Item 11 - Regional Assessment of Fair Housing and Memorandum of Understanding with Surrounding Jurisdictions

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Regional Assessment of Fair Housing and Memorandum of Understanding with Surrounding Jurisdictions July 16, 2024 Page 2 This regional approach to the Assessment of Fair Housing has been undertaken previously and included the City. In 2015, the City of Newport Beach took the lead, followed by the City of Anaheim in 2020, to procure and lead an agreement with a qualified consultant to complete a Regional Assessment of Fair Housing. Both the City of Newport Beach and City of Anaheim, respectively, executed an agreement with a consultant as the lead and issued payment on behalf of all of the surrounding jurisdictions in Orange County in return for a proportional reimbursement. For the five- year period for Fiscal Years (FY) 2025-29, the City has agreed to assume this leadership role in procuring this agreement and issuing payment. Procurement Process Staff collaborated with all of the surrounding jurisdictions in Orange County to draft a Request for Proposals and select a qualified consultant to complete the Regional Assessment of Fair Housing. Following an inclusive regional review process, on March 11, 2024, staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP No. 24-036A) for the preparation of the FY 2025-29 Regional Assessment of Fair Housing. Four firms submitted proposals, with the following total costs: 1) Veronica Tam and Associates, Inc.: $290,960 2) MDG Associates, Inc: $159,822 3) GROW America (formerly the National Development Council): $99,210 4) Willdan Engineering: $50,260 Representatives from five surrounding jurisdictions reviewed and scored the proposals. Each of the four firms underwent a comprehensive evaluation, assessing their experience, methodology, public engagement strategies, and total cost. While all four firms were qualified, MDG Associates, Inc. stood out due to their exemplary experience. As a result, the regional committee and City staff recommend entering into an Agreement with MDG Associates, Inc. to prepare the FY 2025-29 Regional Assessment of Fair Housing in an amount not to exceed $159,882 for a one-year term beginning August 1, 2024 and expiring July 30, 2025 (Exhibit 1). With approval by City Council, this Regional Assessment of Fair Housing will be completed for the City and all of the surrounding jurisdictions in Orange County paid for proportionally through a Memorandum of Understanding and Payment Agreement (MOU) (Exhibit 2). The City's proportionate share of the cost of this MOU will be $16,456.65. The contributions for each jurisdiction were determined by population size, directly linked to the federal funds allocated to each jurisdiction by HUD. If a jurisdiction decides not to execute the MOU following their prior commitment, that jurisdiction will not be included in the Regional Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) and the portion of payment required by all participating jurisdictions will be increased, including the City. Since there are 33 other jurisdictions, with their respective attorneys and financial officers, who will be reviewing the MOU before making payment, staff is also requesting authorization for the City Attorney to reasonably revise the template MOU as needed.