To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Vincent Smith, Community Development Director
Prepared By: Stephanie Gaul, Assistant Housing Manager
TITLE:
Title
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Citizen Participation Plan Amendments
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Adopt a resolution amending the Community Development Block Grant Citizen Participation Plan to include temporary waivers authorized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in response to COVID.
Body
DISCUSSION:
As a recipient of federal funds under the Community Development Block Grant (“CDBG”) program, the City of Napa is required to have an approved Citizen Participation Plan. The Citizen Participation Plan requires that citizens are provided with reasonable opportunity to be a part of the process that plans, implements and assesses programs that benefit low- and moderate-income persons.
The City has an extensive Citizen Participation Plan that defines the roles of City staff, City Council and the CDBG Citizens’ Advisory Committee. It also provides guidance on when public meetings are held, how programmatic information is made available to citizens, and provides policy for providing citizens an opportunity to comment on plans and reports.
The City’s Citizen Participation Plan was last updated in September 2018. In response to the coronavirus and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has authorized several programmatic waivers, which temporarily waive certain requirements. Waivers offered include a reduction in the number of days required for public comment on changes to Consolidated Plans, Annual Action Plans, and Citizen Participation Plans. Because the City has been awarded CDBG CARES (CDBG-CV) funding, there is a need to update the Citizen Participation Plan to elect to utilize such public comment period waivers in order to expedite making this funding available to the community. Additionally, the waivers include allowing public meetings to be held virtually to reduce health risks during the pandemic which is consistent with the Governor’s orders N-29-20 and N-63-20.
Changes or amendments to the Citizen Participation Plan are required to be approved by the CDBG Citizens Advisory Committee and the City Council. Changes to the Plan were approved by the Committee at their special meeting on August 13, 2020.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
There is no fiscal impact associated with the Recommended Action.
CEQA:
The Community Development Director has determined that the Recommended Action described in this agenda report is not subject to CEQA, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15060.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
ATCH 1 - Resolution Amending Citizen Participation Plan
EX A - Citizen Participation Plan
ATCH 2 - Citizen Participation Plan (Redlined Version)
NOTIFICATION:
The CDBG Citizens’ Advisory Committee met and approved the amendments to the Citizen Participation Plan on August 13, 2020.