TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: David Morrison, Interim County Executive Officer
REPORT BY: Jennifer Palmer, Director of Housing & Homeless Services
SUBJECT: Authorize Auditor/Controller to pay claims for services
RECOMMENDATION
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Director of Housing & Homeless Services Department requests:
1. Authorization for the Auditor-Controller to pay eight invoices from Catholic Charities in the amount of $92,000.00 over one (1) year old; and
2. Approval of a Budget Adjustment increasing appropriations in Housing & Homeless Programs (Fund 2030, Subdivision 2030000) in the amount of $92,000 with offsetting increase from Transfer In from available fund balance in the Whole Person Care Special Revenue Fund (Fund 2460, Subdivision 2000850).
(4/5 vote required)
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Approval of the recommended action authorizes the Auditor-Controller to pay eight invoices in the amount of $92,000.00 to Catholic Charities for services provided under contract 190156B for medical respite care for individuals experiencing homelessness enrolled in County’s Whole Person Care Pilot program who were discharged from local hospitals to Napa Nightingale for extended recovery support.
These invoices affect special revenue Fund 2030, Org 2030000 and Fund 2460, Org 2000850.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
No |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Mandatory |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
None |
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County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: |
Healthy, Safe, and Welcoming Place to Live, Work, and Visit |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The Department of Housing & Homeless Services (DHHS) was established July 1, 2019. This new Department merged programs and staff from the Health and Human Service Agency’s (HHSA) Homeless Programs with the County Executive Office’s (CEO) Affordable Housing programs and the Napa County Housing Authority, into the Housing & Homeless Services Department (DHHS) within the CEO’s Office. It required hiring new staff and transferring fiscal responsibilities for Homeless Programs from HHSA to new staff in the new DHHS.
The process of transferring fiscal responsibilities was more complicated than initially expected, given the high volume of invoices processed for the Housing Authority Farmworker Center operations and the complexity of Housing & Homeless Programs contracts and invoices. Several months after the initial merge, the previous fiscal analyst from HHSA was re-assigned to support the DHHS to balance workloads and ensure grant and contract compliance while a better, long-term plan for managing the fiscal side of the DHHS was developed.
In the process of the initial transition and then a subsequent change/return to prior functions across the two fiscal analysts responsible for payment processing, contractor communication regarding outstanding invoices for open contracts was disjointed. Confirmation that all invoices under the contract for services had been submitted was undermined by new staff at Catholic Charities having sent several invoices to an incorrect, inaccessible email account used when Homeless Programs was under the Health & Human Services Agency. The result was contractor staff believed all outstanding invoices had been received and processed. Homeless Program staff have since confirmed all services were delivered as reported, and all related revenues for these services have now been claimed under the Whole Person Care Program. Today’s recommended action utilizes the existing claimed Whole Person Care funding to pay eight invoices for services properly provided and documented.
The corrective action plan to implement the controls/checks and balances necessary to ensure this issue is non-recurring include:
1. Addition of 2.0 FTE accounting assistants to DHHS to ensure adequate fiscal capacity;
2. Documented process for confirmation of proper accruals against all contracts prior to year-end;
3. Proactive communication with vendors to ensure delays in invoice submissions do not result in missed
payments during the proper fiscal year; and
4. Clear delineation of roles within the team with identification of responsibility between distinct team
members for payment/invoice processing versus monthly review for errors and gaps in budget versus
actual activity.
5. Termination of the inaccessible email account.
Board policy requires Board approval of claims submitted for payment more than one year after service is rendered.