Do You Have the IDIS Touch?

1. NACCED 2011 Conference Los Angeles, CA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSIONOF THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES2 Coral Circle, Monterey Park, CA 91755 (323) 890-7001 www.lacdc.org Do You Have the IDIS Touch?

2. COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES The County of Los Angeles is the Largest Urban County Program in the Country CDBG $31,029,719 new FY 11-12 funds $1,429,642 as a joint applicants two entitlement cities $12,019,323 in CDBG funds from prior Fiscal Years; $4,355,325 in estimated future CDBG Program income; HOME $12,342,317 in FY 11-12 funds ESG $1,296,251 in FY 11-12 funds $62,477,819 Leveraged Funds $58,567,000 GRAND TOTAL $121,044,819

3. COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES(continued) • Population of over 13 million people • The County of LA is larger than 42 states • There are 88 ethnically diverse cities in the county where over 100 languages are spoken

4. OUR CDBG PROGRAM • CDBG funds are allocated to 54 jurisdictions • 49 Participating Cities • 5 Board of Supervisors Districts serving the unincorporated areas • Our Subrecipient Partner Agencies implement approximately 300 different activities such as youth programs, graffiti removal, meals for seniors, minor home repair programs, and construction of new public facilities and commercial developments. • The Service Delivery Network includes: • Participating Cities • Community-Based Organizations • Other Public Agencies such as School Districts • County Departments • CDC Divisions

5. OUR CDBG PROGRAM (continued) • Our participating cities share approximately 50% of the Urban County’s annual allocation to fund their own community and economic development activities • The cities keep local control by designing and operating CDBG projects based on local needs • Subrecipient management is our primary administrative focus • Staffing – Currently at 42 staff for program administration down from a high of 60 in 2003-04

6. CDBG-funded project accomplishments • 1,922 businesses assisted through activities such as façade improvements, micro loans, and technical assistance • 8,715 housing units assisted through residential rehabilitation and code enforcement activities • 69 jobs were created/retained • 1,267,133 people benefitted from services ranging from recreation programs to counseling to architectural barrier removal • 5,646 public facilities were improved

7. IDIS ONLINE • HUD’s re-engineered system IDIS Online is a significant improvement over legacy IDIS • Web-based and Windows compatible • Now includes full cut, copy, and paste capability • New address validation feature is a good enhancement • From a national perspective, IDIS information rolls up to adequately represent activities and results • Meets our grant and contract management needs for the HOME program since all activities are administered by the CDC

8. Effective Program Administration Features of IDIS • More IDIS reports now available • Reports are available in PDF and Excel formats • Gives Grantees another source to cross check internal records • Mechanism through which we get our

9. USEFUL IDIS REPORTS PR08 Grantee Summary Activity Report • Provides a link between the Grantee Activity Number and the IDIS Activity ID Number, as well as up-to-date activity funding and drawdown totals by activity • Our favorite PR56 CDBG Timeliness Report • Provides current drawdown ratio PR02 List of Activities by Program Year and Projects • Provides funding and drawdown totals for CDBG-R and HPRP activities, as well as CDBG, ESG, and HOME • One glaring omission - No Grantee Activity Number.

10. IDIS reports in CAPER • PR23 Summary of Accomplishments Report • PR06 Summary of Consolidated Plan Projects for Report Year • PR26 CDBG Financial Summary • PR03 CDBG Activity Summary Report • PR83 CDBG Performance Measures Report • PR84 CDBG Strategy Area, CDFI, and Local Target Area Report • PR85 (HOME) Housing Performance Report • PR81 ESG Performance Measures Report

11. Limitations of IDIS • PLANNING - IDIS does not provide a statistical perspective for activities relative to our 5 year Consolidated Plan or produce all the required components for our One-Year Action Plan • REPORTING - IDIS does not produce all the required components of a CAPER • Additional materials must be produced outside of IDIS • Necessitates another layer of recordkeeping and analysis

12. Limitations of IDIS (continued) • LIMITS USER ACCESS • DUAL ENTRY BURDEN – Limited interface capabilities with other agency data systems • INFLEXIBILTY – Can’t make adjustments or revisions once financial information is submitted; have to offset against future draws • INSUFFICIENT SUBRECIPIENT CONTRACT MANAGEMENT TOOL - IDIS and its predecessor ENTERS did not support the contract management of our 54 Subrecipients since their activities could not be separated from the grant as a whole

13. Beginning of Time - 2009 IDIS was a mainframe system accessed via modem using terminal emulation

14. BIG PROGRAM = BIGGER NEEDS Typewriters were not this fun So just like many agencies in the 90’s, the CDC began to appreciate the administrative efficiencies of Microsoft Word programs

15. BIG PROGRAM = BIGGER NEEDS(continued) The CDC launched its first CDBG data base system to produce the 1997-98 CAPER

16. THE EVOLUTION REVOLUTION While IDIS adequately serves smaller grantees and meets the needs of HUD, the CDC/County of LA determined that it needed to invest in the utilization of technological efficiencies to automate both a grants and contracts management system

17. OUR PRIMARY GOALS • Consolidate and Automate Consistent Methodologies and Techniques for : • Subrecipient contract development • Disbursement of funds to agencies • Financial review and management • Quarterly data collection • Research, and analysis • In-progress monitoring • Electronically Generate Plans, Reports, Contracts, and Payments • Allow for efficient operations in a paperless environment • Require all agencies to have basic information technology systems • Facilitate data collection and entry into IDIS and the distribution of appropriated grant formula funds.

18. OUR INTEGRATED SYSTEM • Consolidated Plan • Action Plan • CAPER •  Priority Needs • Projects • Subrecipient Funding Pools

19. OUR INTEGRATED SYSTEM(continued) Priority Need Codes link the Consolidated Plan to the County’s One-Year Action Plan to the CAPER • Combination of HUD-guided program accomplishments and factors designed by CDC to establish and track the needs defined by the public and the related implemented initiatives • The County has 12 Priority Needs that are addressed in these 3 documents

20. OUR INTEGRATED SYSTEM(continued) Contract Development The primary data input factors for each funded activity defined scope of work:   • CDC Priority Need, HUD matrix code, HUD National Objective • Activity Description, Budget, Performance Indicator, Goals • Objective and Outcome Performance Measurements Documents are electronically submitted, routed, and approved Contracts are posted and digitally signed No paper copies

21. OUR INTEGRATED SYSTEM(continued) • Collects information through a secure webpage - an individualized "Partner Page" on the CDC website • Allows Partner Agencies to enter project information and access CDBG Policy Bulletins, training manuals, and other regulatory and resource information • Allows Partner Agencies to download documents such as contracts and contract amendments which they approve online and return to the CDBG Division for final execution • Uses digital signatures for all contracts and amendments

22. OUR INTEGRATED SYSTEM(continued) • Facilitates the electronic tracking of contracts and amendments • Integrates geographic information functions in the development of contracts which allow staff to develop service area maps for funded activities • Integrates the use of Property Identification Forms used by the Environmental Services Unit in clearing residential rehabilitation activities • Integrates the Residential Rehabilitation and Public Service beneficiary and information that provides on-line monitoring tools

23. OUR INTEGRATED SYSTEM(continued) • Enables the grantee to store and track supporting documentation for In-Progress Monitoring purposes • Facilitates performance reporting and the management of funding pools • Links to a financial system which allows CDC internal and Partner Agencies' external users to submit payment requests electronically • Supporting documentation scanned and uploaded into the database • Payments are made through direct deposit • Tracks project expenditures in real time

24. HUD COMMENDS THE CDBG SYSTEM • In July 2011 HUD LA commended the County for its exemplary performance and recommended to HUD Headquarters - System Development and Evaluation Division that the CDBG System be recognized as a BEST PRACTICE.

25. BONUS POINTS • Challenges Our Creativity and Engages All Our Workgroups to Evaluate How We Do Business and Consider Areas of Improvement • Brings a Great Sense of Accomplishment when Added Efficiencies Are Discovered and Savings Realized • Empowers Agencies to Take More Responsibility for Their Programs • Streamlined Processes – Even Eliminated Some!!! • No Duplicative Entry - Allows for Prior Year Activity Information to be Pushed Forward for Revisions • Helps Us Survive Lean Years

26. Questions? We Build Better Lives & Better Neighborhoods