Agenda Information Sheet
DEPARTMENT: Environmental Services and Sustainability
CM/ ACM: Jon Fortune
Date: March 21, 2017
SUBJECT
Title
Consider approval of a resolution of the City of Denton evidencing support for the Denton Community Market and its grant application for funding from FY 2017 farmers market promotion program of the agricultural marketing service, United States Department of Agriculture; and providing for an effective date.
Body
BACKGROUND
The Denton Community Market (DCM) is preparing to submit a grant application to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farmer’s Market Promotion Program (FMPP) due March 27, 2017. The USDA grant requires no matching funds and will be solely managed by the Market. The Market is asking that the city join the application as a collaborator and provide a letter of commitment, as required under the USDA grant, to attach to the application. A collaborator is defined by the USDA as “a person or an organization that cooperates with the applicant in the conduct of the project but is not immediately connected to the management of the project”. Should Council choose to support the grant application as a collaborator, there would be no financial obligation or grant management support provided by the City of Denton. City participation would be limited to in-kind support should the grant be awarded.
Areas of support would include access to outreach opportunities in collaboration with Sustainability events, or shared space with DCM for community events in which Sustainability typically participates. Cross promotion and collaboration on new events that meet the goals of the Market and Sustainable Denton, such as community engagement efforts, cooking demonstrations, recipe sharing, gardening demonstrations, etc. Staff will also provide assistance with access to appropriate spaces for workshops and classes, including co-sponsorship of regional local food workshop.
Since its inception in 2010, the DCM has grown from 15 vendors per week to 60-100 vendors per week in 2016, with 192 registered vendors for the 2016 season. The DCM has been in the top three of Best of Denton Event category awards for the past 3 years, and is listed as a top market in DFW by the Dallas Observer.
The Market has worked closely with the City for funding and the Sustainability Department for support to achieve mutually beneficial goals for the community and is looking to continue that collaboration as they move forward.
The current grant application will focus on expanding programs started under a 2014 FMPP grant awarded to the City of Denton that benefitted the DCM and expanded the local food options available to the community. Programs to be expanded include SNAP outreach, WIC voucher outreach, healthy food education, and support for local farmers, community engagement and outreach and further promotion of the market throughout the DFW area. The Market has not yet finalized the application and the amount to be requested is unknown, the grant program authorizes awards between $50,000 and $500,000.
OPTIONS
1. Approve as submitted.
2. Approve subject to conditions.
3. Deny.
RECOMMENDATION
Approval of the Resolution to provide a letter of support and if grant is awarded in kind support.
ESTIMATED SCHEDULE OF PROJECT
Letter of support and commitment as a Collaborator would be provided prior to March 27, 2017. If grant is awarded to the DCM, the time period of in-kind assistance would be over the 2 year life of the grant, 2018-2020.
FISCAL INFORMATION
There is no financial impact to City of Denton for this grant submission. In-kind assistance if the grant is awarded would be tied to existing outreach currently in place, planned for, or programs that support the goals of the Sustainability Plan, and minimal staff time to assist with room reservations etc.
BID INFORMATION
N/A
STRATEGIC PLAN RELATIONSHIP
The City of Denton’s Strategic Plan is an action-oriented road map that will help the City achieve its vision. The foundation for the plan is the five long-term Key Focus Areas (KFA): Organizational Excellence; Public Infrastructure; Economic Development; Safe, Livable, and Family-Friendly Community; and Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship. While individual items may support multiple KFAs, this specific City Council agenda item contributes most directly to the following KFA and goal:
Related Key Focus Area: Sustainable & Environmental Stewardship
Related Goal: 5.7 Encourage local food production
EXHIBITS
1. Resolution
2. Letter to Todd Hileman
Respectfully submitted:
Katherine Barnett White
Sustainability and Special Programs Administrator