AGENDA CAPTION:
Title
Receive a Staff presentation and hold a Public Hearing to receive comments for or against amending the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) 2019-2020 Action Plan to add the Community Development Block Grant - Coronavirus Response (CDBG-CV) allocation of $425,261, and proposed programs and projects.
Body
Meeting date: June 2, 2020
Department: Planning and Development Services
Amount & Source of Funding
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Fiscal Note:
Prior Council Action: On June 18, 2019, the City Council approved by Resolution 2019-121R the Community Development Block Grant - Entitlement - Action Plan (“CDBG Action Plan”) that provides for the allocation of $680,998 awarded to the City of San Marcos by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the Program Year beginning October 1, 2019 and ending September 30, 2020 (Program Year 2019). On March 3, 2020, the City Council approved Resolution 2020-54R, amending the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Action Plan for program year 2019 to reallocate $67,142.00 from the Unsafe Structures Program to the amount allocated for the Southside Community Center Rehab Program.
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Comprehensive Plan Element (s): [Please select the Plan element(s) and Goal # from dropdown menu below]
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Background Information:
Proposed amendments to the 2019-2020 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Entitlement Action Plan include adding the CDBG-CV allocation of $425,261 and budgeting the funding for specific programs and projects.
A public application process for the funding was held May 1-20. The purpose of this public hearing is to present all the applications to City Council as well as staff’s recommendation for funding, and receive comments from the public.
Programs and projects must be used to prevent, prepare for, or respond to impacts of the Coronavirus, and they must fulfill one of the following national objectives of the CDBG program:
• Serving low-to-moderate income people
• Clearing slums or blight
• Urgent Need
The City received four applications for funding as shown on the table below. Staff recommends funding administration and items 1, 3, and 4 because these programs provide services to address needs that are directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. They will also meet the CDBG national objective by:
1 - retaining jobs for low-to-moderate income people
3 - serving abused children (presumed to be in a low-income status since they have been removed from their families)
4 - tracking the percentage of low income, elderly, and disabled people served
The request from the Office of Emergency Management does not meet a national objective because it is not serving a specific clientele who can be tracked. The “Urgent Need” category refers to the response needed immediately after a natural or man-made disaster with physical impact, such as clearing debris after a tornado. In addition, it is not clear that a full-time position can be justified as having a direct connection to response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A public comment period will be held June 7-13, 2020, after which staff will bring the final slate of programs and projects, along with the amended action plan to the City Council for a vote on June 16, 2020.
PROGRAM REQUESTED RECOMMENDED
1. CITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & MAIN STREET, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
PROGRAM: COVID-19 Small Business Recovery: $200,000 $200,000
• grant funding and technical assistance to very small businesses and micro-enterprises in the city limits of San Marcos
• providing technical assistance, working capital and best practices for how to safely recover and reopen
2. CITY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT $180,000
PROGRAM: COVID-19 Community Recovery Specialist Position
• to ensure that our community reopens safely, to facilitate sustainable economic recovery, to assist the school districts in the safe reopening of their campuses, and to provide outreach and communicate preparedness strategies within the community's vulnerable populations
one full-time position for two years
3. COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES $55,600 $55,600
PROGRAM: Advocacy Services for Abused and Neglected Children:
• providing trained community volunteers who represent children in the courts, schools, and child welfare system
COMMENT: Need is increasing due to COVID-19 school and business closures
4. TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY $105,530 $105,530
PROGRAM: COVID-19 Collection Station
portable sample collecting station and staffing for the COVID-19 pandemic
to be utilized for the entire community without barriers in accessibility due to age, gender, physical, economic or any other barrier
ADMINISTRATION $65,000 $64,131
TOTAL $606,130 $425,261
Council Committee, Board/Commission Action:
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Alternatives:
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Recommendation:
Staff recommends funding administration and items 1, 3, and 4 because these programs provide services to address needs that are directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. They will also meet the CDBG national objective by:
1 - retaining jobs for low-to-moderate income people
3 - serving abused children (presumed to be in a low-income status since they have been removed from their families)
4 - tracking the percentage of low income, elderly, and disabled people served