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Home My WebLink About112-R-22 Authorizing the City Manager to hire Participatory Budgeting Staff10/24/2022 112-R-22 A RESOLUTION Authorizing the City Manager to hire Participatory Budgeting Staff WHEREAS, the City Council adopted the City of Evanston American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) 2021 plan on March 14, 2022; and WHEREAS, the ARPA plan allocates $3,500,000 for Participatory Budgeting to educate and involve residents in allocating ARPA funding with a focus on under-resourced residents; WHEREAS, the Participatory Budgeting Committee has specified that $500,000 of the funds allocated to participatory budgeting should be reserved for administration of the process; WHEREAS, the ARPA plan allocates $1,000,000 in the Administration & Other category of which $100,000 is earmarked for developing the Participatory Budget process; and WHEREAS, the additional $900,000 is earmarked in the Administration & Other category for Grant Management, Compliance & Reporting and is vastly underspent since no qualified person applied for the position; and WHEREAS, The City Council has approved a staff recommendation to authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a Sponsored Activities Agreement with Northwestern University to design a participatory budgeting process to distribute $3.5M of ARPA funds for the city of Evanston with the voting portion completed by September 1, 2023 in the amount of $100,000; and ~1~ Page 1 of 6 Doc ID: 25fa3c62255ab0bcb749f9b4fbea57e76816bd69 112-R-22 ~2~ WHEREAS, The Sponsored Activities Agreement requires the City of Evanston to provide the equivalent of two (2) full time employees to the Participatory Budgeting process; WHEREAS, The City does not currently have the 2 full time employees to dedicate to the Participatory Budgeting process; and WHEREAS, the Participatory Budgeting Committee recommends funding a Participatory Budgeting Field Manager position out of the $500,000 administration costs budget for Participatory Budgeting. NOW BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EVANSTON, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS: SECTION 1: The foregoing recitals are found as fact and incorporated herein by reference. SECTION 2: The City Manager is hereby authorized to hire one full-time Participatory Budgeting Manager position, one full-time Participatory Budgeting Field Manager and one part-time Participatory Budgeting Coordinator position. These positions are to be filled as soon as possible and continue through November 2023. SECTION 3: Funding for the Participatory Budgeting Manager and Participatory Budgeting Coordinator positions will be from the underspent funds allocated in the Administration & Other category for Grant Management, Compliance & Reporting in the not to exceed cost of $200,000. SECTION 4: Funding for the Participatory Field Manager position will be included in the $3,500,000 ARPA funding allocated to Participatory Budgeting, in the not to exceed amount of $100,000. Page 2 of 6 Doc ID: 25fa3c62255ab0bcb749f9b4fbea57e76816bd69 112-R-22 ~3~ SECTION 5: Funding for the OTPS and honorariums, in the not to exceed amount of $200,000, shall be included in the $3,400,000 ARPA funding allocated for Participatory Budgeting. SECTION 6: Resolution 112-R-22 shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage and approval, in the manner provided by law. _______________________________ Daniel Biss, Mayor Attest: ______________________________ Stephanie Mendoza, City Clerk Adopted: __________________, 2022 Approved as to form: ______________________________ Nicholas E. Cummings, Corporation Counsel Page 3 of 6 October 24 Doc ID: 25fa3c62255ab0bcb749f9b4fbea57e76816bd69 Date Developed: HR Review Date: JOB DESCRIPTION/JOB POSTING AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER M/W/D DEPARTMENT: City Manager’s Office DIVISION: City Manager’s Office POSITION TITLE: Participatory Budgeting Field Manager JOB TYPE: Full - time (Contractual) PAY GRADE/RANGE: Up to $48/Hour FLSA STATUS: OPENING DATE: CLOSING DATE: *Starting salary is dependent upon qualifications, but in most cases is no higher than the midpoint for range. NATURE OF WORK: The Participatory Budgeting Field Manager coordinates volunteer recruitment and community outreach for the City’s first Participatory Budgeting project to allocate $3m of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The participatory budgeting (PB) program will allow community members to allocate ARPA funding with a focus on supporting under- resourced residents. This position will facilitate outreach and multiple public community engagement events, attend and support the Participatory Budgeting Leadership Committee meetings, interface with community groups, and provide other strategic, technical assistance and communications support for the pilot. The Participatory Budgeting Field Manager will work closely with the Participatory Budgeting Manager and the City’s consultant to implement the pilot. The Participatory Budgeting Field Manager is a defined term contractual position anticipated to complete the City's Participatory Budgeting (PB) process from October 2022 to November 2023. As a contractual position, the role does not offer benefits or paid time off. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS (Specific assignment will include some or all of the following): Page 4 of 6 Doc ID: 25fa3c62255ab0bcb749f9b4fbea57e76816bd69 ● Works with the Participatory Budgeting Manager to facilitate meetings and group discussions. ● Interfaces with community organizations. ● Works with the Participatory budgeting manager to develop communications and information on the pilot for the public and other targeted audiences. ● Supports the planning and logistics coordination for large-scale public meetings to educate residents and community stakeholders on PB, develop project proposals, and meetings for public voting on projects. ● Devises creative ways to get meaningful feedback from under-resourced residents. ● Trains and manages PB participants, volunteers, and canvassers. ● Maintains content for the pilot's website and social media channels. ● Prepares materials for meetings and events. ● Assists community budget delegates with developing spending proposals and vetting proposals with City officials and agency representatives. ● Assists Participatory Budgeting Manager and consultants with other duties and tasks as necessary. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF WORK: ● Must possess one (1) or more years of performing related work with progressively increasing responsibilities. ● Some experience implementing participatory budgeting processes in partnership with a City is preferred. Knowledge, skills, and abilities in the following areas ● Strong organizational and project coordination skills. ● Ability to work with diverse stakeholders with competing interests on challenging and dynamic projects. ● Strong communication skills including professional writing, strong public speaking, and public presentation, and planning skills. ● Ability to use of the internet including, social media, and other electronic means of communication to disseminate information and engage with the community. ● Ability to supervise, train, and effectively manage volunteers and assign tasks to part-time staff. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS OF WORK: The employee works in a primarily sedentary position, with the occasional need to use force to exert up to 25 pounds to lift, carry or otherwise move objects, books, materials, etc. The employee is subject to inside environmental conditions, protection from weather conditions, but not necessarily from indoor temperature changes. The employee moves between worksites in different locations, and to other locations in order to conduct portions of the position. Page 5 of 6 Doc ID: 25fa3c62255ab0bcb749f9b4fbea57e76816bd69 There are no environmental hazards associated with this classification. . SUPERVISION: General supervision is provided by the Participatory Budgeting Manager PUBLIC CONTACT: The employee has regular and consistent contact with citizens, service providers, community and other similar groups, as well as the City Council, committees, boards and commissions. Presentations to a variety of groups throughout the community and city staff are developed and delivered regularly by the employee. The employee will also have daily contact with city employees. Excellent verbal, written, and presentation, and interpersonal skills are required, including the ability to occasionally deal with adversarial situations. SELECTION METHOD TYPE OF ELIGIBILITY LIST LIFE OF ELIGIBILITY LIST Structured Oral Interview To apply for this position, please apply online at www.cityofevanston.org on or before the closing date. Chosen candidates will be required to provide proof of licenses, certifications, and education required for this position. Candidates will also be subject to qualifying pre- employment processes, including medical examination, drug/alcohol screen, employment verification, and criminal background check. The City of Evanston is an equal opportunity employer and ensures against discrimination in employment on the basis of a person’s race, color, sex, age, religion, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, military discharge status, source of income, housing status, or gender identity. The City of Evanston is also committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. Any person needing mobility or communications access assistance should contact Human Resources at 847-448-8204 (voice) or 847-866-5095 (TTY) Page 6 of 6 Doc ID: 25fa3c62255ab0bcb749f9b4fbea57e76816bd69