Additional spending rules for grants in aid

(a) There is established a grants in aid advisory commission that shall review applications for grants in aid moneys and advise the city on projects to be funded with grant moneys from the grants in aid fund. The recommendations made by the grants in aid advisory commission regarding recommended expenditures from the grants in aid fund shall be consistent with the priorities established by the council by resolution. (b) Applications for projects to be funded with grants in aid moneys, including projects submitted by the city administration and by councilmembers to benefit their respective council districts, shall be submitted to the commission by January 20 of each year. The council shall only consider for the funding those projects for which applications have been submitted to the commission by the January 20 deadline. (c) The commission shall annually submit a report setting forth its recommendations to the council by March 4. (d) The council shall select the projects to be funded with grants in aid moneys through the annual budget process and the selection of the projects must comply with the requirements set forth in the charter. (e) All moneys for projects to be funded with grants in aid moneys shall be awarded and encumbered within 45 days of the beginning of the fiscal year. All notices to proceed shall not be unreasonably withheld and in all instances shall be issued no later than 30 days from the date of encumbrance. All requests for payments from grantees shall be processed, reconciled, and paid within 30 calendar days from its receipt. The administering agency may only withhold payment for disputed charges but only for the disputed amount. The administering agency shall notify the grantee and reconcile any disputes within 60 days from the date whereupon the applicable request for payment was received. (f) In the event of a disagreement between the department of community services, department of budget and fiscal services, or any other city agency involved in the administration of the program as to a disputed charge, the decision of the director of community services shall prevail. (g) At any given time, no more than 5 percent of the moneys in the grants in aid fund shall be used for administrative expenses. (h) Any balance remaining in the grants in aid fund at the end of any fiscal year shall not lapse, but shall remain in the grants in aid fund, accumulating from year to year. The moneys in the grants in aid fund shall not be used for any purposes except those listed in this article.