City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: OCTOBER 3, 2012
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: RASHAD M. YOUNG, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
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Consideration of Release of Funds from FY 2013 Contingent Reserves for the Implementation of Sunday Meals on Wheels Delivery.
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ISSUE: Consideration of the release of funds in the amount of $39,983 from FY 2013 Contingent Reserves to fund delivery of Meals on Wheels on Sundays.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council authorize the allocation of $39,983 in previously designated funds from the FY 2013 General Fund Contingent Reserves to the Department of Community and Human Services for implementation of Sunday Meals on Wheels, pending verification that program costs will not exceed the allocated amount for the remainder of the fiscal year.
BACKGROUND: The original Meals on Wheels (MOW) service program was formed to improve the quality of life of seniors by reducing neglect, poor nutrition and social isolation through the home-delivery of nutritionally-adequate meals by volunteers who interact with the homebound seniors. The program reduces the physical decline in seniors and enables them to remain in their homes. Senior Services of Alexandria (SSA) has been operating this program under contract with the City for approximately ten years.
The Virginia Department of Aging (VDA) supports the provision of certain meal services to qualified seniors who are age 60 and above and homebound. These meals must meet VDA standards. The City of Alexandria purchases the meals, and SSA arranges the delivery of two meals a day (in one delivery) to approximately 65 seniors who meet VDA eligibility. SSA also delivers meals to approximately 15 Alexandrians who are not VDA clients, through a private pay program. Originally, meals were delivered Monday-Friday. In FY 2010, SSA was able to leverage funding to support the preparation and delivery of meals on holidays. In FY 2011, additional funding leveraged by SSA, from the Rotary Club and Yellow Cab, allowed for the delivery of meals on two Saturdays per month, and cost saving measures by the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) enabled delivery of meals on the remaining two Saturdays per month beginning in early FY 2013.
In February 2011, City Council received requested information on the fiscal impact and feasibility of adding Sunday meal delivery to the MOW program. During the FY 2013 budget process, Council approved an allocation of $39,983 to contingent reserves with the target of implementing Sunday deliveries in the fall of 2012. Placing the funds in contingent reserves was intended to: (1) allow for an assessment of current MOW recipients' needs for Sunday delivery; (2) complete a competitive process for selecting the Sunday MOW delivery provider; and (3) complete a competitive process for selecting the Sunday MOW food preparer.
DISCUSSION: The addition of Sunday delivery to the MOW program is congruent with the City Council Strategic Plan, Goal 7 Alexandria is a caring and inclusive community that values its rich diversity, history and culture, and promotes affordability; Objective - Provide a comprehensive and cohesive system of prevention, early intervention and treatment services to those Alexandrians most in need; Initiative - Increase opportunities for moderate- to low-income seniors and disabled adults to remain in affordable, local, community-based residential settings with necessary services support. In addition, Sunday delivery supports the Council-adopted Strategic Plan on Aging 2012-2016, where Goal 4 (Community Services), Objective 1 identifies the expansion of affordable in-home services to support seniors.
In August 2012, SSA and DCHS partnered to complete a needs determination for Sunday meal delivery. A telephone survey found that approximately 50 of the current 65 MOW recipients did need Meals on Wheels on Sundays.
DCHS staff is working with the Purchasing Division to complete long term and short term competitive processes for selecting the MOW delivery provider and food preparer. To address the long-term need for competition for the MOW program, Requests for Proposals (RFP) for the MOW delivery provider and a seven-day a week food preparer are expected to be published by the end of November 2012. To implement Sunday delivery before the RFP process is completed, staff extended SSA's MOW delivery provider sole source authorization and revised it to allow the provision of Sunday delivery. The vendor who will prepare the meals remains undetermined. The existing food preparer, The Hermitage, declined Sunday participation due to staffing constraints, so staff is in process of publishing an Informal Solicitation of Proposals (ISP) for a Sunday food preparer. It is expected that an offer will be made to a Sunday food preparer by the end of October 2012. Once contracts have been executed, City Council will be notified in a memorandum
FISCAL IMPACT: The current cost for Sunday meal delivery by SSA is $160.00 per Sunday. Assuming a start date of November 4, 2012, the cost for Sunday delivery services through the remainder of FY2013 would be $5,600. Based upon current costs for meal preparation, it is expected that the food vendor's costs for Sunday meals will not exceed the remaining $34,383 that Council approved in the FY2013 Contingent Reserve for this program. However, the program will not be implemented until the costs are ascertained through the ISP process.
STAFF:
Debra Collins, Deputy City Manager
Mike Gilmore, Director, Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS)
Suzanne Chis, Executive Deputy Director, DCHS
Carol Layer, Director, Center for Adult Services, DCHS
MaryAnn Griffin, Director, Division of Aging and Adult Services, DCHS
Debbie Ludington, Long Term Care Coordinator, Division of Aging and Adult Services, DCHS