Department: Economic Equity and Opportunity
Department Head/Elected Official: Estella Gonzalez, Executive Director
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Discussion Item
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Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
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Request by the Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity for discussion and possible action to expand eligibility for the ARPA Disparity Study Fund Grant Program to include additional entities in Harris County.
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Background and Discussion:
On November 30, 2021, the Commissioners Court approved a court order to create a fund allocating $200,000 to independent school districts and community colleges in Harris County to conduct disparity studies regarding the utilization of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBEs). The fund’s goal is to encourage the mitigation of racial and gender disparities where they may exist in public procurement practices and decrease barriers often experienced by M/WBEs.
On April 5, 2022, the Commissioners Court approved the program design for the Disparity Study Fund grant program and on May 24, 2022, the Commissioners Court approved the fund to be increased to $2 million using ARPA FLEX funds.
On January 31, 2023, the Commissioners Court approved the Agreement to award Lone Star College up to $500K to conduct a localized disparity study. Then, on August 8, 2023, the Court also approved the awarding of Aldine ISD, Alief ISD, and Spring ISD up to $200,000 per District for a total of $600,000.
Currently, the program has $900,000 of funding available. Amidst the outreach, additional entities not originally included in the list of eligible organizations have communicated interest in applying for the grant program. The Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity (DEEO) met with the Focus Area Team on February 1, 2024 and discussed the possibility of expanding the eligibility criteria. On February 14, 2024, the ARPA Steering Committee affirmed that including additional entities would align with mitigating racial and gender disparities in public procurement practices. Thus, the DEEO requests approval to amend the Disparity Study Fund Program court order, as reflected below.
Eligibility to the Disparity Study Fund will include independent school districts, community colleges, and entities on which Harris County Commissioners Court places at least one board member and the business is within Harris County that have never completed a Disparity Study. Cities with a population of fewer than 200,000 residents are also eligible.
Expected Impact:
If approved, the Disparity Fund program will be able to expand its reach and serve other entities in Harris County, including cities with a population of fewer than 200,00 residents, as described in the amendment. In addition to funding disparity studies, awardees will also have an opportunity to cover costs associated with facilitating technical assistance and administrative capacity for the Disparity Study Fund program. No addition funding is being requested as there is still ARPA funding available in the program’s budget.
Alternative Options:
The Court can choose not to amend the fund and keep the grants exclusively for interested Independent School Districts and Community Colleges.
Alignment with Goal(s):
_ Justice and Safety
X Economic Opportunity
_ Housing
_ Public Health
_ Transportation
_ Flooding
_ Environment
_ Governance and Customer Service
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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11/30/2021 |
253 |
Approved creation of the Disparity Study Fund Grant Program |
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4/5/2022 |
229 |
Approved the program design for the Disparity Study Fund Grant Program |
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5/24/2022 |
247 |
Approved the allocation of $2M to the Harris County Disparity Study Grant Program |
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1/31/2023 |
421 |
Approved the Interlocal Agreement with Lone Star College |
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8/8/2023 |
14 |
Approved the Interlocal Agreements with Aldine ISD, Alief ISD, and Spring ISD |
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Precinct(s): Countywide
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Anticipated Court Date: February 27, 2024
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): February 27, 2024
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: COVID-19 related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Estella Gonzalez, Executive Director, DEEO; Jie Wu, Director of Program Planning and Innovation, DEEO; Bryonne Cummings, Assistant Director of Policy & Special Projects, DEEO
Attachments (if applicable):