FOR CONSIDERATION. WHEREAS, in the 2000 United States Census the City of Miami ("City") was found to be the poorest, large city in the United States; and WHEREAS, the Mayor and Commissioners of the City of Miami have resolved to use their best efforts to assist City residents by appealing to the State and Federal government, foundations, etc. to leverage and any funds available to the City to assist its poor; and CITY COJIO1 MEETING CV PP 1 1 2003 Resolution No. 03- 378 WHEREAS, on September 26, 2002, the City Commission approved Resolution No. 02-1072 designating $2,000,000 of the Fiscal Year 2002 surplus as Management Reserves to fund the Citywide Poverty Initiative; and WHEREAS, the goal of the Citywide Poverty Initiative is to assist low and moderate -income individuals and families to: (1) access existing public benefits, (2) improve their financial literacy, (3) obtain access to quality sources of loan and equity capital, and (4) save to build wealth and accumulate assets; and WHEREAS, on January 23, 2003, the City Commission approved Resolution No. 03-94 adopting the Citywide Poverty Initiative Plan and authorizing the expenditure of $150,000 to underwrite the initial phase of the plan, a local outreach campaign to increase awareness about the Earned. Income Credit (EIC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC); and WHEREAS, the City Commission desires to implement Phase II of said plan, to affirm the City's support of a local, collaborative effort to expand access to sources of quality loan capital among small business owners and entrepreneurs; Page 2 of 4 03- 378 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMISSION .OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA: Section 1. The recitals and findings contained in the Preamble to this Resolution are adopted by reference and incorporated as if fully set forth in this Section. Section 2. The expenditure of funds, in an amount not to exceed $200,000, to underwrite expenses associated with the implementation of Phase II of the Mayor's Citywide Poverty Initiative (Accion Miami - Micro -lending Initiative, $150,000) is authorized with funds allocated from Fiscal Year 2002-2003 budgeted funds, for the Special Revenue Fund entitled, "Poverty Initiative." Section 3. The City Manager is authorizedit' to negotiate the necessary Agreement(s), in a form acceptable to the City Attorney, to implement said Phase, and to present the negotiated Agreement(s) to the City Commission for consideration. The herein authorization is further subject to compliance with all requirements that may be imposed by the City Attorney, including but not, limited to those prescribed by applicable City Charter and Code provisions. Page 3 of 4 Section 4. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption and signature of the Mayor./ PASSED AND ADOPTED this loth day of April , 2003. ATTEST: PRISCILLA A. THOMPSON / CITY CLERK APPROVED AS TRM AND CORRECTNESS tr DRO VILARELLO Y ATTORNEY W7054:tr:AS:BSS 2/ EL A. DIAZ, MAYOR If the Mayor does not sign this Resolution, it shall become effective at the end of ten calendar days from the date it was passed and adopted. If the Mayor vetoes this Resolution, it shall become effective immediately upon override of the veto by the City Commission. Page 4 of 4 03- 378 . 03/18/2003 22:19 3052505442 MAYORS OFFICE CITYWIDE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA 1NTER-OFFICE MEMORANDUM MAYOR DIAZ TO FROM : The Flammable lvletabers, City of Miami Commission Manuel A. Di Mayar DATE: SUEEXCT REFERENCES : ENCLOSURES: March 27, 200 City's Poverty Initiative Phase 11— .Nficro-Lending FILE: F.EOUBST: 1 would respectfully revest your support of the accompanying resolution approving the enclosed Poverty Initiative Plan and authorizing the expenditure of S200,000 to underwrite the second phase of said plan. Phase 11 of the initiative will consist of the following: A micro -lending initiative operated by Am -ion USA - $200,000. Funding for said initiative is available from an account entitled Special .Revenue Fund — Poverty Initiative. BACKGROUND: The Mayor's Poverty Initiative consists of four (4) components all focused on helping individuals: 1.) Access existing benefits, 2.) improve their financial litcra.cy, 3.) Obtain access to capital, and 4.) Save to build wealth and. accumulate assets. The initial components before you for consideration would fund the establishment of a micro -tending program operated by Accion USA. The second phase outlined below will help to address access to capital needs and expend awareness within the community about readily available benefits that can: help increase incomes and alleviate poverty. Future phases will seek to create opportunities for residents to expand their Imowled.ge of various topics that impact their personal finPnces and seek to encourage savings and asset accumulation through the u se o f s uch v ehicles a a Individual D evelopment A mounts (IDAs). These additional ccrmponents will also be accompanied by additional outreach efforts around other wage support benefits to increase Medicaid, Kideare, and Food Stamps enrollment. PHASE II: Acciem USA - MIAMI MICRO -LENDING PROGRAM A.eci5n Overview A cei International the p arena c ompany o f A ccion USA which. operates and pextriers with micro -finance organizations throughout Latin America, Africa and the United States to help theni improve operational efficiency end reach more borrowers. in the T.Jnited States, Accidn 03- 378 03/18/2003 22:19 3052505442 MAYORS OFFICE PAGE 03 USA operates direct lending offices in A ia:eta, throughout New England, and Miami. Acciin USA also h as a number o f a SSociatte p rogranls o perating izn California, Georgia, Tnietois, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, and Texas. Through these local offices, Accidn works with low- and moderate -income business owners that bave a desire to access capital, but are economically margieslzzed aztd have no to limited access to camtzzercial business loans. To assist these small business sex- tors, Ace -ion provides them small, short -terra loans at interest rates that reflect the cost of lending. Accibn's loam methodology has been designed to both meet the needs of inicro-entrepiesteurs and to ensure that the local program office reams financially sustainable. Like traditicnsal banks, Aocifn evaluates potential borrower using measurements like business assets — which could be as midi as a tin s tall in the taxarket — amount and cost of goods sold, cost o fraw znaterials, and hcessehold expanses. But unlike traditional banks, our partner programs do not make loans based upon revenue ar collateral alone. Because of the poverty of its target clients, Aecien sends loam offz.cees to meet potential borrowers in their places of work, where they weigh intangibles like references from customers and neighbors, and the loan officer's own "gut feeling" about the micro-entreprentur's drive to succeed. This character -based lending allows Acczon to go "beyond the numbers" and develop a more complete picture of a potential borrower than a traditional credit score provides. Loans originated by Accion USA — Miami will typically range from $SOD - S50,000. Evidence of Loral Need The need for access to sources of quality capital for creel! business owners has long been documented. Most recently in April of 2001, the FIU Metropolitan Center released the Economic Development Implementation Plan (EDI?) with identified the folio w finding: "Without capital sores for equity and debt, ezzireprcneurial development in Miami -Dade will continue to suffer. Access to small business loans is especially difficult for start-up and growing companies. For instance, approximately 903/4 of the County's minority -owned businesses are sole -proprietorships. Many of these businesses struggle with accumulating personal business assets to help secure their debts. Msthietreain financial institutions, while having increased overall small business lending, still do not have the capacity ar business will to finance these small minceity-owned businesses." Based on this finding, the EDIP called for the development and leveraging of capital resources for equity and debt to support local eterepreneurs. In the September of the same yess, Action USA received a grant from the Congregational Church of Coral. Gables and the Anne E. Casey Foundation to explore the possibility of establishing as AcciOn lending office in Miami. In analysis and subsequent work conducted to determine feasibility of the market's potential consisted of: I.) Interviews with local community organizations, religious, business, and banking leaders and other interested Pates; 2.) Four focus groups with potential clients; and 3.) Assessraerzt of the size of the local micro-meterprise market, its needs, and current level to wbic1a it is being served by other lenders and sznalI business providers. Among the market study's most significant findings were: 2 03- 378 03/16/2003 22:19 3052505442 MAYORS OFFICE PAGE 04 • In the Miazni metropolitan statistical area (MSA), there exist 77,500 micro -entrepreneurs. Appraxinnately 39,400 are Hispanic, 13,500 are African -American, and the remaining 24,600 arc others (Haitian, Asian, etc.). ▪ 68,800 of these entrepreneurs have never received a loan from a bank or other conventtozxal lending source. • Focus group participants expressed strong negative feelings tawasds banks and other lenders, 1132derseoring the apparent tack of access to quality credit. Real perceptions of discrimination and ethnic and racial stereotyping were voiced by focus group participants. • Very large gaps between the apparent demand and the present levels of service exist in this area. Five (5) programs are currently being operated in Miarai-}Jade servicing only 392 individuals. Existing programs are operated by salt nonprofits or government related agencies that define their mission very narrowly. • Crreatest market opportunities for this kind of a program exist in the cozz tnities of East Little Havana and Little Haiti • Hispanics in Bast Little Havana and Haitians were less sophisticated than other segments of the minority community with respect to fxnencialflosn matters. Both had little experience with the 10211 process, were likely to steer clear of banks, and were less likely to ,have access to credit cards. • Haitians voiced some uniquely different attitudes. They exhibited the strongest sense of hopelessness and lielpl mess. Virtually all echoed the sentiment they had nowhere to turn. Their desire for a program like A.ccion was the strongest. Proposed Action Flan Given t he a vident is eed for such a program, we are proposing that the City 4 f M provide SZ00 000 to support the operations of A.ccion USA — Miami program for two years. This commitment will leverage an additiocai $730,000 in operating grant commitments and $1.7 million in loan capital over the next three (3) years. Other program underwriters and their level of funding support are listed below: • Congregational Church of Coral Gables $300,000.00 • Anne E. Casey Foundation $150,000.00 • JP Morgan Chase $ 25,000.00 • Washington Mutual $ 10,000.00 • Knischt Foundation 200.,000.00 Total Commitments $685,000.00 With this rapport, Accibn USA projects that it will be able to issue 382 loans totaling $3.074 million in Miami by 2005. The average loan during that same period will be spptoximately 57,600 with a 4.2% loan default rate. 3 03- 378