...Title
2019 CDBG Annual Action Plan
...Body
Summary and Background Information:
Discussion of:
• Draft 2019 Annual Action Plan
• Reallocation of funding:
1. Draft Amendment to the 2018 Annual Action Plan
2. Draft Amendment to the 2017 Annual Action Plan
3. Draft Amendment to the Amended 2016 Annual Action Plan
In 2016, the City became an Entitlement Community and now directly receives funding from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). As required by HUD, the City works through its Citizen Participation Plan to determine the allocation of project funds. The final document produced with this procedure the Annual Action Plan (AAP). The AAP then serves as the City’s application and plan for the following CDBG funding year.
Consideration Number One - Adoption of the CDBG 2019 Annual Action Plan
The CDBG Office met all of the requirements in the Citizen Participation Plan. The 2019 Draft AAP incorporates the input from:
|
Organizational Consultations |
Number of Organizations |
Approximate Attendance |
|
Formal Presentations |
9 |
207 |
|
Meetings and Telephone Interviews |
52 |
85 |
|
City Department Presentations |
10 |
37 |
|
Citizen Contacts |
|
425 |
|
Totals |
71 |
754 |
The CDBG Office received nine funding applications in mid-March. The CDBG Coordinator reviewed and prepared summaries of each application. Over the course of two meetings, the CDBG Team reviewed, scored and ranked each application. The Team recommended funding for six applications. The results are shown below:
|
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) |
|
|
2019 AAP Project Rank & Funding |
|
|
As of May 10, 2019 |
|
|
|
|
2019 Grant Amount |
$ 428,484 |
|
|
|
Administration (20%) |
$ 85,697 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Public Services (15% Cap) |
$ 64,273 |
|
|
|
Applicants |
Eligible Request |
Advised |
Rank |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PD - Domestic Violence Victim Support |
$ 42,000 |
$ 30,000 |
1 |
|
Audio Information Network |
$ 29,726 |
$ 14,862 |
2 |
|
Groundworks Denver |
$ 64,187 |
$ 19,410 |
3 |
|
Almost Home |
$ 27,911 |
$ - |
4 |
|
Senior Hub |
$ 20,000 |
$ - |
5 |
|
Commerce City Historical Society |
$ 8,320 |
$ - |
6 |
|
Public Service Balance |
$ 192,144 |
$64,272 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Remaining non-PS Funding |
$ 278,515 |
|
|
|
Plus any leftover Public Service $ |
$ 1 |
|
|
|
Remaining Project Funds |
$ 278,515 |
|
|
|
|
Eligible Request |
Advised |
Rank |
|
|
|
|
|
|
CD - Minor Home Repair Program |
$ 178,515 |
$ 178,515 |
1 |
|
Arapahoe County Weatherization |
$ 75,000 |
$ 75,000 |
2 |
|
Paint-a-Thon -BRI |
$ 25,000 |
$ 25,000 |
3 |
|
Funding Balance |
$ 278,515 |
$278,515 |
|
Considerations Number Two through Four - Amending the 2016, 2017 and 2018 AAPs to Reallocate Unspent Funds
During the first 30-months of the CDBG Program, five projects were not undertaken for a variety of reasons. The total amount of the unspent grant funding was $115,840. HUD requires CDBG grant funds be spent within certain timeframes. Reallocating the unspent funds will help the City’s CDBG Program stay in good standing with HUD.
As background on the specific projects, two of the projects were funding to construct bus stop improvements. However, due to staffing challenges, Public Works could not utilize this funding. The second project was the Residential Resource Directory, but similar resources produced by Adams County around the same time, made the project redundant. The Fair Housing project was unable to meet the required National Objectives, and Access Housing rescinded their funding request.
Current or future CDBG projects may use the unspent funds. The CDBG Office recommends placing all the funds into active 2018 AAP projects to help meet the looming HUD Timeliness Test.
The process to reallocate the funding consists of:
Ø Citizen participation and input,
Ø CDBG Team review and recommendations,
Ø City Council approval, and
Ø Submitting the amended AAPs to HUD.
Funding reallocation opportunities were presented at the March 28, 2019 Public Input Meeting. Legal notices in the Sentinel and La Prensa invited citizens to provide written comments on the funding reallocations and the same information was placed on the City’s website. During this time, the CDBG Office sought additional input from citizens through the City’s Facebook, Twitter, and Channel 8 platforms. The deadline to receive written comments is June 28, 2019. The public will also have an opportunity to comment on the reallocations at the City Council’s regular meeting on July 1, 2019.
Back on May 10, 2019, the CDBG Team evaluated available unspent funding. The CDBG Team recommended reallocation of funding to three 2018 AAP projects based on the number of LMI households served, meeting identified community needs, the past success of the projects, and the regulatory limitations on where and what types of projects could receive the funding.
The CDBG Team recommended the Minor Home Repair Program receive $94,000, Domestic Violence Victims Program receive $11,840, and the Small Business Resource Center-Staffing project receive $10,000 for a total reallocation of $115,840. Please see the Reallocation Table below.
|
# |
Previous Allocation by Council |
AAP Year |
Amount |
Recommend Reallocation to: |
Amount |
AAP Year |
|
1. |
Fair Housing Activities |
2017 |
$4,000 |
MHRP |
$4,000 |
2018 |
|
2. |
Resident Resource Directory |
2017 |
$10,000 |
MHRP |
$10,000 |
2018 |
|
3. |
Access Housing Staffing |
2018 |
$21,840 |
DVV |
$11,840 |
2018 |
|
|
|
|
|
SBRC Staffing |
$10,000 |
2018 |
|
4. |
2016 Bus Stop Improvements |
2016 |
$30,000 |
MHRP |
$30,000 |
2018 |
|
5. |
2017 Bus Stop Improvements |
2017 |
$50,000 |
MHRP |
$50,000 |
2018 |
|
|
Totals $115,840 |
|
$115,840 |
|
Should the City Council approve the funding reallocations, the CDBG Office will submit the necessary amendments to the 2016, 2017 and 2018 AAPs to HUD in late July 2019.
Staff Responsible (Department Head): Chris Cramer, Director of Community Development
Staff Member Presenting: Cheryl Steinberg, CDBG Coordinator
Financial Impact: CDBG 2019 Annual Action Plan - estimated $428,484 grant to the City
Reallocation funding already awarded to the City
Funding Source: HUD’s Community Development Block Grant for all AAPs
Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends the adoption of the:
1. Draft 2019 Annual Action Plan
2. Draft Amendment to the 2018 Annual Action Plan
3. Draft Amendment to the 2017 Annual Action Plan
4. Draft Amendment to the Amended 2016 Annual Action Plan
Suggested Motion: None. Discussion only.