Title
Receive the Urban County Community Development Block Grant Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report for Fiscal Year 2013-2014
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
Receive the Urban County Community Development Block Grant Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report for Fiscal Year 2013-2014
SUMMARY:
In November of 2012, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved the formation of an Urban County consisting of the cities of Del Rey Oaks and Gonzales and the unincorporated portions of Monterey County. This designation allows the Urban County to receive Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program funds directly from HUD. The County is required to report annually to HUD on its implementation of the Action Plan and progress in achieving the annual and long-term goals contained in the Annual Action Plan and Consolidated Plan. The Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) is mandated by HUD for reporting and evaluating Urban County performance.
DISCUSSION:
The County received $856,820 in CDBG funding from HUD in Fiscal Year 2013-14. In July 2013, HUD accepted the Urban County's Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan (Action Plan) for the CDBG program. Pursuant to the Action Plan, CDBG grant funds were allocated for projects and programs in the unincorporated areas of the County, and in the cities of Del Rey Oaks and Gonzales. The 2013 Action Plan allocated 68.6% of available funding for infrastructure and facility improvements, 11.4% for public services, and 20% for grant administration.
As the Urban County and to implement CDBG funded programs, the County issued a Notice of Funding Availability, selected Subrecipients for funding, completed the National Environmental Quality Act (NEPA) review process, and entered into Agreements for nine infrastructure projects and five service projects. The County's Urban County accomplishments are accurately summarized for the Board in this report.
Producing an accurate CAPER for Fiscal Year 2013-14 has been hampered by a new HUD computer system (IDIS), which has made reporting accomplishments and requesting funds challenging. Consequently, the attached reports, which were generated by the HUD IDIS system, do not reflect all of the accomplishments made by the Urban County during its first year. The omitted accomplishments will be captured and reported to HUD in the County's CAPER for Fiscal Year 2014-15 and HUD acknowledges this is a result of its IDIS system. Again, all pertinent Urban County accomplishments are accurately summarized for the Board in this report.
During Fiscal Year 2013-14, the Urban County used CDBG funds to address the priorities and specific objectives identified in its strategic plan and gave special attention to the highest priority activities. The Urban County used CDBG funds to coordinate programs, services, and projects to create decent and suitable living environments that benefitted low and moderate income households, including those with special needs. Use of CDBG funds focused on some of the most critical needs in the Urban County as follows:
· An infrastructure grant that helped low-income households in Aromas remain in their homes and connect to the Aromas Water District municipal water system.
· An infrastructure grant to Monterey County Public Works to make improvements to the Chualar wastewater system which serves a predominately low/moderate income community.
· A grant to Rancho Cielo to construct a house in the unincorporated area north of Salinas that provides six transitional beds for homeless at-risk youth.
· A grant to the City of Del Rey Oaks to make ADA improvements to City Hall, thereby improving access for disabled citizens.
· Five grants to the City of Gonzales to make improvements to two city-owned buildings where services benefit primarily low/moderate income people; to make ADA improvements to curb cuts in sidewalks, thereby improving access for disabled citizens; and to improve lighting in Central Park. The latter two projects primarily benefit two census block groups with high concentrations of low/moderate income households.
· A grant that provided subsidies to youth and at-risk youth to participate in youth sports programs in Gonzales.
· A grant to Shelter Outreach Plus to increase the Mobile Outreach Services Team's outreach to homeless people in the northern unincorporated area of the County, Del Rey Oaks, and Gonzales.
· Two grants to the Housing Resource Center and Legal Services for Seniors to provide education and resolution of fair housing issues for low/moderate income households, including seniors, located in the Urban County.
· A grant to the Housing Resource Center to provide housing counseling services and emergency housing assistance rental payments for residents of the Urban County who at-risk of becoming homeless.
By June 30, 2014, $592,637 (69.2% of the $856,820 Fiscal Year FY 2013-14 allocation) had been spent with an additional $232,098 (27.1% of the Fiscal Year FY 2013-14 allocation) expected to be spent by late 2014. The remainder of $32,085 (3.7% of the allocation) was unspent and reallocated by the Board on September 30, 2014 to two projects for Fiscal Year FY 2014-15.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Cities of Del Rey Oaks and Gonzales partnered with the County to become a HUD designated Urban County.
FINANCING:
The HUD grant is a five (5) year agreement which is funded annually. Funding in the amount of $856,820 was awarded for Fiscal Year 2013-2014. If the County continues to comply with the grant, the County will continue to receive annual entitlement funding, subject to the federal budget process.
The grant has been included in the department's Fiscal Year FY 2014-15 in Appropriations Unit DEO003, Fund 013, Budget Unit 8200 (Community Development Grants).
Prepared by:
_________________________________
Jane Royer Barr
Housing Program Manager, Ext 5389
Approved by:
_________________________________
David L. Spaur, CEcD, EDFP
Economic Development Director, Ext. 5387
Attachment:
Urban County CAPER for Fiscal Year 2013-14
Attachment on file with Clerk of the Board Office