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Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 3.A
Meeting Date: April 27, 2022
From: John Corella, Director of Engineering/Public Works Title: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) FY 2022 -27 Consolidated Plan Final Review, CDBG FY 2022 -23 Annual Action P lan Introduction and Formation of a City Council Public Services Review Subcommittee
City Council
RECOMMENDATION:
Final review of the City's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) FY 2022 -27 Consolidated Plan (Con Plan); and for Staff to introduce the FY 2022-23 Annual Action Plan (AAP); and, for the City Council to appoint a Subcommittee to assist Staff in the review of the Public Services proposals received.
BACKGROUND:
The Community Development Block Grant ( CDBG) program, funding awarded from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ( HUD), allows Cathedral City to carry out a wide range of community development activities directed toward revitalizing neighborhoods, economic development, an d improving community facilities and services, principally for low-to-moderate (low-mod) income individuals.
As an entitlement city, Cathedral City receives annual entitlement funds to address the priority needs of the community which are outlined in the 5-Year Consolidated Plan (Con Plan) . The Con Plan planning process serves as the framework for a communitywide dialogue to identify housing and community development priorities. The Annual Action Plan (AAP) is a plan that shows how CDBG funds will be allocated for the upcoming fiscal year as part of the Con Plan objectives.
Preparing the Con Plan included several methods which analyzed the housing and community development needs. Methods include d hosting focus groups, surveying community residents and stakeholders, analyzing U.S. Census data, and uti lizing information in several public planning documents. The Con Plan summarize s the City’s priorities and specific objectives in addressing the needs of low -income households and communities. The City hosted t wo community advisory meetings to discuss the proposed Con Plan with residents and one focus group advisory meeting with public service providers in an effort to reach out and encourage participation from both
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residents and service providers particularly low-mod income residents, elderly persons and p ersons with disabilities. These teleconference meetings took place on the following dates:
• February 17 at 12:00PM (Focus Group)
• February 17 at 5:30PM (Community Meeting)
• March 23 at 5:30PM (Community Meeting)
Meeting times and dates were placed in Cathed ral City’s newspaper, the Desert Sun , on February 5, 2022 , in both English and Spanish and posted conspicuously at City Hall, Cathedral City Library, Boys and Girls Club, and the Cathedral City Senior Center starting on February 1, 2022.
On January 12, 2 022, City Staff and its Consultant presented the City’s 5 -Year Con Plan to the City Council at its Study Session . Following the discussion, City Council requested additional examples of qualified programs eligible for funding through the CDBG Program. The City Council requested Staff to research qualified programs that have the potential to be considered and an investigation on what other CDBG entitled cities fund. All the aforementioned will provide the City Council better insight to opportunities to addr ess the needs of the community and appropriately allocate future CDBG funds.
At the City Council Study Session on March 23, 2022, City Staff presented the potential uses of CDBG funds to provide the City Council further insight into opportunities and priority needs that could be addressed . The Con Plan planning process was also discussed. During this discussion, City Council recommended that the City’s Con Plan include broad priority needs and subcategory needs. The goal being to select versatile priority needs such that, should an unforeseen priority need arise during the lifespan of the Con Plan, the need could still be addressed with CDBG funds.
Subsequent to the March 23, 2022 City Council meeting, Staff had further discussions with HUD representatives regarding the specifics of the Con Plan and the AAP. HUD confirmed that the Con Plan and the first year AAP of the Con Plan are to be submitted as one document. For the remaining four subsequent years, only the AAP will be submitted to HUD for approval. At the end of the 5 -Year Con Plan period, the City will repeat the process of drafting a Con Plan which includes the first year AAP.
DISCUSSION:
Con Plan: City Staff and its Consultant compil ed data gathered from the surveys, public meetings, and meeti ngs with City Council to understand the priority needs of the community. The results of these meetings are compiled in a draft of the Con Plan that is included as an attachment to this Staff Report. In the Con Plan , the outlined priority needs include the following:
• Housing Rehabilitation (Minor Home Repairs)
• Code Enforcement Assistance
• ADA Improvements
• Rental Assistance
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• Homeownership Assistance
• Community Services (Public Services)
o Includes: Youth, Senior, Homeless, Disability, and Fair Housing • Business and Jobs (Economic Development)
The Con Plan considered various components to determine the priority needs listed above. A few of the key assessment areas considered and evaluated were:
• Segregating disabilities by type for seniors 65 years of age and above • Statistics on spending on rent
• The cost burden of income assessment by percentage
• Statistics on overcrowding within the home
• Needs and market analysis for employment by occupation • A review of barriers to affordable housing
• Extremely low income needs evaluation
The attached draft of the Con Plan is in the final review stage, minus the AAP component (reflected within sections starting with the letters “AP”) that is required to be included in the Con Plan submittal. Staff is asking that the City Council review the proposed Con Plan , with its statistical evaluations that make up the priority needs and provide the final input for Staff to complete the Con Plan portion of the Plan.
AAP:
At this City Council meeting, City Staff will be introducing the FY 2022-23 AAP for review. The presentation on the AAP will include discussion on allocations for Program Administration, Public Services and Public Improvements based on last year’s 2021 -22 CDBG allocation amount of $656,357. Please note that when the City receives notice of its FY 2022-23 CDBG allocation, Staff will adjust the specific area funding amounts accordingly. A template for the allocation areas are as follows:
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Public Servi ces: The portion of the CDBG allocation that can be used for Public Services is capped at 15% of the total allocation of the annual entitlement. In this case $95,000. The City Council should note that the City has not been notified of any additional CDBG-CV (Covid) funding for FY 2022 -23. Thus, at this time, only $12,865 of the existing CDBG -CV funding remains unallocated, which can be added to the Public Services total, or be used for Public Improvements if programmed so. In addition, if any funds remain from the FY 2021 -22 AAP, these can be reprogrammed into the FY 2022-23 AAP at a later date via an Administrative or Substantial Amendment.
Staff is requesting that the City Council provide initial input as to what Public Services programs should be c onsidered for funding . A short list, and not limited to, of past approved public service providers, as well as qualified service providers that have not been approved for grant funding are listed in alphabetical order for consideration at this initial introductory discussion:
• Alcoholic Anonymous
• Angel View
• Assistance League
• Big Brother – Big Sister
• Boys and Girls Club
• Braille Institute
• Cathedral City Historical Society
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• Cathedral City Senior Center
• Coachella Valley Association of Governments Housing First Program • Coachella Valley Rescue Mission
• Community Blood Bank
• Desert Access and Mobility
• Lift to Rise
• Martha’s Village
• Operation Safe House
• Path of Life Ministries
• Salvation Army
• Stonewall Ministries
• Transgender Health and Wellness Center
• WeeCare Child Services
To assist in this initial review, City Staff has already reached out to many of these Public Service Providers in Cathedral City, as well as in the Coachella Valley, to solicit proposals for this upcoming FY 2022-23 AAP.
To further assist Staff in its evaluation of Public Service provider proposals, Staff is requesting City Council appoint a Subcommittee composed of two (2) City Council members to also review the proposals received. It is proposed that the Consultant, City Staff and the Subcommitt ee make a recommendation for the FY 2022 -23 CDBG Public Services allocation for City Council consideration and approval. The final approved AAP, with the Public Se rvices allocations will be submitted as the concluding component of the Con Plan , currently now shown in the AP Sections of the attached Con Plan.
Public Improvements: The portion of the CDBG allocation that can be used for Public Improvements is not capped and in the above past year scenario is shown as $436,357.
In past years , this funding would go to a Public Improvement Project within a low -mod areas designated by HUD.
This past year ’s FY 2021 -22 Program designated the Phase 1 of the Via De Anza Roadway Improvements to be completed utilizing the $436,357 Public Improvements entitlement. For the FY 2022 -23 AAP Public Improvements entitlements, Staff will be proposing that the Public Improvements allocation be directed to the Phase 2 of the Via De Anza Roadway Improvements ; and propose an allocation of $15,000 to establish and initiate a Low-Mod Sidewalk Repair Grant Award Program. This Low-Mod Sidewalk Repair Grant Award Program will assist property owners within the City’s HUD designated low -mod areas with a grant to assist with the cost to repair sidewalks fronting properties that have been identified by Code Compliance as needing repair.
Schedule: The following schedule for study , review and approval of the FY 2022-23 AAP is proposed in order to maintain compliance with HUD:
• April 27, 2022 City Council Study Session:
o Review of final Con Plan draft.
o Introduction of the AAP and general review of components based on last
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year’s entitlement grant.
o Appointment of a City Council Subcommittee to review the Public Services applications.
• May 18, 2022 City Council Special Study Session:
o Review of AAP as proposed by Staff and the City Council Subcommittee for concurrence and approval to post.
• May 19, 2022:
o Posting of the 30-day notice for public comments on the Con Plan/AAP. • June 22, 2022 City Council Meeting:
o Public Hearing for the approval of the Con Plan/AAP.
In summary at tonight’s Study Session Staff is requesting the following:
• That the City Council complete a final review of the City's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) FY 2022-27 Consolidated Plan (Con Plan). • For Staff to intr oduce the FY 2022 -23 Annual Action Plan (AAP) , including a recap of Public Service providers approved in the past. • For the City Council to appoint a Subcommittee to assist Staff in review ing the Public Service provider proposals in order to be brought back to the May 18, 2022 Special Study Session for review and concurrence prior to posting.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This item has no fiscal impact at this time.
ATTACHMENTS:
DRAFT FY 2022-27 CONSOLIDATED PLAN