Item 9-C
Council Meeting: 6/17/97 Santa Monica, CA
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Recommendation to Receive Public Comment and Hold
Discussion in Preparation for Council Action on June
24, 1997 Regarding City Support of the Neighborhood
Support Center and Neighborhood Association Model
INTRODUCTION
This report transmits the May 1997 staff evaluation of the City-funded Neighborhood Support Center (NSC) and neighborhood
association model, provides a summary of the evaluation process,
details the consequent recommendations for FY 1997-98 and
examines the changing nature of community participation and the
City's role in this effort. The report recommends that the City
Council receive public input and hold a discussion on the
recommendations in the attached report prior to adoption of the
CD Plan budget on June 24, 1997.
BACKGROUND
In June 1996, the City Council requested an evaluation of the
Neighborhood Support Center and neighborhood association model to
determine its effectiveness in meeting the City's goal of
ensuring broad-based community participation and involvement in
City decision-making. The evaluation methodology was based on
two Council-approved documents: (1) the 1987 report that
established the NSC model of support to neighborhood associations
and outlined goals for the model, roles and responsibilities of
the NSC and organizational criteria for those participating
associations; and (2) the 1992 "Mid-Point Review" that assessed
the effectiveness of the model after four years of operation and
presented revised organizational criteria based on that review.
Through interviews, surveys, attendance at meetings and events
and a thorough review of written records and documents, City
staff assessed the extent to which current NSC and association
activities met the Council-approved guidelines and criteria in
these documents. The attached report further details evaluation
methodology and transmits the findings and recommendations
resulting from this six-month long evaluation.
Based on this report, proposed FY 1997-98 budget recommendations
were developed for Council review. These include:
Phased out funding to the Neighborhood Support Center after
a three-month period.
Fund a one-year pilot project, for currently-supported
neighborhood associations providing vendor resources such as
printing, voice mail, mailing and general office supplies.
The level of support would depend upon the associations'
meeting specified criteria (Attachment I) to be approved by
the Council and monitored by City staff. (Annual support
total $60,443).
Proceed with previously planned efforts to enhance the
City's ongoing community outreach and communications effort,
periodically evaluating its overall goals and structure
through forums and feedback to ensure mechanisms that
address current needs.
DISCUSSION
The Changing Nature of Community Participation. The evaluation
found that while some Santa Monica residents continue their long
standing involvement in civic decision-making, decreasing
neighborhood association general membership, difficulties in
attracting new leaders, and problems in sustaining the
involvement of residents over time are key issues faced by
neighborhoods. The survey of models for community involvement in
other cities showed that there is no single successful strategy
that could be adapted in Santa Monica. Today's typical Santa
Monica neighborhood association differs little from advocacy
groups or neighborhood associations in other communities,
regardless of the support or encouragement of the governments
involved. A relatively small core group of dedicated volunteer
leaders tends to sustain the organization infrastructure. The
leadership "core" is challenged to create an environment that
encourages expanded involvement by others. In Santa Monica, as
elsewhere, typical methods include the dissemination of periodic
newsletters, direct mail flyers and updates on specific issues,
the use of committees in areas of special interest, and annual
meetings of the general membership. Building positive leadership
within the group to ensure that there is continuity and capacity
is an elusive goal.
While typical of many organizations with similar goals, the
current performance of Santa Monica's neighborhood associations
departs from the expectations established for the City's model of
support. Through the use of a centralized support organization
(the Neighborhood Support Center), this model envisioned a higher
level of sustained involvement by a larger number of
neighborhood residents. The association's board of directors was
expected to provide leadership and implement the activities
identified as important by the general membership. Larger
numbers of residents were expected to be involved in ongoing
block clubs and committees to develop positions, set projects and
make decisions for the board to carry out. As noted in the
attached evaluation, this broader level of sustained involvement
has not been achieved. There has been an overall 19% decrease in
association membership since 1991, a decrease in systematic
communication with neighborhood residents through newsletters and
a low level of activity through block clubs or committees.
Decisions, at the annual meetings and throughout the year, are
made by a relatively small group of residents in spite of
outreach efforts by the associations and the NSC.
This decrease in sustained involvement in neighborhood
associations by community members appears to be due to a
combination of factors:
changing and busy lifestyles which lead to "issue-specific"
as opposed to ongoing involvement by residents;
choosing other areas of focus for one's activism including
other local issues (e.g. the schools) or areas of regional
impact (e.g. the environment);
a relatively high level of satisfaction with Santa Monica's
quality of life;
reluctance to get involved in civic issues due to
perceptions that government is too complicated or
unresponsive;
perceptions that neighborhood associations do not invite
disparate points of views and are not democratically
governed.
The City's Role. The nature of the Santa Monica community and
the changing lifestyles of its residents necessitates a
reexamination of the way in which the City and neighborhood
associations go about the business of informing and involving its
residents. While the 1970's and 80's saw larger numbers of Santa
Monica neighbors sustaining their involvement in neighborhood-based groups, the 1990's challenges the relevancy and
effectiveness of advocacy models structured for a high level of
sustained activism. This presents a major challenge for the
City, in determining the best ways to support residents and their
neighborhoods.
The budget for the coming year is based on a combination of
involvement strategies that were developed with this challenge in
mind. It proposes phasing out of a model of support that was
relevant for the time in which it was created but is no longer
effective in responding to changing needs; it proposes a
"transitional year" for neighborhood associations that provides a
basic level of support to sustain neighborhood-based and
volunteer-directed activities yet also requires accountability
to the neighborhood and the City; and it is complemented by
parallel efforts on the part of the City to better inform
residents as well as continuation of technical assistance from
City staff.
The task ahead is to shape the City's direct role in promoting
resident and neighborhood involvement in civic affairs. A
responsive departmental structure that recognizes current
communication preferences and involvement strategies is
essential. An assessment of the continuing effectiveness of
traditional outreach approaches and development of a broader menu
of strategies for informing, involving and building leadership in
the community will form the basis of this effort. Reliance on one
predominant method of involvement may well evolve into creating
many convenient methods for participation. The coming year will
mark a transition from reliance on a singular approach to a more
flexible, comprehensive and coordinated effort for resident and
neighborhood involvement.
BUDGET AND FINANCIAL IMPACT
The staff recommendation for FY 1997-98 includes $63,668 for
three-months transitional support for the Neighborhood Support
Center and $60,443 for a pilot project that would support
qualifying neighborhood associations. These are included in the
Proposed Community Development (CD) Plan and the Proposed City
Budget. No additional appropriations are needed.
RECOMMENDATION
City staff recommends that the City Council receive public input
and hold a discussion on the recommendations contained in this
and the attached report in preparation for Council action on June
24, 1997 when the Council will adopt the FY 1997-98 CD Plan and
City Budget.
Prepared by: Barbara Stinchfield, Acting Director
Julie Rusk, Human Services Manager
Betty Macias, Senior Administrative
Analyst
Department of Community and Cultural
Services
Attachments (available in the City of Santa Monica City Clerk's
Office or at any of the Santa Monica Public Libraries:
I -Proposed Criteria for Neighborhood Association Support
(Revised)
II - Overview of Other City Models
Evaluation of the Neighborhood Support Center (NSC) and
Neighborhood Association Model