Signed Contract_Ferguson Group Retainer AgreementTHE CITY OF
DLTB E
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
Dubuque
AIFAmeticaCigl
1
2007
SUBJECT: Retainer Agreement With Ferguson Group, LLC to Provide Federal
Government Affairs Consulting Services
DATE: July 29, 2009
On July 6, 2009, the City Council approved an allocation of $102,475 to provide some
flexibility and support as the City attempts to access Federal and State Stimulus funds.
Assistant City Manager Teri Goodmann determined that the City needed additional
assistance in Washington, D.C. communicating with federal agencies and refining grant
applications.
A six-month agreement for $6,000 per month has been executed with the Ferguson
Group. The City is very familiar with the Ferguson Group as they work with Climate
Communities, where the City has been an active partner. The agreement can be
terminated with five days notice by either party.
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
., TH E
FERGUSON
~ GROUP~~c
1130 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20036
202.331.8500
202,331.1598 fax
July 10, 2009
Teri Goodmann
Assistant City Manager
City of Dubuque
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001
Re: Retainer Agreement to Provide Federal Government Affairs Consulting
Services
Dear Ms. Goodmann:
The Ferguson Group (TFG) welcomes the opportunity to provide federal government affairs
consulting services for the City of Dubuque.
Scope of Services
Under a 6-month timeframe, TFG will provide the following strategic, consulting, and advocacy
services to assist Dubuque:
1. Build Citv Staff Capacity to Obtain Federal Resources
TFG will meet directly with senior Dubuque staff and provide assistance aimed toward
demonstrating how the City's transportation, infrastructure, community and economic
development, energy, and other initiatives can be supported through federal resource and policy
opportunities. The assistance will provide an overview of the recently signed economic recovery
legislation, the annual federal appropriations process and the transportation and water resource
development reauthorization processes. TFG will also provide Dubuque staff with information
on upcoming federal policy that could significantly affect local governments, including energy
and climate legislation and transportation policy.
2. Economic Recovery Legislation and Other Grant Opportunities
As you know, President Obama recently signed major economic recovery legislation, which will
put people back to work and address other basic needs such as upgrading infrastructure,
promoting the use of cleaner energy and revitalizing local communities. This legislation
includes $575 billion in new direct federal spending, including for transportation, water and
sewer, clean energy, and other infrastructure projects that will help create jobs in communities
across the country. The funding will be distributed through multiple federal agencies and federal
programs -some through direct formula funding, some through state agencies and some through
federal competitive grants.
TFG will work with Dubuque to develop and implement a strategy that maximizes the
opportunities for the City to receive the following federal stimulus and FY 2009 resources:
- TIGER Grants for Surface Transportation (DOT)
- Smart Grid Investment Grant Program (DOE)
- Smart Grid Demonstration Projects (DOE)
- Climate Showcase Communities Program (EPA)
Specifically, TFG will work with Dubuque to:
- Ident~ City Projects that Are Competitive for Stimulus Funding -TFG will work with
Dubuque to shape your priority projects to fit the eligibility and competitive factors for
targeted stimulus programs.
- Support Communications with Key Federal/State Officials -TFG will work with the
City to support the communications with federal agency officials (and, when necessary,
state officials who impact federal decisions) that are controlling the Recovery Act grant
programs to ensure the City's projects are shaped to be the most competitive, and that
these officials understand the value of your proposals.
- Support Grant Applications -TFG will suggest how Dubuque can best develop its grant
applications for stimulus funding, and review and provide suggestions on grants drafted
by Dubuque staff. TFG can also work with the City to obtain political, congressional,
and key stakeholder support for its grant applications.
- Prepare Dubuque for Washington, DC, Visits - We suggest that the City would benefit
from a visit to Washington in late July/August to promote its projects with key federal
agency and congressional officials. TFG will help arrange these meetings, prepare you
for those visits, and guide you through these meetings in order to optimize your
effectiveness.
3. Monitoring Other Federal Legislative Matters
TFG will monitor other legislative matters of interest to Dubuque and work with the City to
develop a strategy to advocate the City's interests on those matters. TFG will provide regular
updates to the City on the status of these legislative issues.
COMPENSATION
TFG proposes to charge the following fees for our professional services:
$6,000 per month for the period of July 2009 -December 31, 2009
2
' TFG will invoice Dubuque monthly for our services. Either party may terminate the agreement at
any time by giving the other party at least five (5) days prior notice, in writing, of such
termination.
Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to working cooperatively with Dubuque.
Please feel free to contact me at (202) 454-3922 or aseth@tfgnet.com.
Sincerely,
l\ 1 ~^ -
/a
Ken Brown
Partner
The Ferguson Group
ACKNOWLEDGED AND AGREED
THE FERGUSON GROUP, LLC
By:
William Ferguson`-J"r.
Chief Executive Officer
July 10, 2009
..---
Andrew Seth
Partner
The Ferguson Group
CITY OF DUBUQUE
By. --,
Name: Michael C. Van Milligen
Title: City Manager
Date: July 23, 2009
3
THE CITY OF DUbUgUB
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~/ ~ ~ All-America City
Masterpiece on the Mississippi ' r
2007
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Staffing
DATE: June 30, 2009
The City has the potential to receive millions of dollars in grant money if we are able to
submit competitive grant applications for Federal Stimulus money, State of Iowa I-Jobs
and Power Fund money and other grant opportunities. Once these grants are received,
there will be some reporting requirements that must be coordinated.
Recognizing that most of these opportunities did not exist when the Fiscal Year 2010
budget was recommended, the need for staff assistance in this area was not taken into
consideration. Administrative Intern Cori Burbach, working with other City staff has
been doing this work, but there is insufficient time available to perform all the work.
The two-year agreement with Administrative Intern Cori Burbach has expired. The
arrangement with this position as part of the International City/County Management
Association Fellows Program is that the City will hire the Fellow for one year and can
extend the Fellow for a second year. With that expiration, the City has hired a new
ICMA Fellow, Phyllis Russell, who starts in August, and will be shared with the City of
Lancaster, Wisconsin, as was Cori.
I respectfully recommend Mayor and City Council a
per week position which would be filled by Cori BurbachV Thetcosts of $31 9062would r
be funded through June 30, 2010 from savings in several different departmental
operating budgets. After that the position is dependent on there being a continued need
and a funding source being identified. Also, there will be needs and funding
opportunities over the next three months that will take additional assistance and quick
responses to meet short time lines. The City has $102,475 available from the McAleece
Field CIP that I am recommending be made available to allow the City to take
advantage of these opportunities.
~~~
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:Iw
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
~Z
THE CITY OF Dubuque
~..J L ~ All AmericaCiiy
Master piece on the Mississippi ' '
e
2007
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT: New Position
DATE: June 17, 2009
Information
The purpose of this memorandum is to recommend the creation of a part-time position.
Discussion ~ ,
The American Reinvestment Recovery Act (ARRA) has provided city of Dubuque with
an unprecedented opportunity to leverage Federal funding with Local and State dollars
to help fund local projects and create jobs. Already the city of Dubuque has been
successful in receiving funding from the US Department of Justice, Housing and Urban
Development and the Department of Energy through the allocation formula provided in
the ARRA. In addition, we have received funding from the Iowa Department of Natural
Resource State Revolving Loan Fund for our water meter efficiency program.
Since the announcement of funding through the ARRA, city staff including Assistant City
Manager Teri Goodmann, Management Intern Cori Burbach and myself have monitored
the funding opportunities and have worked with city departments to identify projects that
match funding sources. Cori Burbach has been invaluable in this effort and the key
administrative staff person who has helped manage the o
well as help write the grant applications. Her position as ICMA manageme to tem w'th s
the city of Dubuque ends effective June 30, 2009.
To date over $6.8 million has been awarded to the city of Dubuque and over $8.2 million
dollars of grant applications have been submitted. This does not include several
significant federal grant applications that we intend to submit in July and again in
October for several city initiatives including water, transportation and sustainability.
In addition, we are preparing to submit multiple grant applications in August for fundin
through the I-Jobs funding program. Currently the I-Jobs program provides over $800
million in several categories. We have also identified funding applications that we are
preparing to submit in August and October to the Iowa Power Fund and the State of
Iowa ICAAP program. Lastly, we continue to wait for regulations regarding State and
Federal Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant (EECBG) competitive funds that will
be available later this year. Again, we anticipate that the city of Dubuque will have
numerous, highly competitive projects that will qualify for funding under these programs.
In order to effectively manage the submittal of funding requests and any grants we are
awarded, additional staff support is needed beyond June 30, 2009. The creation of a
part-time position is needed to assist in the preparation of grants and on-going
management of this process. Cori Burbach has agreed to stay on in this capacity with
the city of Dubuque for 25 hours a week through June 30, 2010. Should the city receive
additional grant funds it is anticipated that this position could go full-time or extend
beyond June 30, 2010. The cost for this recommendation is estimated at $31,906. In
addition, there will be funds needed to hire consultants on an as-needed basis to assist
in submittal of these grant applications. I have visited with Budget Director Jenny Larson
and she has indicated that the source of funds will come from the following:
Water 30%:
Sewer 25%:
Refuse 5%:
Parking 25%:
Landfill 10%:
General 5%:
$9,572 (FY09 Overtime Savings)
$7,976 (FY09 Vacancy Savings)
$1,595 (FY09 Vacancy Savings)
$7,976 (FY09 Vacancy Savings)
$3,191 (FY09 Operating Savings)
$1,596 (FY09 Police Vacancy Savings)
Total $31,906
There is $102,475 available in additional funds from the Petrakis Field Pro Grass CIP
that is no longer needed.
Action
The requested action is for you to approve the creation of the part-time position and the
allocation of the $102,475 in available CIP money be allocated as other needs are
identified related to funding opportunities.
Cc: Teri Goodmann, Assistant City, Manager
Jenny Larson, Budget Director