Agenda - 06-02-2016 - Abstract for Joint Meeting Discussion Items

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FY17 Orange Funding Application Feedback(Third Sector Alliance Survey) 42 8 Needed more foc s on the changes at the Orientati n session and instructions. 2o5/2016 11:26 AM 9 While the length of time provided to complete the application was adequate,the timeline is during a difficult time of 2/21/2016 3:23 PM year.For example,getting required pieces from the Board is difficult during the holidays(see question 8).Additionally, the risk of snow/ice made it very difficult to complete the application on ume—wm/°I had the grant completed in advance of the deadline just in case of adverse weather,needing multiple original signatures from different people meant that 4 days of snow/ice before the deadline made it nearly impossible to complete.I tried to reach out to Chapel Hill staff multiple times(about a week in advance with questions about the app and again a couple days in advance with questions about the snow/ice deadline)and didn't get sufficient responses. 10 Especially with the storm,the deadline should have been extended.The application should have been available a lot 2/20/2016 10:00 PM earlier so that it wouldn't conflict with the end of the year holidays,etc. 11 We had a staff member attend the orientati n that left feeling like the process was very similar to previous years.This 2/17/2016 1:05 PM years application took a significant amount of additional time,which left us scrambling near the deadline.There was so much in the written m»muct/onn,it was hard to weed through what was important and what wasn't.The email communication regarding the orientation was confusing.We had several emails sent about the program orientation and the CDBG/HOME application with different information and from different people.We ended up attending one, that had apparently been moved to a different date.It was all very confusing.Loryn was available to Robert when he had questions on the application.The time provided was fine.If we had known the amount of time it was going to take to complete we could have adjusted accordingly and had less stress leading up to the deadline. 12 I think the month of January is busy for most of us finishing up year end.I'd like to see a Feb 15 deadline. 2/16/2016 9:21 PM 13 It was a challenge to get to the Instruction Documents and to find the Towns priorities. 2/16/2016 6:38 PM 14 We didn't realize that if we applied to Outside Agency/Human Services and CDBG we should fill in the application two 2/16/2016 4:04 PM times.We apply for different programs and it was deemed confusing to have so much unnecessary information for the CDBG reviewers.Then we had a winter storm in the days before the deadline which makes us even busier than usual. 15 The full application instructions were only available at one Agency website(Orange)instead of all 3.We got all our 2/16/2016 2:27 PM initial information from Town of Chapel Hill site,but found the Orange County website instructions and new attachments last minute. 16 The date of the Orientation was a conflict for many agencies.Staff representatives who did attend were led to believe 2/16/2016 2:22 PM there was no significant change to the process or documents,which did not hold true,and written materials did not help address changes that had been made.More communication from staff would have been helpful regarding the weather conditions that complicated the submission process in the days before the application was due. 17 A staff person attended the orientation session for me since I was unable to attend.The delay in posting the 2/16/2016 12:56 PM application and instructions on the County website reduced the time available to complete the application. 18 Instructions for the separate programs(i.e.human services,home,cgbd)would have help avoid some confusion with 2/16/2016 12:32 PM submission requirements.Time to complete application was also an issue due to inclement weather on Friday and no flexibility on deadline for submission on Monday.It was difficult for team members to do a final quality check on final application submitted as we were trying to meet deadline and get signatures from board. 19 First,all staff are pleasant and helpful to deal with.Second,the orientation session somehow did not convey how 2/16/2016 12:20 PM different the forms would be.I've been doing these a long time(since 1988.)Last year,it finally seemed streamlined and easier.Then,this year was a blow-up.In all due respect and appreciation,the form could be simpler,tidier,take less time,and be readable.(I don't see how it will be easier for the reviewers to handle.)Also,with each funder needing things in different formats,it was stressful and UN-unified.For example,we don't use flash drives why all of a sudden was this required? 18 / 24