Published November 4 2020
Plus, Human Services budget recommendations
On Monday, the City Council unanimously adopted an updated Economic Development Plan, which will guide Bellevue’s strategic actions over the next five years. The night marked the ninth discussion about the plan update over the past 16 months, as the plan evolved to account for new areas of focus and the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The original plan was adopted by the council in July 2014.
The plan update includes six new focus areas to address identified gaps in Bellevue’s long-term economic development approach. It addresses current gaps with a specific focus on capacity building and partnership, small business and entrepreneurship, workforce development to ensure Bellevue residents have the opportunity to secure jobs in the community, an updated tourism plan, and increased support for retail and creative economy industries, especially a diverse arts and cultural scene.
During the discussion, councilmembers discussed and formally added references in the plan to autonomous-connected-electric-shared (ACES) vehicle technology and an eco-district.
The full discussion is available through video replay of the meeting and the full proposed plan and other supporting materials are available in the meeting agenda item.
Human Services budget recommendations
In the second of several department-specific budget reports, councilmembers were asked to approve the Human Services Commission’s recommendations for 2021-2022 Human Services funding and 2021 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.
Human Services funds are granted to local nonprofits operating programs that address the continuum of human service needs in the community from emergency food, housing and home repair programs to workforce education programs, healthcare and mental health resources and more.
The total recommended Human Services budget is $4,154,368 in 2021 and $4,297,452 in 2022, roughly 10 percent higher than the 2020 budget. It includes $500,000 in community funds from Amazon announced earlier this year and an increase in funds from the prior budget to account for inflation and population growth.
The amount of CDBG funding available in Bellevue annually is determined by the federal Department of Housing & Urban Development and can be awarded to local nonprofits that meet certain federal eligibility and service standards. Bellevue’s exact CDBG entitlement amount for
2021 will not be known until after the 2021 federal budget has been adopted. The estimated CDBG budget for 2021 is $1,033,000.
The Human Services Commission received 102 applications for human services funding. The total amount of funding requested was over $7 million, which is $2.9 million more than the available budget in the fund, reflecting increased need due in part to the economic impacts of COVID-19, especially as non-profit organizations were not able to hold fundraisers and overall donations were reduced as a result of economic uncertainty.
To address the impacts of COVID-19 and in an effort to apply an equity lens to the application process, deadlines were extended this year, processes were streamlined, especially for smaller organizations, and technical assistance was offered to help navigate the process and understand the requirements.
The commission’s funding recommendations included 10 new human services programs that have not been funded before, five of which are focused on serving Black, Indigenous and people of color and individuals with disabilities.
The proposed budget addresses key gaps in service in the community including affordable childcare, legal assistance for needs such as evictions, domestic violence, mental and behavioral health, and the increasing need for shelter and housing in the community.
An ordinance approving the Human Services and CBDG funding recommendations will come back to the council at a later meeting for adoption as part of the larger budget process. The materials detailing the proposed adjustments are in the meeting agenda item.