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Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 1.A
Meeting Date: May 18, 2022
From: John Corella, Director of Engineering/Public Works Title: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) FY 2022-23 Annual Action Plan (AAP) Final Review
City Council
RECOMMENDATION:
Final review of the City's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) FY 2022-23 Annual Action Plan (AAP) is for the City Council's review, discussion and direction.
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, and improving community facilities and services, principally for low-to-moderate (low-mod) income individuals. The Annual Action Plan (AAP) outlines how CDBG funds will be allocated for a certain fiscal year. The AAP consists of three categories that have funding capacities set by HUD listed below:
•Program Administration (≤20%)
•Public Services (≤15%)
•Public Improvements (No Cap)
Starting in April 2022, City Staff reached out to eligible Service Providers to solicit proposals for Cathedral City’s FY 2022-23 AAP. The criteria used for eligible providers included:
•Providers serve Cathedral City residents
•Providers address a priority need outlined in the Con Plan •Providers have experience with Cathedral City, CDBG, and Coachella Valley During the initial solicitation, Service Providers requested a template be provided for reference. In response, a template application was sent out to ALL interested Service Providers for the City’s CDBG Program. City Staff and Consultants worked with interested Service Providers who faced any challenges with submitting a proposal.
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Proposals were requested to be submitted by May 6, 2022, in order for the City Council Subcommittee for Public Services to be able to review and evaluate the programs with staff.
DISCUSSION:
Public Services
At the April 27, 2022, City Council Study Session, City staff presented the FY 2022-27 Con Plan for final review, FY 2022-23 AAP for introduction, and to appoint the aforementioned Subcommittee to work with staff and consultants on the review and evaluation of Public Service Provider proposals. The Con Plan was reviewed with no additional comments from City Council, the AAP was introduced, and the Public Services Subcommittee was appointed.
On May 9, 2022, the Public Services Subcommittee met with staff to review and evaluate proposals from seven Public Service Providers requesting funding from the City’s CDBG Public Services Program allocation.
•Angel View - $20,000
•Assistance League - $16,500
•Boys and Girls Club - $19,980
•Cathedral City HS Band Boosters Organization Inc. - $30,000 •Coachella Valley Rescue Mission - $51,500
•Desert Access and Mobility - $25,000
•Transgender Health and Wellness - $20,000
Keeping in mind there will be limited availability of funding for Public Services, compared to the years that HUD provided CV-CARES Act funding, the Public Services Subcommittee took various factors into consideration such as eligibility, City’s need for services, and the City’s vision for effective use of CDBG funding. Cathedral City’s vision for CDBG-funded Public Service Providers is to support providers/programs that are needing financial assistance to start out and are looking to grow into self-sufficient Public Service Providers for the City.
Program Administration
Administrative CDBG funding will be used to manage the overall program processes and planning. The Administrative Allowance for managing the CDBG program is a maximum of twenty percent (20%). The Administrative Allowance may be used to fund program planning activities such as the development of comprehensive plans, community development plans, energy strategies, capacity building, environmental studies, neighborhood plans and other plans. Administrative CDBG funding includes salaries, wages, and related costs of City Staff involved in program management, monitoring, and evaluation. A bulk of the administrative allowance will be used to fund the City’s CDBG Grant Administrator and the City’s Consultant.
The remainder of the Administrative allowance will be used to fund fair housing activities through Inland Fair Housing and Mediation Board (IFHMB). IFHMB is a non-profit, public benefit corporation that serves San Bernardino County and parts of Riverside and Imperial Counties. IFHMB assists individuals in resolving issues related to housing Cathedral City Page 3 of 5 Printed on 5/12/2022
discrimination, homeownership sustainability, rental complaints, and disputes in court through the provision of resource recommendations, education, and mediation. IFHMB is also used to provide valuable feedback in preparation of and meeting the goals described in the City’s Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH).
Public Improvements
Emergency Sidewalk Repair Grant Award Program: City Staff is proposing a program to assist a limited number of qualified families in low- moderate income neighborhoods that have received Code Enforcement notices that their sidewalks fronting their properties are not in compliance. This Program will provide 50% assistance in the costs to repair the non-compliant sidewalk section. It is anticipated that four to five grantees will be granted awards under this roll-out Program. This will address the Code Enforcement Assistance priority need in the FY 2022-27 Con Plan.
Via De Anza Street Improvements Phase II:
City Staff is proposing that the remaining funds in the Public Improvements category be allocated to fund the Phase II of the Via De Anza Project. Phase I of the Via De Anza Project is located on Via De Anza between Dinah Shore Drive and Ortega Road. Phase I of this Project included removal of asphalt, shaping, and compacting existing base material and asphalt paving, installing sidewalks, concrete driveway approaches, ADA compliant sidewalk ramps, and curb and gutter gap closures, removal and construction of garden walls, lowering and raising utilities to final grade, pavement striping, and markings on the West side of the street. The Phase II of the Via De Anza Project will complete the East side of the same section of the street.
The table below shows the proposed allocation for FY 2022-23 CDBG Program:
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Cathedral City CDBG Program
CDBG PROGRAM FUNDING
Administrative Allowance $ 125,000
Public Services Allowance $ 96,500
Public Improvement $ 436,357
Total Funding Allocated $ 657,857
ADMINISTRATIVE (≤20%) FUNDING
Planning and Administration $ 107,000
Inland Fair Housing and Mediation Board (IFHMB) $ 18,000 Total Funding Allocated $ 125,000
PUBLIC SERVICES (≤15%) FUNDING
Assistance League: Operation School Bell Program $ 1 5,000 Boys and Girls Club: Workforce Development & Education Expansion Program $ 1 5,000 CCHS: Band Boosters Organization Inc. $ 1 5,000 Coachella Valley Rescue Mission $ 5 1,500
Total Funding Allocated $ 9 6,500
PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS FUNDING
Emergency Sidewalk Repair Grant Award Program $ 1 5,000 Via De Anze Project Phase II $ 421,357
Total Funding Allocated $ 436,357
Please note: This table shows estimates based on FY 2021-22 CDBG Grant Award. This table will be amended per HUD guidelines with the FY 2022-23 CDBG Grant Award once HUD announces Cathedral City’s Award.
Attached to this Staff Report is the 5-Year Con Plan, previously reviewed by City Council on April 27, 2022, with the addition of the AAP portion being presented tonight, starting on page 163 of the document. This entire document is what will be required to be submitted to HUD after the public comment period, public hearing and City Council approval.
Following this Special City Council Meeting, if the AAP is accepted with no comments, City Staff will publish the Con Plan/AAP for a 30-day public commenting period. Once the commenting period is complete, City Staff will bring the Con Plan/AAP to City Council for public hearing and approval, scheduled for June 22, 2022. Once approved by City Council, the Con Plan/AAP will be uploaded to HUD for final approval, currently scheduled to be submitted on June 23, 2022. The federal deadline to submit the Con Plan/AAP to HUD is August 16.
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FISCAL IMPACT:
This item has no fiscal impact at this time.
ATTACHMENTS:
DRAFT FY 2022-27 Con Plan/AAP