CDBG comment Notice

Carmen Spuhler

Informations

• Publié par: Musog
• Nombre de lectures: 11
• Langue: English

Extrait

    September 7, 2009 To: CityCouncils, County Boards of Commissioners, Councils of Governments, Economic Development Districts and Interested Organizations and Individuals From: LynnSchoessler, Deputy Director Subject: Proposed2010 Community Development Block Grant Guidelines – Request for Comments A copy of the proposed 2010Method of DistributionCommunity Development Block Grant Program Guidelines is available on the department Web site at: http://www.oregon.gov/OBDD/IF/index.shtml. Please take time to review this message and the proposed Guidelines. If you are unable to download a copy of the guidelines we will gladly forward a copy to you upon request. The state of Oregon expects to have approximately $14 million in federal funds for award to rural cities and counties in the year 2010. The money comes from the federal Community Development Block Grant Program administered through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. These grant funds must be awarded under a system with published rules and criteria, which are adopted following an opportunity for public comment. The department is proposing to make several changes to the program guidelines adopted for year 2009 funds. The attachedSummary of Significant Changes Proposed for 2010describes the proposed changes. Your comments and suggestions will help us to improve service in 2010. The deadline for written comments is October 9, 2009. You can send your comments and suggestions in writing, either by letter or e-mail. Letters should be addressed to: Mary Baker, Infrastructure Finance Authority, Oregon Business Development Department, PO Box 866, Klamath Falls, OR 9760l. E-mail responses can be sent to:[e-mail] Thank you for your interest and participation in this very important process.If you have questions, please call Mary Baker at 541–882–1340. September 7, 2009

Oregon Business Development Department Community Development Block Grant Program Summary of Significant Changes Proposed for 2010 Comments Requested Please review the following summary and the proposedMethod of Distribution(program guidelines) for the 2010 Community Development Block Grant program. Comments and suggestions are encouraged and welcomed. Comment Period and Public Hearing Comments on the proposed 2010 Community Development Block Grants Program Method of Distributioncan be submitted either orally, in writing or by e-mail.The 30–day comment period ends at 5:00 pm on October 9, 2008.Please address written comments by letter to Mary Baker, Community Development Division, Oregon Business Development Department, P.O.Box 866, Klamath Falls, OR 97601 or by e-mail to [e-mail]  Public Hearing Date:October 7, 2009 Time: 12:00noon Location: BusinessDevelopment Department  775Summer Street NE, Suite 200  Salem,Oregon 97301  ConferenceRoom 201 Please call the department at 503–986–0123 about specific project ideas or proposals for which funding assistance is needed. Summary of Proposed Changes for 2010 General Program Changes 1. Thedepartment’s name was changed from Oregon Economic and Community Development Department (OECDD) to Oregon Business Development Department (OBDD). Funding Category Changes(Refer to the specific chapter in the proposed 2010Method of Distributionfor more detailed information about each funding category.) Chapter 2—Eligible Applicants 1. EligibleApplicants—Clarification on Tribe eligibility to apply for state non-entitlement CDBG funds and the use of non-entitlement CDBG funds for projects that involve both tribal and non-tribal members was provided. 2. Exceptionsto Limits on Applications—Counties that have received a CDBG public works grant on behalf of a public body such as a sanitary or water districtmaybe granted an September 7, 2009

exception to the “Limits on Application” requirements by the department. Such an exception may only be approved after a thorough OBDD staff review has been completed and will only be at the sole discretion of OBDD. Chapter 6—Citizen Participation Plan 1. Requirementfor non-English Notices—The requirementfor publishing and posting non- English public hearing notices was reduced from 10 percent to 5 percent of the population in accordance with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity guidance. Chapter 7—OBDD Application Procedures 1. TheRegional Coordinator Threshold Review Memo was eliminated from the internal OBDD process as it has not been proven to add value to the application processing procedures. 2. Step7—The senior management, League of Oregon Cities and Association of Oregon Counties review of the recommended awards was replaced with Infrastructure Finance Authority Board review of the recommended awards. 3. Step8—Department Director Review was replaced with Infrastructure Finance Authority Board approval and combined with Step 7. 4. Readinessto Proceed—The readiness to proceed section was amended to allow projects that do not require any matching funds for completion to receive the maximum points under this specific rating and ranking criteria. Chapter 9—Economic Development Type I— Economic Development Revolving Loan Fund (EDRLF) 1. Readinessto Proceed Criteria—The requirement for the applicant to provide a waiting list containing one or two eligible businesses that will use at least 75 percent of the requested grant was eliminated and replaced with the need for the applicant to provide a written description of the need and potential projects within the applicant’s jurisdiction to support the need. 2. EDRLFProgram Design—The requirement that a minimum of 80 percent of the annual loan repayments should go back into the local EDRLF was eliminated. 3. EDRLFProgram Design—The requirement that only the annual interest earnings can be set-aside for grants for projects meeting 105(a) (15) of the Housing and Community Development Act by the non-profit was eliminated. Type II—Microenterprise Grant Program (MGP) 1. NEWMicroenterprise Grant Program—A new Microenterprise Grant Program, to assist low- and moderate-income owners of existing microenterprises with acquisition of real property, construction of improvements or buildings, business capital and the purchase of equipment with a maximum grant of $250,000 was added to the menu of project options in the proposed 2010Method of Distribution.

September 7, 2009

Chapter 11—Public Works Type I—Water and Wastewater 1. MaximumGrant—The maximum grant was increased from $1,000,000 to $1,500,000. 2. EngineeringRequirements—The engineering requirements for the program were expanded and clarified. Type II—Downtown Revitalization 1. MaximumGrant—The maximum grant was increased from $300,000 to $400,000. 2. EngineeringRequirements—The engineering requirements for the program were expanded and clarified. Type III—Off-Site Infrastructure for New Affordable Housing 1. ProjectPre-Screening—All potential off-site infrastructure projects must now be pre- screened by OBDD before the applicant will be invited to submit a Project Notification and Intake Form. A form to request a pre-screening and the details of the pre-screening are included in the 2010CDBG Method of Distribution. Upon completion of the pre-screening, OBDD staff will determine whether a Project Notification and Intake Form should be invited. The decision to invite a Project Notification and Intake form is at the sole discretion of OBDD. Chapter 12—Public/Community Facilities (Type I and Type II) 1. MaximumGrant—The maximum grant limitations were increased as follows: Type I—Increased from $800,000 to $1,000,000 Type II—Increased from $500,000 to $800,000 Chapter 13—Regional Housing Rehabilitation 1. ApplicationForm—The application form was eliminated from theMethod of Distribution. Forms will be made available to eligible applicants from Oregon Housing and Community Services. Chapter 14—Regional Housing Centers: 1. ApplicationForm—The application form was eliminated from theMethod of Distribution. Forms will be made available to eligible applicants from Oregon Housing and Community Services. Chapter 15—Community Capacity/Technical Assistance 1. Workshopand Academic Course Funding—In order to assist more entities with workshop and academic course funding, the department will implement the following additional general criterion: a. Maximumof up to $2,500 per day for each full day of workshop; and b. Theworkshop sponsor must demonstrate that the topic/content will improve local capacity to implement and successfully manage a future CDBG project.

September 7, 2009

Chapter 17—Certified Sub-Grantee Program 1. RequiredDocumentation—In addition to the list of the required documents each entity must submit when becoming a certified sub-grantee, each potential sub-grantee also must submit a copy of their adopted reasonable accommodation policies.

September 7, 2009