Agenda

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City Council Regular Meeting

Meeting Date:

11/10/2020

BACKGROUND

The Schertz Area Senior Center has been operated by the YMCA of Greater San Antonio since 2015, with the original contract period expiring in 2020. Over the last five years, the center has grown in popularity with membership growing from 399 members in 2015 to 1,756 in 2019. Programs have also increased from about 20 per month to 488 per month in 2019. Because of the growth in membership, city staff decided to go through the Request for Proposals (RFP) process to re-evaluate the operations and restructure the agreement going forward.
The membership fees paid by senior members will now be collected by the City of Schertz and a monthly fee will be paid to the operator. After the required public posting periods for the RFP, city staff evaluated the proposals. The YMCA of Greater San Antonio was the sole respondent with a proposed monthly fee of $13,353.00 ($160,236.00 annually), with an annual increase afforded to the contractor of no more than 3% of the contract price per year. After reviewing the proposal and verifying program requirements were included, city staff recommended awarding the management contract to the YMCA.
The contract is for a period of 5 yeas and allows for an additional 5 extensions each of one year (so up to 10 years. The City can terminate the agreement at will with 5 days notice.

GOAL

The goal is to award a contract to continue operations of the Schertz Area Senior Center and maintain the success of the center. Programs regarding fitness, health, wellness, nutrition, life enrichment, peer discussion, and support groups were all required components of the successful operations plan.

COMMUNITY BENEFIT

The Schertz Area Senior Center provides a safe place for seniors to interact, receive a nutritious meal, and participate in recreational programming that enhances their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The city provides this service to this vulnerable population because it reflects our core values of "Do the Right Thing" and "Treat Others the Way you Want to be Treated." The YMCA of Greater San Antonio has a mission focusing on healthy living, youth development, and social responsibility which aligns well with the goals of the Schertz Area Senior Center.
Staff plans to bring a workshop discussio to City Council to discuss the issue or resident and nonresident fees. Given the change in terms of the agreement, with the City keeping all membership fees, the City is able to make that decision without impacting operations of the Senior Center.

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDED ACTION

Approval of Resolution 20-R-109.

FISCAL IMPACT

The proposed management fee represents a 10% increase from the previous contracted price. The budget for the Senior Center operations comes out of Department 901: City Assistance, and there is currently $260,000 in the budget. Originally, $146,000 was allocated for the operations contract and $114,000 was allocated for the Senior Nutrition Program. We saw a slight decrease in the growth trajectory of number of meals ordered and it remained steady in 2019 and early 2020, so the actual amount spent on meals is approximately $10,000 less per year (pre-COVID.) City staff also continue to submit reimbursement requests through AACOG from the federal Nutrition Program for Older Americans and the city is receiving 12-14% of the total cost of the meals per month in reimbursement. This federal reimbursement offsets the additional costs incurred with this management contract price increase. City staff will budget in the 3% percent annual increase allowed per the contract over the next 5 years.

RECOMMENDATION

Approval of Resolution 20-R-109.

Attachments
Senior Center Operations
Agreement