Fort Walton Beach Council agenda — 11-22-05 ‎(regular)‎ — reading text

immediately cause concerns, but since that time have cause more damage to the inside of the home for various reasons. Typical Damage Caused by Hurricane Ivan Program Design Application Tab 1 Page 2 of5  o o 4. Income Levels to be Served: Income levels to be served are as indicated in the 2004 FHFC Income Limits chart, with Okaloosa County highlighted in the table below. Percentage Number of Persons in Household City(County) Category 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Fort Walton Beach MSA 50% 19, 150 21, 900 24, 600 27, 350 29, 550 31, 750 33, 900 36, 100 Okaloosa) Median: 80% 30, 650 35, 000 39,400 43, 750 47, 250 50, 750 54,250 57, 750 54, 700 5. Marketing Plan: Four strategies will be utilized to market those people determined to be in dire need within the City limits of Fort Walton Beach as described below: 1. Those people on the current waiting list of the City of Fort Walton Beach Community Development Block Grant ( CDBG) Rehabilitation Program will be contacted by telephone and/or U.S. mail to specifically inquire as to any Hurricane Ivan damage they may have experienced, with great care given to assess whether additional damage to their home is threatening the integrity of the structure. Any ofthese homes determined to be of a high risk nature will be inspected first in an attempt to mitigate imminent lost of the habitability of the home. 2. A list of churches throughout the City of Fort Walton Beach will be compiled as a mailing list for flyers. Notification will be provided on availability of funds, general information on the type of repairs that are eligible, and household income eligibility limits. Telephone number( s) will be provided and the City of Fort Walton Beach will be available on an " as requested" basis to meet with church leaders. 3. Because the City of Fort Walton Beach is aware of neighborhoods that experienced a greater degree of damage than others, staff will be conducting drive-bys in some cases to determine if there are individuals not served by any other programs and in a state of dire need. Staff members are familiar with a substantial number of previous customers in some of these neighborhoods and will inquire verbally as to the need for assistance, as well. 4. In the event the City of Fort Walton Beach is unable to obtain 10 qualified applicants for the HOME Again Program using methods one to three, staffwill utilize a variety of media ( daily newspaper, local news channels, etc.) to advertise the program to the residents within the City limits of Fort Walton Beach. 6. Selection and Screening Criteria for Awarding Funds to Homeowners: As is the case with the City' s existing Residential Rehab Program, the following criteria are used to prioritize applicants: 1. Damage to the residence is a health and/or safety hazard; 2. Damage, if not repaired immediately, will cause further, extensive deterioration; 3. Homeowner is elderly and/or disabled; 4. Homeowner has children; Program Design Application Tab 1 Page 3 of5  d QS/OS o I 3" Revision - Funding awards will be strictly on a first come, first verified, first served basis for the City of Fort Walton Beach HOME Again Program. The first ten ( 10) applicants to receive final award letters as a result of verification of all documentation required in the application, will comprise the initial HOME Again recipient list. Please refer to " Attachment A" to see a copy of the current City of Fort Walton Beach CDBG Residential Rehabilitation Grant Application, which will be modified to meet all requirements of the HOME Again Program and will be stamped " HOME Again Application. " All call- ins and referrals will be advised that damage to the property must be documented to be caused by Hurricane Ivan, that the property owner must live on the premises and that the property must legally be in the owner' s name. Additionally, all inquiring parties will be advised that the income limitations must be met without exception. If it is detennined by the building official in the initial site visit that there is no possibility that the damage could have been caused by Hurricane Ivan, the applicant will become ineligible for the HOME Again Program, but will be referred to the CDBG Residential Rehabilitation Program waiting list, if appropriate. 7. Initial Damage Assessment: Initial site visits will coincide with the City of Fort Walton Beach standard procedures. Once a resident is determined eligible, the building official will make contact with the homeowner by phone and schedule an initial site visit to assess the extent of damage due to Hurricane Ivan. During this site visit the building official will solicit information from the customer as to the nature of the damage, how and when it happened and all residual effects experienced after the initial damage. The building official will forward a summary report to the CDBG Specialist, who will photograph damaged and undamaged areas of the home to obtain a comprehensive view ofthe property. The building official and the CDBG Specialist will examine photos, discuss a potential scope of work, approximate the cost, and detennine the severity of need. A final scope of work will be prepared for the pre- bid conference to be held with participating contractors. 8. Contractor Bid, Selection and Contractor Award/agreement Process: It is the City of Fort Walton Beach' s normal policy to solicit competitive sealed bids for all Residential Rehabilitation work; however, with the local contractors' increase in work due to Hurricane Ivan and Hurricane Dennis it is increasingly difficult to find contractors who will respond to bids from the City. For that reason, and because the HOME Again program is a loan program, not a grant program, and the homeowner has more invested in the decision as to the contractor, the City will allow the homeowner to collect three bids from contractors. Based on conversations and phone conferences with the HOME Again staff, it is the City' s understanding that the Florida Housing Finance Corporation allows this practice. The following procedures must be followed in the process to gather contractors' bids: a. The written scope of work must be mailed to the participating contractors. They are notified that their estimate must be based on this written scope of work. Program Design Application Tab 1 Page 4 of5  2nd Revision - ~ o I b. All jobs are bid on the scope of work only, with no additions or deletions unless specified by the building official. c. The homeowner must submit all contractor bids to City staff, who will verify that the contractors are licensed and that the bids are based on the scope of work. An item by item comparison is made between all bids, ensuring that all bids use comparable materials. Care. is given to watch for large discrepancies in costs for one or more item as this could indicate the possibility of a " low-ball" bid. While the lowest bid is, of course, most often considered to be the awarded bid, other considerations such as past performance, ability to proceed, number of jobs in progress, reputation for finishing in a timely manner, willingness to work with program constraints and the ability to understand and work with a low income homeowner, are all additional measuring criteria used in making the decision to recommend the contract. Once the award recommendation is made, the paperwork will be finalized and sent to the FHFC for approval, and the Contractor will then be instructed to proceed with the execution of a contract for the rehabilitation services. 9. Other Sources of Funding: The City of Fort Walton Beach has no other funding sources available for use in the HOME Again Program. 10. Timetable for Expenditure: The City of Fort Walton Beach is committed to expending 50% of