Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: URBAN COUNTY JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT (JPA)
RENEWAL
Date: June 9, 2026
Written by: Noah Housh, Director of Community Development Recommendation
It is recommended the City Council adopt a resolution reaffirming the City’s intent to continue participation in the Urban County JPA, working collectively with the County of Sonoma, Town of Windsor, and the cities of Cloverdale, Rohnert Park, Sonoma and Sebastopol for the purposes of receiving federal grants.
Background
On August 1, 2017, the Urban County jurisdictions (County of Sonoma, Town of Windsor, and the cities of Cloverdale, Rohnert Park, Sonoma, Sebastopol and Cotati) entered into the Urban County JPA to work collectively to pursue Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), HOME Investment Partnership program funding and other similar federal funding sources. This agreement further supported cooperation and assistance with regard to community renewal and lower income housing support, with the County of Sonoma managing most administrative functions of these efforts.
Analysis/Discussion
As discussed above, the City of Cotati is currently a member of a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) with the County of Sonoma, which allows the City to be a part of the Urban County, the entitlement entity, for access to federal grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These funds include the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG). HUD requires that the Urban County re-qualify every three years to continue receiving annual allocation of these grants. The Sonoma County Community Development Commission (Commission) acts as the administrator of the grant programs on behalf of the Urban County. The re-qualification process typically begins the spring before the upcoming three-year qualification period, which is 2027 through 2029.
If the City of Cotati would like to continue to have access to the referenced federal grant programs through the Urban County, it must continue to be a member of the JPA. The City has the option to terminate the agreement and be excluded from the Urban County, however, doing so would eliminate access to these federal grant programs via the Urban County; and the City would no longer be represented in the Cities and Towns Advisory Committee (CTAC) at the Commission. The City would have to apply directly to the state’s federal programs when they publish their notice of funding availability to access these funds and manage all administrative functions of these grant application processes. The last JPA was executed in 2017 and since then, the City has opted to continue being a member. The City must inform the Commission of its intent to remain as a member of the JPA, be excluded from the Urban County, or terminate the JPA by no later than July 10, 2026. If the City does not respond, or fails to respond before the due date, the City will automatically remain in the Urban County for the period of 2027 through 2029.
Staff recommends that the City Council approve a resolution to authorize the City Manager to sign a letter of intent indicating Cotati’s goal to remain as a member in the Urban County JPA, enabling the eight-jurisdiction Urban County to continue to participate in the federal CDBG, HOME, and ESG programs as an entitlement jurisdiction.
Financial Considerations
There are no direct negative fiscal impacts to the General Fund to remain within the Urban County. Grant funding received by the Urban County may be allocated to Cotati if identified projects qualify and are selected and County-wide programs funded by the CDC are available to Cotati residents if the City remains part of the JPA.
Environmental Issues
The proposed authorization to remain part of the Urban County JPA is not a project under CEQA. Where it can be determined with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA review. This general rule can be applied to activities which could be subject to the CEQA process, but which logic dictates should not be subject to CEQA review. Therefore, based on the information provided above, the proposed resolution is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section
14.03.021 of the CEQA Guidelines in that there is no possibility that the activity may have a significant impact on the environment.