HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 1996 0904 CC REG ITEM 07CTO:
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Background
I T L�_
CITY OF MOORPARK
CITY COUNCIL REPORT
The Honorable City Council
Mary K. Lindley, Assistant to the City Manager
August 14, 1996 (CC Meeting of September 4)
Consider Facility Use Request From the American Red Cross
The City Council is being asked to consider a request by the Ventura Chapter of the American
Red Cross for facility space to conduct monthly meetings and three training sessions for its
Moorpark Disaster Action Team (DAT) at no cost.
Moorpark DAT is a trained group of Moorpark residents who volunteer for American Red Cross
to respond to disaster situations by providing food, clothing, and shelter to displaced victims. The
types of events DAT volunteers respond to include major disasters such as earthquakes, floods
and house fires that result in residents being displaced.
For the most part, the disaster assistance provided by the American Red Cross does not overlap
with the assistance provided by the City. The City's disaster response plan indicates that the City
will rely on assistance from the American Red Cross to provide food, clothing, and shelter.
Therefore, City employees and volunteers (Moorpark DART) do not receive training in shelter
and care types of assistance. If the Red Cross was not available, the City would find itself in the
position of having to provide shelter and care services following disaster events. From staff s
perspective, this makes the American Red Cross request different from the requests to waive fees
for facility use made by other community groups. Having trained Red Cross volunteers in
Moorpark directly benefits the City and its residents.
The American Red Cross is requesting space for Moorpark DAT's monthly meetings which are
proposed to be held on the first Tuesday of each month between 7 and 9 p.m. It is anticipated that
approximately 15 to 20 residents would participate in these meetings. Provided that space is
available, the City would not incur any cost to accommodate this request; i.e., staff overtime, etc.
In addition, the Red Cross has also requested space to conduct three training sessions for 15 to 25
(this is an approximate number since the Red Cross is in the middle of recruiting new volunteers).
These training sessions would be conducted between 6 and 10 p.m. To accommodate this request
without incurring any additional cost, staff proposes that the training sessions be held at the
Arroyo Vista Recreation Center since it is staffed until 10 p.m. each weekday evening.
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American Red Cross Facility Request
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The American Red Cross has indicated to City staff that it does not have funds to pay facility
rental fees, not even for a minimal stipend. Therefore, its request includes that facility space be
provided at no cost. The City Council formally approved a similar request from the American
Red Cross for facility space for monthly meetings on June 5, 1991 and for space to conduct
training sessions on August 1, 1990.
The Resolution 94 -1067 which establishes the City's facility fee schedule and rental regulations
state that "Any request for a modification of fees and charges shall automatically be referred to
the City Council for consideration. The decision of the City Council shall be final. Only request
of nonprofit organizations will be considered." Based on the rental fee schedule, the cost to Red
Cross would be between $25 and $50 dollars per month (excluding the $300 deposit) for their
monthly meetings (average one to two hours per month) at the Community Center. For the three
training dates, the costs would approximately $318 ($100 for room rental per date), excluding the
$300 deposit, for four hours. The Red Cross will take responsibility for room set -up whenever
possible.
If the City Council takes action to waive the rental fee pursuant to the request from the American
Red Cross, staff recommends that the waiver be extended through the end of the fiscal year (June
30) at which time the Council could consider a new request if the Red Cross wishes to continue to
use a City facility. Based on the proposed recommendation, the rental fee waiver the City
Council is being asked to consider is approximately $225 for monthly meetings and $318 for
training dates ($543 in lost rental fee revenue). Additionally, the City should retain the ability to
either move the Red Cross to another room or cancel room use if a conflict arises.
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the American Red Cross' request to use a City
facility for its monthly meetings and for three training sessions and waive the facility rental fees
for the remainder of FY 1996/97 as outlined in this staff report, provided the City does not incur
any additional expense.
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