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CC - PUBLIC HEARING - (1) Consideration of the Community Development Block Grant Fund Allocation for Fiscal Year 2016/2017; (2) Adoption of a Resolution Authorizing the Filing of the Application for Funding; and (3) Approval of a Reimbursable Contract with the County of Los Angeles Concerning Culver City’s Allocation.
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Contact Person/Dept: Glenn Heald/CDD
Todd Tipton/CDD
Phone Number: 310-253-5752
310-253-5783
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [X] Action Item: [] Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Commission Action Required: Yes [X] No [] Date: 11/12/15
Commission Name: CDBG Advisory Committee
Public Notification: Posted at City Hall, Senior Center, and Culver City Julian Dixon Library (11/20/15); (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (12/10/15); Published in the Culver City News (11/25/15).
Department Approval: Sol Blumenfeld, Director of Community Development
(12/03/15)
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council conduct a public hearing and (1) allocate Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016/2017 pursuant to the CDBG Advisory Committee’s recommendations; (2) adopt the proposed resolution authorizing the filing of the FY 2016/2017 application for funding from the CDBG program (Attachment No. 1); and (3) approve a CDBG Reimbursable Contract with the County of Los Angeles (County) concerning Culver City’s FY 2016/2017 CDBG allocation.
PROCEDURE:
1. The Mayor seeks a motion from the City Council to receive and file the affidavits of publication and posting of notices and correspondence received in response to the public hearing notices;
2. The Mayor calls for a staff report and the City Council Members may pose questions to staff as desired;
3. The Mayor seeks a motion to open the public hearing;
4. The Mayor seeks motion to close the public hearing after all public testimony has been presented;
5. The City Council discusses the item and arrives at its decision.
BACKGROUND:
The 1974 Federal Housing Act authorized the allocation of block grants to eligible applicant municipalities nationwide to be used for activities that benefit low- and moderate-income persons, subject to program regulations and eligibility criteria (Attachment No. 2). The CDBG program is administered by the Community Development Commission (CDC) of the County.
Culver City participates in the CDBG program as a member of the Los Angeles Urban County Entitlement and, to date, has completed forty-one (41) application cycles. During this time, the City has received an aggregate allocation of over $12 million (Attachment No. 3, i).
In past years CDBG funds have been used to help finance construction of the Senior Center, to improve the City’s streetscape and infrastructure, to modify City facilities to comply with the mandates of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and to perform street, sidewalk and curb repair and rehabilitation to meet ADA compliance requirements. Program guidelines allow a maximum of fifteen percent (15%) of total available CDBG funds to be used for social services or programs. For the past thirty years the City Council has used this fifteen percent of eligible CDBG funding to partially fund the City’s Disability & Social Services Specialist staff position, which administers programs and services to the elderly and persons with disabilities.
In 1988 the City Council formed the Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee), which meets annually to evaluate proposed projects and activities, to receive public comment, and to prioritize and make recommendations to the City Council regarding use of the CDBG funds. The Advisory Committee is comprised of representatives of the Disability Advisory Committee; the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission; the Planning Commission; and Culver City Youth Groups.
DISCUSSION:
CDBG funding for FY 2016/2017 is anticipated to be $190,888, a decrease of approximately $3,000, or about one and one-half percent (1.5%), from the FY 2015/2016 allocation of $193,842. The actual amount of FY 2016/2017 funding will be determined by the County in March 2016 after remittance of the City’s CDBG application (Attachment No. 3, ii).
The Advisory Committee met on November 12, 2015, to consider potential projects and to make a recommendation to the City Council regarding use of available FY 2016/2017 CDBG funds. Members in attendance included both Planning Commission representatives, both Disability Advisory Committee representatives and two Culver City High School youth representatives. After discussing the permissible uses for CDBG funds, the Advisory Committee voted unanimously to recommend to the City Council that available CDBG funding for FY 2016/2017 be allocated in the order prioritized below. The Advisory Committee recommends that if the actual CDBG funding amount is more or less than the amount anticipated, staff shall allocate the maximum permissible amount to the public service project (15% of total CDBG funding) and adjust capital improvement project funding accordingly.
Ongoing Public Service Projects
Priority No. 1: Disability & Social Services Specialist Salary (~$28,633)
CDBG rules allow for up to fifteen percent (15%) of the total available CDBG funds to be allocated for funding salaries of eligible public service staff positions. The Disability & Social Services Specialist (DSS) position in the Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department has been partially funded with CDBG funds for the past thirty years. The DSS assists residents with disabilities by identifying, implementing, conducting and facilitating available community resources and services. Funding the DSS position to the maximum amount allowed by CDBG rules is supported and recommended by the CDBG Advisory Committee, the Disability Advisory Committee, and the Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department.
Proposed Capital Improvement Projects
Priority No. 2: ADA Sidewalk and Ramp Project (~$162,255)
This capital improvement project will repair sloping or damaged sidewalks that may present a hindrance or risk to elderly or disabled residents and reconstruct wheelchair ramps as necessary to meet ADA standards (Attachment No. 3, iii). Capital projects to make ADA-compliant repairs are CDBG-eligible City-wide and are not subject to blight or area income restrictions. If approved, the sidewalk repair and ramp reconstruction will be performed in accordance with a schedule produced by the Public Works Department.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
The remaining salary amount for the Disability & Social Services Specialist position not covered by available CDBG funding will be funded from the General Fund and proposed for appropriation through the FY 2016/2017 budget process. Funding for sidewalk repair, wheelchair ramp reconstruction and other infrastructure improvements required to meet ADA compliance would eventually be expended from the General Fund if no CDBG or other grant funding were available. Thus, CDBG funding allocated to the ADA Sidewalk and Ramp Project reduces the demand on the General Fund by an approximately equal amount.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Proposed Resolution
2. CDBG Funding Eligibility Requirements.
3. Notes.
RECOMMENDED MOTION(S):
That the City Council:
1. Allocate funding for the proposed FY 2016/2017 CDBG projects as recommended by the CDBG Advisory Committee as referenced in this staff report; and,
2. Adopt the proposed resolution authorizing the filing of the FY 2016/2017 application for funding from the CDBG Program, including all certifications; and,
3. Designate the City Manager as the authorized City official to execute and file all documents pertaining to the CDBG program, including making minor adjustments to project funding to address the actual FY 2016/2017 CDBG allocation; and,
4. Approve the CDBG Reimbursable Contract with the County of Los Angeles concerning Culver City’s FY 2016/2017 CDBG allocation; and,
5. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the necessary documents; and,
6. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.