Agenda Item Wording:
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Renewal authorization for the Environmental Clean-Up Opportunities Transitional Jobs Program - Authorization for the City Manager to approve a 3-year agreement with the Workforce Investment Board of Tulare County to continue the Environmental Clean-Up Opportunities Transitional Jobs Program through Fiscal Year 2027/2028 in the amount of $765,960.00 from the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund.
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Deadline for Action: 5/19/2025
Submitting Department: Public Works
Contact Name and Phone Number: Jason Serpa, Public Works Manager, jason.serpa@visalia.city, 713-4533; Nick Bartsch, Public Work Director, nick.bartsch@visalia.city, 713-4052
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that City Council authorize the City Manager to execute a 3-year agreement with the Workforce Investment Board of Tulare County (WIB) to continue a Transitional Jobs Program benefiting the community through more clean-up and recycling, and aiding Visalia’s homeless population by bridging job training opportunities. The total amount of the contract is $765,960.00, funded by the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund (441), to pay the City’s share of the Environmental Clean-up Opportunities (ECO) program costs.
Background Discussion:
In 2017, the City of Visalia and the Workforce Investment Board of Tulare County (WIB) established a program that would allow members of Visalia's homeless and low-income population to acquire the work skills necessary to obtain gainful employment while simultaneously addressing a community need, cleaning up illegally dumped material and recycling appropriate materials. Program participants are vetted and referred to the program by community partners, such as the Rescue Mission.
Upon entry in to the program, participants spend up to three months working as part of a Community Services and Employment Training, Inc. (CSET) work crew, and are guided by a crew supervisor who helps prepare the participants for their transition to regular employment. Work assignments focus on picking up trash or illegally dumped material in the City right-of-way and other public areas. During this time, participants learn basic job skills such as arriving to work on time, working with others, accepting, and executing instructions, etc.
After successful completion of the initial Level I work-skills training portion of the program,
participants begin working alongside City employees in the solid waste division as a CSET level II participant under general Solid Waste Department supervision. In the public works yard, they learn to work with less direct supervision and more accountability. Work includes assembling residential trash cans, helping with deliveries, and other related duties. After acquiring skills and experience, the goal is for the participant to obtain outside employment. Since the start of the program, the City has hired 11 level II participants as hourly employees in to regular city positions. Of those 11, six have moved on to better opportunities, two participants obtained full-time employment in the City’s SWEEP program, one has obtained full-time status in the City’s Wastewater Operations, one has been hired as an hourly Water Inspector, and lastly, one other employee received full-time status as a solid waste driver.
Current Fiscal Year Outcomes
From July 2024 through March 2025, the ECO Program had the following results:
Homeless Individuals:
• Referred to ECO: 207
• Attended Orientation: 188
• Completed Job Readiness: 78
Level I Crew Members: (37)
• Hours Worked: 4,899.5
• Total Wages Earned: $96,584
• Avg Wage Earned: $2,610
Level II Crew Members: (18)
• Hours Worked: 2,028
• Total Wages Earned: $39,098
• Avg Wage Earned: $2,172
Level I ECO Material Count (Litter Abatement)
• Total pounds of trash and misc. debris removed: 107,268
• Average month pounds of trash/misc. removed: 11,919
Goal versus Actual number of participants
|
|
Goal |
Actual FY23/24 |
Actual FY24/25 (July - March) |
|
Level I |
40 |
33 |
43 |
|
Level II |
20 |
14 |
18 |
|
Employment |
24 |
5 |
19 |
In comparison to the previous year at this time, the total average wage paid to a level 1 and level 2 participant increased by $500. The amount of litter picked up decreased significantly from 194,850 lbs. to 107,268 lbs. This appears to be more about the type of trash that the team focused on this year; there was more attention to debris and less on large scale clean ups.
ECO participants also continue to obtain employment at a high rate as compared to the goals of the program and the previous year. The goal of 24 placements has almost been met with 19 placements completed in FY24/25 with three months to go. It is important to note that these placements are based only on the participants that complete the orientation and job readiness. Out of the 207 total individuals that were referred to the program, there are some that obtain employment before attending orientation and job readiness, realizing success before beginning the program, but not counted in the actual placement numbers reported above. The opportunity to be part of the program is a good incentive to get people involved with the WIB and actively looking for employment, which can be achieved for some without entering the ECO program.
The City is receiving Level II participants at a regular rate and is seeing a benefit for the Solid Waste Department. Even though the primary goal is the success of the participants, it becomes a win-win situation if the City of Visalia is able to fill hourly vacancies with these participants while they are on their success path. In addition to being a resource for level 2 hourly workers, the level 1 crew managed by CSET has always been willing to help City staff if a cleanup is needed and staff is short or unavailable. For example, the ECO crew was able to assist in the Goshen Avenue cleanup along the golf course and the recent St John’s River Island cleanup. In addition, the Level 1 crew is almost always available for a cleanup or pickup of items if SWEEP cannot service a non right-of-way item, or if an item needs additional assistance right way.
Fiscal Impact:
Funding for this program is partially offset from the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund (441) Bottle Bill Revenues (Approximately $36,500) and savings from the four Solid Waste hourly positions that are held vacant since the work is performed through the ECO program. In addition, the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund realizes savings from the illegal dumping that is picked up throughout the City. Not only does this bring down the total tonnage cost of pickups, but it also decreases the number of times the City utilizes the new SWEEP program for illegal dumping and increases the City’s recycling rates.
On June 3rd, 2024, during the previous year’s reauthorization, Council expressed the interest in pursuing a more permanent ECO Program. With this in mind, the City and Workforce Investment Board staff are proposing a 3-year contract. These details are below.
The City of Visalia’s portion of the program is $765,960.00 over three years and is disbursed based on actual cost. The budget increase for FY 25/26 is $4,500 more than the current year and primarily pays for operational costs of the program including vehicles, supplies, the crew supervisor, and program coordinator. In the subsequent years of FY26/27 and FY27/28, the increases are budgeted as $6,000 and $5,460, respectively. In FY26/27, the increase is largely due to participant wage and fringe increase from $16.50 per hour to $17.00 per hour. In FY27/28, the budget increase is attributed to non-participant wage increases for the crew supervisor and administration. The total increase from the current year program will be $15,960 by the end of the proposed 3-year contract. If the actual costs come in less, the remainder goes back to the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund.
The proposed budget is as follows:
Project Costs FY25/26 FY26/27 FY27/28
City of Visalia $249,500 $255,500 $260,960
Workforce Investment Board $249,500 $256,500 $260,960
Total Cost $499,000 $512,000 $521,920
Generally, as in the past, the City and the Workforce Investment Board have split the costs on a 50/50 basis. The proposed 3-year budget is tailored the same way with the exception of FY26/27 above, where the WIB participant wage is $1,000 higher therefore increasing the WIB’s portion by that amount for that year.
Prior Council Action:
March 6, 2017 - Initial Program authorization
June 18, 2018 - Program reauthorization for FY 18/19
June 3, 2019 - Program reauthorization for FY 19/20
June 5, 2020 - Program reauthorization for FY 20/21
June 7, 2021 - Program reauthorization for FY 21/22
June 20,2022 - Program reauthorization for FY 22/23
May 15, 2023 - Program reauthorization for FY 23/24
June 3, 2024 - Program reauthorization for FY 24/25
Other: N/A
Alternatives: Alternative #1: Approve authorization for a one (1) year program renewal as has been executed in the past. The cost for a one-year budget would be equal to the FY25/26 budget presented in the above narrative of the staff report.
Alternative #2: Decline reauthorization and discontinue program. This alternative is not recommended as the program provides tangible benefit to the City at a reasonable cost.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to authorize the City Manager to execute a 3-year agreement with the Workforce Investment Board of Tulare County to continue a Transitional Jobs Program (ECO) in the amount of $765,960 to be paid for out of the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund (441).
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Environmental Assessment Status: N/A
CEQA Review: N/A
Attachments: Fiscal Year 2025/2026 - Fiscal Year 2027/2028 Draft MOU