CITY OF

IS SA

UAH

WASHINGTON

Mayor's Office
130 E. Sunset Way I P.O, Box 1307
lssaquah, WA 98027
(425) 837-3020
issaquahwa.gov

July 30, 2015

lssaquah Senior Center Board of Directors
75 NE Creek Way
lssaquah, WA 98027
Dear Directors:

t5,20L5, you requested that I provide you a guarantee of the current (or
an increased level) of City grant support for the next five years. I am unable to
provide you that guarantee. I do intend, however, to include 599,000 for the
lssaquah Senior Center, with conditions, in the 2016 proposed budget. This is the
On July

same level of funding provided in 2015.

A five-year guarantee of funding is not possible because:

L. Grants are awarded annuallv. Grants

are applied for, and awarded, on an

annual basis. The Mayor drafts the budget each year, and submits that
budget to the City Council for consideration.
2. The Citv Council has the responsibil itv toa otlroD riate fun ds. The Council
has the legal authority to approve the budget, and the members may
choose to fund or not fund any elements of the budget. The Mayor cannot
override the City Council's legal budget authority.
3. Fiscaltimes and conditions chanee. During the recent recession, the City
took various actions to reduce costs, including cuts to programs that
received City funding in the past. The City, however, never reduced funding
for the lssaquah Senior Center during these difficult fiscal times, and even
increased grant funding for human services programs (some of which also
provide senior services). That said, the City cannot guarantee future
funding to any organization.

As I indicated earlier, I plan to fund the lssaquah Senior Center in 2016, subject to
City Council appropriation. However, there are requirements and conditions that
the lssaquah Senior Center must meet in order to receive this funding.

Here are the requirements:

1. The lssaquah Senior Center must submit a proposal using the City's Request
for Proposal (RFP) granting process. The request for proposals will be

2.

released by Friday, July 31, 2015. Completed applications are due to the
City by August 20,2015. Failure to submit a RFP disqualifies your
orga nization for fu nd i ng.
Compliance with the terms and conditions of your current annual contract
for funding.

Given the ongoing concerns that have developed with the lssaquah Senior Center,
if the above requirements are met, I anticipate placing (at a minimum) the
following conditions on the City's funding in 2016:

L. The

two terms covering January L - June 30

20L6, and July L - December 3L, 2016. The second term may or may not be
renewed based upon the performance of the lssaquah Senior Center in the
first term.
2. The City shall engage a third-party consultant of its choosing to conduct a
performance, fiscal, and management audit of the lssaquah Senior Center.
The City shall be responsible for the management and affiliated costs of this
contract. This audit will begin in January 201.6, with a completed report
and recommendations due by April t,2016. The lssaquah Senior Center
management and the Board are expected to be cooperative with the City
and its consultant while the audit is conducted. Failure to cooperate, in the
sole discretion of the City, shall be deemed a breach of the contract. The
contract may then be terminated by the City with a 30-day notice to the
lssaquah Senior Center. This report will be submitted to the City and
shared with the lssaquah Senior Center. The Senior Center Board will also
be expected to provide a plan to the Mayor for the implementation of the
report's recommendations by June 1,201,6. Refusing to implement the
recommendations, or providing an unrealistic timeframe for implementing
201.6 contract shall be split into

3.

4.

5.

6.
7.

these recommendations, shall be cause to not renew the second term of

funding.
Meet certain performance metrics and reporting requirements, which the
City is currently developing. These will be incorporated into the 2016
contract.
Provide an ex-officio City representative that is appointed by the Mayor to
serve on the lssaquah Senior Center Board of Directors. This position will
have all the rights and privileges (except voting) accorded to other Board of
Director members.
Hold an annual membership meeting that is well publicized and enables
and encourages participation by the membership.
Ensure the contract defines allowable and non-allowable uses of the Cty's
annual grant funds.
Compliance with all of the leases and other agreements that the City has
with the lssaquah Senior Center.

As mentioned earlier, the grant applications will be distributed on July 31. lf the
lssaquah Senior Center decides to submit a request for funding, the City will issue
a notice to the lssaquah Senior Center of the conditions - including but not
limited to - those stipulated above. A signed agreement with the lssaquah Senior
Center Board agreeing to these conditions will then be required before I submit
my 20L6 proposed budget to the City Council. lf the lssaquah Senior Center
determines that it does not want to agree, or comply with these conditions, then I
will not recommended funding the lssaquah Senior Center in my 2016 proposed

budget.
ln addition, please publically post this letter on the Senior Center board, as my
office has received calls from several individuals who have heard incorrect
information that the City was closing the Senior Center, cancelling the current
contract, or not funding the Senior Center in 20L6. I hope this letter helps clarify
the situation for your membership.
Respectfully,

re

Mayor

ler

Cc: lssaquah City Council

Robert Harrison, City Administrator
lssaquah Human Services Commission
David Fujimoto, Office of Sustainability Director
Martha Sassorossi, Human Services Coordinator