AGENDA CAPTION:
Title
Receive an update regarding the Community Development Block Grant and the Human Services Advisory Board funding and related matters, and provide direction to staff.
Body
Meeting date: July 1, 2025
Department: Planning and Development Services
Amount & Source of Funding
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Funds Available: Click or tap here to enter text.
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Fiscal Note:
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City Council Strategic Initiative: [Please select from the dropdown menu below]
Quality of Life & Sense of Place
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Comprehensive Plan Element (s): [Please select the Plan element(s) and Goal # from dropdown menu below]
☐ Economic Development - Choose an item.
☐ Environment & Resource Protection - Choose an item.
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☒ Neighborhoods & Housing - Well maintained, stable neighborhoods protected from encroachment of incompatible land uses
☒ Parks, Public Spaces & Facilities - Well maintained public facilities that meet needs of our community
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☐ Core Services
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Master Plan: [Please select the corresponding Master Plan from the dropdown menu below (if applicable)]
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Background Information:
The purpose of this presentation is to provide a quick update on the Community Development Block Grant and Human Services Advisory Board funding, and then ask for City Council direction on a variety of items.
CDBG FUNDING UPDATE
The City receives $750,000 per year in CDBG funding. By 2023, multiple years of funding had stacked up because some programs were slow moving and home repair was on hold. In the past 2 years the City has turned this situation around and funding has flowed into the community. Staff revamped the housing repair program, and City Council reallocated slow moving funding into other needed projects.
HSAB FUNDING UPDATE
Meanwhile, the City contributed $550,000 for 2024 and 2025 from the general fund for Human Services Grants, plus $100,000 in American Rescue Plan funds in 2024. In 2024, 28 programs were funded, and in 2025 25 were.
CDBG-HSAB SCHEDULING AND APPLICATION REVIEW
So that the City can issue the HSAB grants for a fiscal year instead of a calendar year, in 2026, the HSAB application and review process will be moved to the spring. City Council asked staff to review whether the timing would work for the Human Services Advisory Board to review CDBG applications for public services.
To align the two application periods, the CDBG public input process would have to be moved back to the holidays late October through December, not the best time for public involvement. Also, the CDBG grant has a series of steps that must be completed by federal deadlines. Therefore staff recommends the timing shown on the table in the presentation, with separate application reviews.
Direction is requested: Does City Council support the schedule as presented, with separate application reviews?
CDBG PUBLIC SERVICES FUNDING
Annually, the City has just over $100,000 to allocate in CDBG public services dollars.
Since 2020, an increasing number of agencies have applied for CDBG funding, which has split the funding into smaller pieces. In addition, CDBG has increasingly been used for emergency assistance, but the intention of the CDBG grant is to create long term change for residents of a community. As shown in the presentation, both issues could be resolved by designating agencies to receive CDBG funding
Direction is requested: Does City Council want to designate CASA and HCWC to each receive half the annual CDBG public services funding?
HSAB DIRECTION REQUESTED
The ordinance section that created the Human Services Advisory Board requires quarterly reports. Staff proposes changing these to annual. That way the Board has one succinct annual report to review the next year if the agency requests funding.
Direction is requested: Require annual HSAB reports instead of quarterly and remove “quarterly” from payment item?
One of the questions in the Council priorities section is “Describe how this funding will create an increase in services or an increase in the number of people served.” This is worth 10 points.
The HSAB believes a question in the Impact and Cost Effectiveness section adequately provides similar information for them to consider.
Direction is requested: Delete the increase question from HSAB Council Priorities and move 5 points to Impact and 5 to Community Need?
Another HSAB Council Priority question is “Does the agency have an office in San Marcos?”
Direction is requested: Change the wording to “Does the agency have an office or primary operation in San Marcos”?
Council Committee, Board/Commission Action:
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Alternatives:
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Recommendation: