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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommunity Development Block Grant Commission - Minutes - 09/12/20131 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING AND PUBLIC HEARING APPROVED Minutes 215 N. MASON ST., FORT COLLINS September 12, 2013, 6:30 P.M. COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Kay Rios, Chair Catherine Costlow Anita Basham Jamaal Curry Robert Browning Margaret Long Gordon Coombes COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: Kristin Stephens STAFF: Sharon Thomas; Heidi Phelps OTHERS PRESENT: Ken Campbell, citizen, reporter for KRFC; Ray Roth, citizen; Nancy Jackson, executive director, Disabled Resource Services; Lynn Oesterle‐Zollner, executive director, CASA of Larimer County; Kate Jeracki, Note Taker The meeting was called to order by Chair Kay Rios at 6:31 p.m. with a quorum present. PUBLIC COMMENT Chair Kay Rios asked members of the public to deliver their comments during the Public Hearing portion of the meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Bob Browning said that at the August 8, 2013, meeting he did not ask for any information to be removed from the funding application, but that more information relevant to the Commission’s decision making process be added. Sharon Thomas said that staff was removing information needed only for administrative purposes. Page 2 of the minutes of August 8 was corrected to read: “He suggested that the application be revised to add more items more relevant to the Commission, to help the applicants tell the Commission about their project or how they would use the money they are requesting.” Bob Browning moved to approve the August 8, 2013, minutes as amended. Margaret Long seconded; passed with two abstentions, Catherine Costlow and Jamal Curry. 2 PUBLIC HEARING ON USE OF FY12 AND FY13 FEDERAL CDBG AND HOME FUNDS Chair Kay Rios closed the regular meeting of the Community Development Block Grant Commission at 6:41 p.m. and opened the Public Hearing on Use of FY 2012 and FY 2013 federal CDBG and HOME funds. This is one of two hearings required by HUD each year. Heidi Phelps reported that funds granted in 2012 are being spent as anticipated and there are no organizations severely behind in required spending or reporting. There are no red flags in the Housing category. In the Public Facilities category, there are some challenges with the basement construction project undertaken by Respite Care related to federal Davis‐Bacon prevailing wage requirements. Phelps said staff expects to receive a wage determination from HUD in about three weeks. She said the City is also waiting for updates on the 2012 grant to Turning Point for a wheelchair lift at its facility on Mathews Street. The building is in a National Historic District, so a full historic analysis may need to be submitted to Washington, D.C., at a cost of between $800 and $1,000, before construction can begin. Phelps said this should be a justified expense from the CDBG administrative fund, but staff has not heard back from Turning Point recently. Phelps said there are no red flags on 2013 projects to date. There will be another Public Hearing in January on anticipated FY14 funds. Chair Rios asked members of the public for comment. Ken Campbell said he has been a resident of Fort Collins since 1993, and volunteers with the community radio station KRFC, where he produces the Community Spotlight segments, and interviews those who are helping the community. He said he rents his apartment in The Villages from the Fort Collins Housing Authority and is concerned about some of the changes taking place that are affecting his ability to afford his housing. As a single parent, he lives on $890 per month Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) payments. The rent on his two‐bedroom apartment just increased from $211 per month to $250, while his cost‐of‐living adjustment increased only $15 per month. He said he was told he could keep paying $211 per month, if he moved to a one‐bedroom unit. He asked the Commission if there was a list of subsidized housing options in Fort Collins, because most rentals in the city are not willing to accept FCHA vouchers. He also wondered how much more he could expect his rent to go up next year. Nancy Jackson echoed Campbell’s comments, saying there was a need for more affordable, diversified housing stock. She works with clients receiving monthly payments of $700, yet a one‐bedroom apartment in Fort Collins rents for about $850. 3 Even with Section 8 vouchers, her clients are not finding places to rent, since complexes are no longer accepting the vouchers. Landlords can charge higher rents to working people, which leaves people on fixed incomes in extreme difficulty. The FCHA is displacing 88 old units in favor of high‐density units, which are extremely difficult for some of her clients with PTSD, for example, to live in. She asked the Commission, as it looks at funding in this next Competitive Process cycle, to keep in mind that housing is a critical issue. She recapped the impact her organization has on its 230 clients [percentage funded through City dollars], and the abrupt loss of funds from United Way earlier this year that left them scrambling to get through the fiscal year. Lynn Oesterle‐Zollner provided a handout regarding the experience and developmental outcomes of children in foster care. She explained the need to support the children in our community so we don’t have to intervene with them later in life. Children living in foster care need to move into a stable situation as soon as possible to avoid homelessness, at‐risk behaviors, legal involvement, and PTSD. She said nonprofits such as hers do so much with so little‐‐$63 a month for a child advocate can avoid the $4000 cost to the system of a failed adoption. Ms. Oesterle‐Zollner noted that that is why it is important to speak to the ground level, to avoid the negative results later on down the road. Ray Roth spoke in support of the need to keep children from becoming homeless. He said he spent 29 days in a shelter with his children. He said it was a tough situation, and it should be taken seriously. With no more public comment, Chair Rios thanked everyone for their important input to the Commission’s decision making process. She closed the Public Hearing at 7:11 p.m. and reopened the regular meeting. FOLLOW‐UP ON DISCUSSION WITH COUNCILMEMBER LISA POPPAW Kay Rios reported on her discussion with Lisa Poppaw following last month’s CDBG meeting. She said they agreed that having every Commissioner visit the site of every applicant was an unrealistic goal, but a couple of Commissioners could make a site visit and report back to the entire Commission. Sharon Thomas said the City could make a van available for transportation. Rios said it would have to be made absolutely clear to everyone that not every organization would be visited every year to avoid creating the impression of unfairness. Catherine Costlow suggested that Commissioners visit only when they are invited, and divide up the visits among themselves. Margaret Long said she has been involved in site visits, and the logistics can get rather tricky when trying to insure that everyone gets a fair shake. Anita Basham added that most of the Commissioners are working during the day, when the facilities are operating. 4 Jamaal Curry said he liked the idea of having the applicants submit short videos of their facilities that Commissioners could view when they had the time. Kay Rios said she would submit that idea of Councilmember Poppaw. Margaret Long asked if the City could provide assistance to the organizations to make the videos. Kay Rios suggested contacting the public access TV station, FC‐PAN; Sharon Thomas said assistance may also be available through Cable Channel 14. Heidi Phelps said the goal of the visits or videos is for the Commission to be better informed when the applicants come before them in the Competitive Process. Kay Rios said in the process the Commission only sees what is in front of it, and site visits or videos would be outside that process. She thought having applicants pre‐record their presentations to the Commission could streamline the process. If the Commissioners have already watched the five‐minute video‐‐which applicants can rehearse and re‐ record until it is polished‐‐then they could spend more time asking applicants questions to understand the application better. Sharon Thomas said video production is not in the budget for this year, but could be for the next cycle. Anita Basham asked if there could be time for the Commission to discuss the videos among themselves before the applicants came before the Commission. Bob Browning said that the Commission is not allowed to go into executive session. Gordon Coombs said that while it can be nice not to have to worry about who’s listening while the Commission makes its decisions, the process has to be transparent. There is a reason deliberations happen in an open forum. Margaret Long added that transparency is a double‐edged sword. If necessary, Commissioners should feel free to slow the deliberations down when they have additional information to share that could affect the outcome of the discussion. Kay Rios asked if the Commission could rely on staff to let them know what can and can’t be shared. Heidi Phelps said staff is always available to provide clarification. Commissioners agreed that they have responsibility to share their individual expertise and knowledge in the deliberations, taking into consideration that they should leave their personal, preconceived notions of individual applicants outside the discussion. Deliberations should be based on what is in the application, and Commissioners should take care not to say anything they wouldn’t say directly to the applicant. NEW APPLICATION FOR SPRING COMPETITIVE PROCESS Sharon Thomas said the new application is still in process and should be ready by December. Kay Rios asked staff to send a copy to her and Bob Browning for review before it is finalized. 5 CDBG COMMISSION RETREAT After extended discussion, the Commission agreed that a full‐day retreat was not needed. However, one regularly scheduled meeting will be devoted to discussing Commission procedures and possible improvements. STAFF REPORTS AND PROJECT UPDATES Sharon Thomas reported that after 35 years with the City, Joe Frank will be retiring at the first of the year. Consultants have been hired to perform a Community Gaps Analysis. Bruce Hendee and the City’s executive level staff are examining the future direction of a number of boards and commissions, including the CDBG Commission. Kay Rios asked that the Commission be part of that discussion, and Sharon Thomas said that nonprofits that receive funding from the City will also be at the table. Thomas asked the Commissioners to be sure to participate in the Community Gaps Analysis process to help determine what is necessary and what is missing from the current situation, as well. Heidi Phelps asked the Commission to review the proposed work plan for 2013. The Commission approved it by consensus. Phelps added that before the Commission’s bylaws can be updated, City Council must approve some changes to the City Code, but asked Commissioners to start thinking about possible changes to the name of the Commission. The deadline for applications to join the Commission is September 27. NEXT MEETING Next meeting will be applicant presentations on Thursday, September 26, 6 p.m.; deliberations will be held Thursday, October 17, 2013, 215 N. Mason Street, Community Room, 6:30 p.m. Meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.