St. Charles County, MO Community Assistance Board

There is hereby created the Community Assistance Board of St. Charles County, which Board shall be the successor board to the St. Charles County Homeless Board. All of the powers and duties of the St. Charles County Homeless Board are transferred to the Community Assistance Board.

Section 120.370 Fees On Recorded Instruments.

[Ord. No. 96-170 §3, 12-30-1996]

As approved by the voters in the November 5, 1991, election and ordered by the County Commission upon the results of the election, it is hereby ordained that a user fee of three dollars ($3.00) shall be charged and collected on all instruments recorded with the Recorder of Deeds, over and above any other fees required by law, as a condition precedent to the recording of any instrument.

Section 120.380 Purpose.

[Ord. No. 96-170 §4, 12-30-1996]

The Community Assistance Board is created for the purpose of administering the allocation and distribution to not-for-profit agencies funds for homeless assistance programs from the user fees collected in Section 120.370, and funds for assistance to the indigent from the "County Indigent Fund".

Section 120.390 Membership and Qualifications.

[Ord. No. 96-170 §§5—8, 12-30-1996; Ord. No. 00-087 §1, 7-26-2000; Ord. No. 12-035 §1, 5-3-2012]

There shall be nine (9) members of the Community Assistance Board, to be appointed by the County Executive with the approval of the County Council. The Community Assistance Board shall meet at least quarterly.

Membership on the Community Assistance Board shall be limited to registered voters who have resided in St. Charles County for a period of not less than one (1) year.

No member of the Community Assistance Board shall be an employee, board member or volunteer of an agency receiving assistance from the funds administered or recommended by the Community Assistance Board. Nothing in this Article shall be interpreted to disable persons formerly served by agencies from serving on the Community Assistance Board. Volunteers serving an agency or agencies receiving money from the Community Assistance Board twelve (12) hours a year or less shall be exempt from this Section.

Currently sitting members of the Homeless Board shall be grandfathered as members of the Community Assistance Board for their current term, notwithstanding that they may not meet criteria as set out in Subsection (C) of this Section. Appointments to the Community Assistance Board, at the expiration of the terms of currently sitting Board members, shall be made for three (3) year terms; such that three (3) members shall be appointed for a three (3) year term beginning February 14, 1997; three (3) members shall be appointed for a three (3) year term beginning February 14, 1998; and three (3) members shall be appointed for a three (3) year term beginning February 14, 1999. From and after February 13, 2013, future appointments of Community Assistance Board members shall be for three (3) year terms ending on June thirtieth (30th). Appointments as a result of a Board member's death, resignation or forfeiture shall be made for the remainder of the three (3) year term of that member.

Section 120.400 Compensation.

[Ord. No. 96-170 §6, 12-30-1996]

The members of the Community Assistance Board may be reimbursed for their reasonable and necessary expenses from the special fund created by the user fees in Section 120.370 of this Article, and such reimbursement shall be limited to monies, actually and necessarily expended in their performance of their duties, but such reimbursement shall not exceed more than two and one-half percent (2½%) of the fees collected pursuant to Section 120.370 of this Article.

Section 120.410 Qualifications For Funds Distributed By This Board.

[Ord. No. 96-170 §10, 12-30-1996; Ord. No. 03-100 §1, 7-30-2003; Ord. No. 08-078 §2, 7-2-2008]

To qualify for funds allocated and distributed by the Community Assistance Board pursuant to this Article, an agency shall meet all of the following requirements, provided that agencies applying for funds from the "County Indigent Fund" shall not be required to comply with Subsection (3) of this Section.

Be incorporated or authorized to do business in the State as a public benefit corporation pursuant to Chapter 355, RSMo., or recognized by the United States Internal Revenue Service as an entity exempt from Federal tax pursuant to Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code, except that agencies applying for homeless assistance funds provided through this County pursuant to Section 67.1062, RSMo., et seq. shall at least be a public benefit corporation pursuant to Chapter 355, RSMo.;

Have trustees or board members who represent the racial, ethnic and socio-economic diversity of the community to be served;

Have at least one (1) trustee or board member who possesses experience in confronting or mitigating the problems of the homeless;

Receive at least twenty-five percent (25%) of its funds from sources other than funds distributed pursuant to this Article. These other sources may be public or private, but no more than half (½) of these other sources may include contributions of goods or services, including materials, commodities, transportation, office space or other types of facilities or personal services;

Require persons employed by or volunteering services to the agency to maintain the confidentiality of any information that would identify individuals served by the agency;

Require that services be provided by the agency regardless of race, religion, national origin, sex, gender or age; and

Require that employees and volunteers of the agency who work regularly with children as set out in Section 104.010 be screened as required in that Section.

Effective with the funds to be allocated and distributed in Fiscal Year 2009, require each agency receiving CAB funds collect documentation that any person served by that agency with such CAB funds is a citizen or legally within the United States as a qualified alien or otherwise eligible pursuant to 8 USCA Section 1621. The agency receiving such funds shall maintain documentation on each recipient for three (3) years after such services were delivered. Such information shall be made available to Federal, State or local government agencies entitled to view such information.

Section 120.420 Agencies Which May Apply For Funds.

[Ord. No. 96-170 §11, 12-30-1996; Ord. No. 97-20 §1, 2-26-1997; Ord. No. 03-100 §§2—3, 7-30-2003]

Any agency meeting the requirements set out in Section 120.410 above may apply to the Community Assistance Board for funds, and may use such funds to provide homeless assistance programs or programs providing services to the indigent. All applications must be submitted by December thirty-first (31st) of the year prior to the calendar year during which funding is sought. All applications shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

A list of the trustees or board members required by Section 120.410;

The proposed budget of the agency for the following calendar year, or other period for which funding is sought;

A summary of the services proposed to be offered in the following calendar year, or other period for which funding is sought;

An estimate of the number of persons to be served during the following calendar year as a result of the funds received pursuant to this Article, or other period for which funding is sought;

Any other information deemed relevant to the application by the Community Assistance Board;

A detailed report of programs and services provided in a format designated by the Community Assistance Board. The Board shall, at a minimum, require that dollars allocated from the user fee for the homeless be reported and accounted for separately from allocations from the "County Indigent Fund".

Section 120.430 Notification.

[Ord. No. 96-170 §12, 12-30-1996; Ord. No. 97-20 §2, 2-26-1997]

After review of the applications for funds from agencies that meet the criteria set out above, the Community Assistance Board shall notify agencies in writing whether they are eligible to receive funds, and if the agency is eligible, specify the fund from which the agency is eligible to receive funds (User fees or "County Indigent Fund").

Section 120.440 Community Assistance Plan.

[Ord. No. 96-170 §13, 12-30-1996; Ord. No. 08-078 §1, 7-2-2008]

The Community Assistance Board shall develop a community assistance plan to address the needs of indigent residents of St. Charles County. The initial plan shall address a five (5) year period and shall be developed by September 1, 1997. The plan shall be reviewed yearly and the Community Assistance Board shall provide addendums, amendments and a progress report each November. Priority shall be given in the allocation and distribution of funds from the "County Indigent Fund" to agencies which recognize and plan to meet the goals, priorities, established needs and objectives of the Community Assistance Board as outlined in the community assistance plan. Upon completion of the initial community assistance plan in September of 1997, the Community Assistance Board shall issue Requests for Proposal for future financial assistance awards consistent with its community assistance plan.

Section 120.450 Allocation of Funds.

[Ord. No. 96-170 §14, 12-30-1996; Ord. No. 97-20 §3, 2-26-1997]

Funds from the user fees established in Section 120.370 of this Article shall be allocated to:

Agencies offering or proposing to offer the broadest range of housing-related services to persons in the community served, including:

Emergency short-term and long-term shelter for the homeless;

Prevention of residential foreclosures and evictions;

Coordination of existing community services; and

Projects to encourage self-sufficiency of participants and facilitate transition from dependency on subsidized housing.

Other agencies offering or proposing to offer services specifically to homeless persons.

Section 120.460 Approval Required Before Distribution.

[Ord. No. 96-170 §15, 12-30-1996; Ord. No. 97-20 §4, 2-26-1997]

All funds distributed by the Community Assistance Board shall be distributed only after the approval of the Board's recommendations by the County Council upon the consent agenda and upon the signing of a contract by the agency to whom funds will be distributed. The contract between the agencies and the County shall be approved in form by ordinance.

Section 120.470 Service Report Required By Agency.

[Ord. No. 96-170 §16, 12-30-1996; Ord. No. 97-20 §5, 2-26-1997; Ord. No. 97-148 §§1—2, 10-1-1997; Ord. No. 99-62 §1, 5-26-1999; Ord. No. 05-096 §1, 6-27-2005]

An agency that receives funds pursuant to this Article shall file a service report with the Community Assistance Board on or before the 15th day of April of any year in which the agency has an existing service contract with the County. This service report shall include information detailing the services provided by the agency and statistics on the number of persons served by the agency as a result of the funds received pursuant to this Article for that existing contract, along with any other information requested by the Board. In the event that the existing contract mentioned above is only partially completed by the 15th of April or is still in force on that date, the April 15th report shall include the data mentioned above through the month of February, and the agency shall furnish no later than forty-five (45) days after the completion of the contract work or year a supplemental service report detailing services provided for the entire contract year. The service report shall include a financial statement accompanied as provided below by an audit, review, or compilation prepared by an independent certified public accounting firm for the previous closed financial year of the applicant agency. No information contained in the reports shall identify any person served by the agency or enable any person to determine the identity of any such person.

[Ord. No. 14-059 § 1, 6-30-2014; Ord. No. 20-026, 3-20-2020[1]]

An agency's service report shall be accompanied by an audit if the agency's total revenue during that year exceeded three million dollars ($3,000,000.00).

An agency's service report shall be accompanied by at least a review if the agency's total revenue during the previous closed financial year exceeded two million dollars ($2,000,000.00) but did not exceed three million dollars ($3,000,000.00).

An agency's service report shall be accompanied by at least a compilation if the agency's total revenue during the previous closed financial year was two million dollars ($2,000,000.00) or less.

[1]

Editor's Note: Ord. No. 20-026 states: All references to "April 15" in Section 120.470(A), OSCCMo., shall hereby be replaced with the new date of "August 14," for the limited purpose of administering program funds for year 2020.

An agency which misses the April fifteenth (15th) deadline for submission of its service report thereby renders itself ineligible for the upcoming funding cycle and no funding shall be voted by the Community Assistance Board during that funding cycle for that agency. However, if the agency shows good cause why the agency cannot submit the audited financial statement, the Community Assistance Board may make an award contingent upon the submission of the audit; the funds may be allocated but shall not be disbursed until the audited financial statement is submitted to and approved by the Community Assistance Board.

Such ineligibility for funds due to failure to submit a service report shall not be permanent, but in order to be eligible in future funding cycles, the agency shall:

Have sat out at least one (1) twelve (12) month funding cycle for the Community Assistance Board; and

Shall have filed with the Community Assistance Board the missing report.

Any funds received by an agency in excess of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) which are unexpended at the end of a contract year shall be returned to St. Charles County Government. Remaining funds of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or less shall be expended in the following contract year for the same services outlined in the agency's original application. Any agency which still has funds received from the County remaining at the end of a contract year which does not receive a renewal of its contract with the County shall return those unexpended funds to the County Treasury.

Section 120.480 Solicitation of Donations.

[Ord. No. 96-170 §17, 12-30-1996; Ord. No. 13-040 §1, 5-31-2013]

The Community Assistance Board shall have the authority to solicit donations and contributions from the community, which funds shall be appropriated in the same manner as those from the "County Indigent Fund".

The County may develop and implement a program, in 2014 and later years, to provide for the donation of funds to the County's Community Assistance Fund by voluntary contribution at the time of payment of personal property and/or real estate tax. Said program, which may be called "Project CARE" ("Community Assistance Relief Effort"), shall provide for the option to select a contribution amount of one dollar ($1.00), five dollars ($5.00) or ten dollars ($10.00), and shall include a statement on any solicitation of whether such contributions are tax deductible. The County Collector shall remit the proceeds of such donations to the County for deposit in the Community Assistance Fund. Said funds shall be administered in the same manner as funds in the "County Indigent Fund". Should a taxpayer attempt to donate funds through such program without making payment in full of all outstanding personal property or real estate tax, the funds remitted for donation shall be first applied to the satisfaction of any outstanding tax liability of said taxpayer, in the manner required for payment of back taxes by Section 140.110, RSMo., with any excess of those remitted funds being applied to a CARE donation.