NSP Guidelines Index

• The origins and rationale for the creation of NSP.

• Purpose of the NSP and types of projects that are eligible for funding.

• Ineligible or unallowable activities (2.l)
• Conditions or funding limitations (2.2)

• Who is eligible to receive funds? (3.1)
• Responsibilities of participation (3.2)
• Appeals Process (3.3)
• Compliance with City Ordinance #220-1989 (3.4)

• Getting Community approval for the proposal (4.1)
• Deadlines and application forms (4.2)
• Accompanying documentation to be submitted with a proposal (4.3, 4.4)
• Help in preparing a proposal (4.5)
• Getting approval of the proposal (4.6, 4.7)

• Term of the contract (5.1)
• Number and amount of contracts allowed (5.2)
• Collaboration with other Community Councils (5.3)
• Interim, Final and "projected" Final Reports (5.4)
• Reimbursement/Payment (5.5, 5.6)
• Contract Amendments (5.7)
• Required Training (5.8)
• Service on the NSP Review Committee (5.9)

• Defining the role of the NSP Manager (6.1)
• Recommended job responsibilities (6.2)
• Required job responsibilities (6.3)

• To whom is the Review Committee responsible? (7.1)
• What is its purpose? (7.2)
• Composition of the Committee (7.3)
• Eligible Candidates for Chair and Chair Elect (7.4)
• Length and Commencement of Terms (7.5)
• Quorum Requirement (7.6)
• Committee Schedule (7.7)
• Approval process for proposals (7.8, 7.9, 7.10)
• Formal and Informal Amendments (7.11)
• Cancellation of contracts (7.12)
• Program monitoring (7.13)
• Committee operating procedures (7.14, 7.15, 7.16)
• Attendance policy and penalty for non-attendance (7.17)

• Role and responsibilities of Agency the City contracts with to administer NSP.

• Role and responsibilities of the individual whom the Agency designates as the primary staff person within the organization to manage NSP and interact with the City and the 51 Community Councils.

• Role and responsibilities of the City and/or its designated department(s) in overseeing the Agency's administration of NSP and monitoring the eligibility of Community Councils that participate in the program.

• List of eligible Community Councils as determined by the City.

• Partial listing of projects previously undertaken by Program participants.

Section 7: The Review Committee

7.1 The Review Committee is responsible to both Community Councils for content review of proposals and to the Agency for administrative and fiscal processing.

7.2 The purpose of the Review Committee is to:

1. Review and act upon all NSP proposals;
2. Review and act upon all Final Reports for each NSP Community;
3. Recommend the issuance of contracts to communities by the Agency; and
4. Provide input to the Agency as to changes or enhancements of potential benefit to the NSP program.

7.3 The Review Committee is comprised of neighborhood representatives who serve as a peer review group for all NSP proposals. Composition of the Committee shall be as follows:

1. Fifteen Neighborhood representatives,
2. One Agency representative (non-voting), and
3. One representative of the City to be appointed by the City Manager (non-voting).
4. NSP Director (non-voting).

7.4 The neighborhood representatives of the Review Committee shall each serve a 12-month term with eight members selected in February and seven members selected in August. Elections for the Committee Chair shall be conducted at the August and February meetings.

7.5 The Review Committee Chair shall be elected from among the 15 neighborhood representatives.

7.6 A minimum of eight members of the Review Committee shall be present to constitute a quorum.

7.7 The NSP Director and the Review Committee shall establish and publicize a schedule of meeting times and deadlines for proposal submissions and amendments for the coming year each August. The Review Committee shall meet a minimum of seven times per year.

7.8 The Review Committee shall review and approve proposals and recommend the issuance of a contract if, in its opinion:

1. The NSP guidelines have been met;
2. All proposal projects are adequately defined in the scope of services;
3. The proposed budget is reasonable and clearly itemized; and
4. There is evidence that the council submitting the proposal is able to manage the contract to a successful conclusion.

7.9 A proposal is approved if it receives a majority of votes among those attending that particular meeting. If requested, those voting against a proposal (in whole or in part) shall cite the criteria of Section 7.8 with which the proposal does not comply. The Review Committee may invalidate a specific vote if a pertinent section is not cited.

7.10 The Review Committee may approve portions of the proposal while rejecting others. The Committee may also approve projects with specific conditions for changes and corrections.

7.11 The Review Committee shall review all new proposals, all Final Reports, and project amendments which substantially alter a contract. (A Formal Amendment) The NSP Director may approve adjustments to the program budget or scope of services within the existing contract without review by the Committee if all of the following criteria apply (An Informal Amendment):

1. The proposed revision does not add to the total amount of the existing contract;
2. The total amount of monies, not to exceed $1,000, are simply being shifted from one line item to another, within and/or between projects;
3. Proposed changes do not substantially alter the scope of services; and
4. All requests are made in writing to the Director in advance.

7.12 A contract may be canceled by the NSP Director if in the Director's opinion said contract is not being properly carried out. The NSP Director shall consult with the Review Committee, the Agency Board of Trustees, and the City prior to any contract termination. Additionally, a Community Council shall be notified of the possibility of contract cancellation and be afforded the opportunity to present its case before the Review Committee. Final determination to cancel a contract is the sole responsibility of the Agency. Communities have the right to appeal.

7.13 The Review Committee shall monitor program performance based on the NSP Director's review and reporting of Performance Reports submitted by communities.

7.14 The Review Committee shall decide its operating rules each program year.

7.15 The Review Committee may call expert consultants as necessary.

7.16 The Review Committee may, upon request from the Agency, take on other tasks related to the NSP program and as agreed to by the Committee.

7.17 Review Committee members must attend a majority of the Committee meetings scheduled during their term in order for their Community Council to be considered as having fulfilled their obligation to serve. A Community Council that does not fulfill its requirement will be subject to suspension by the Review Committee from participation in NSP. The Review Committee will review potential suspensions and recommend reinstatement conditions for each case.