AGENDA CAPTION:
Title
Receive a Staff presentation and hold a Public Hearing to receive comments in regards to amending the proposed 2020-2024 Citizen Participation Plan to add a shortened review period for actions related to the COVID-19 response.
Body
Meeting date: May 19, 2020
Department: Planning and Development Services
Amount & Source of Funding
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Fiscal Note:
Prior Council Action: On March 3, 2020, City Council receive a staff presentation about the proposed renewal of the Citizen Participation Plan, and provided direction to the City Manager to proceed as presented.
City Council Strategic Initiative: [Please select from the dropdown menu below]
Workforce Housing
Workforce Development
City Facilities
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.
☐ Land Use - Choose an item.
☒ Neighborhoods & Housing - Choose an item.
☒ Parks, Public Spaces & Facilities - Choose an item.
☐ Transportation - Choose an item.
☐ Core Services
☐ Not Applicable
Master Plan: [Please select the corresponding Master Plan from the dropdown menu below (if applicable)]
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Background Information:
The federal department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires the creation of a Consolidated Plan that sets strategic priorities and goals for next five years of HUD grant funding, identifies types of activities the City will fund, and acts as the foundation for future one-year Action Plans. At the same time, every five years, the City must update and re-approve its Citizen Participation Plan.
The purpose of the CPP is to establish a means by which residents of the city of San Marcos, public agencies, and other interested parties can actively participate in the creation, implementation, and assessment of planning and implementation documents related to HUD grants.
The CPP contains requirements that must be followed for creation or amendment of the five-year Consolidated Plan and grant-specific Action Plans. It sets forth the number of public hearings that must be held, the length of the comment period, and the timing of notifications to the public. It also ensures that the City provides accessibility to participate for people with disabilities or who have limited English language capabilities.
As of the March 3, 2020, City Council meeting, the 2015-2019 Citizen Participation Plan had been reformatted to create the 2020-2024 draft, and the CDBG-MIT Mitigation grant had been added. The requirements were not changed from the previous Citizen Participation Plan.
Since then, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, HUD has allocated $425,261 in funding to the City of San Marcos through the new CDBG-CV Coronavirus grant. This grant’s process will be in general similar to the creation of the Annual CDBG Action Plan; however, due to the urgent nature of the situation, the comment period for planning actions related to the CDBG-CV grant is five days instead of the typical thirty. This shorter comment time, and the ability to use virtual hearings due to social distancing recommendations, has been added to the Citizen Participation Plan. Therefore, the timeline for adopting the CPP has been modified:
• May 19, 2020 - Staff Presentation and Public Hearing
• May 24-30, 2020 - Comment Period
• June 2, 2020 - Request for City Council approval of the CPP
This Citizen Participation Plan will be in effect upon its approval by City Council.
Council Committee, Board/Commission Action:
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Alternatives:
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Recommendation:
City staff recommends approval of the resolution.