* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:18] THE PUBLIC HEARING CONCERNING THE AMENDMENTS TO THE OPERATION. PAINT BRUSH, SIR. [a. Roll call of board members.] CALL FOR A QUORUM. OKAY. CALL FOR QUORUM. UH, DISTRICT ONE. THAT ME? YES, SIR. YES, SIR. OKAY. HERE, DISTRICT TWO, PRESENT DISTRICT THREE, OR SHE ON VIDEO? DISTRICT FOUR IS LAUREN ONLINE. AND I SEE DISTRICT FIVE IS VACANT AND DISTRICT SIX IS VACANT. AND AT LARS NUMBER ONE, CHAIR AT LARS NUMBER TWO. HERE AT LARS NUMBER FOUR. IS THAT ME? YES MA'AM. MA'AM. MS. LOPEZ. ALRIGHT. OKAY. IN THAT REGARDS, WE HAVE A COURTROOM. THAT'S RIGHT. OKAY. I NOW CALL THIS THIS, UH, PUBLIC HEARING CONCERNING THE AMENDMENT TO THE, AM I READING MR. MR. BARNETT [a. Consider approving the minutes of the February 23, 2021 Community Development Advisory Committee Meeting.] AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO, APPROVE THE MINUTES. I'M SORRY, I'M LOOKING OVER THREE SEATS AT SAME TIME. I'M SORRY. STILL APPROVE. APPROV THE MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 23RD, 2021 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS. I HAVE SINCE READ THOSE, UH, PROCEEDING THOSE MINUTES. ARE THERE ANY CORRECTIONS OR ADDENDUM? MAY I HAVE A MOTION FOR APPROVE THE MINUTES? I'D LIKE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. BEEN APPROVED BY MR. DIAZ. SECOND. SECOND BY MR. OSA. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OPPOSED? OKAY. MOTION CARRIED PROGRAM. LET'S GO TO PROGRAM AMENDMENTS. UH, THIS GONNA BE AGENDA ITEM. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER THREE A. OKAY. ITEM [a. Consider a recommendation to City Council to adopt the revised Operation Paintbrush Program Guidelines.] THREE A. CONSIDER A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL TO ADOPT THE REVISED OPERATION PAINTBRUSH PROGRAM GUIDELINES. ALL RIGHT. UH, I'LL GIVE A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THIS PARTICULAR ITEM. UH, THE PAINT BRUSH PROGRAM IS A PROGRAM THAT IS CURRENTLY INSIDE OF THE NIP, UH, THE NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. UH, THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM, UH, ALLOWS APPLICANTS TO RECEIVE A, A PAINT JOB FOR THEIR HOMES AND THEIR ACCESSORY STRUCTURES AND MINOR IMPROVEMENTS ON IT. UH, YOU GUYS APPROVED THIS IN THE LAST BUDGET YEAR TO MOVE FORWARD. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE PROGRAM IN THE PAST HAS, IT'S BEEN A CHALLENGE TO GET APPLICANTS AVAILABLE BECAUSE THE AREAS THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS SERVE ARE SO SMALL, SO THAT MAKES SURE APPLICANT POOL A LOT SMALLER. SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS, INSTEAD OF JUST TARGETING THE, UM, NIP AREA, THE EXISTING NIP AREA, WE WANT TO TARGET ALL THE NIP AREAS THAT WE'VE HAD OVER THE, THE FULL TIME OF THE PROGRAM EXISTING. SO IF YOU LOOK AT YOUR MAP ON YOUR SCREEN THERE, OR ON THE PRESENTATION, YOU'LL SEE THAT THE VARIOUS AREAS THAT WE'VE SERVED OVER THE PAST NINE YEARS OR SO, UM, WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS REACH OUT TO THOSE, UH, AREAS AND ALLOW THIS PROGRAM TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR EVERYBODY AS OPPOSED TO JUST THE PE AREA WHICH WE'RE SERVING. NOW, ANOTHER PART OF THIS AMENDMENT, UM, INCLUDES, UH, INCREASING THE, THE AMOUNT, THE, THE TIMEFRAME OF THE LIEN THAT WE PUT ON THE PROPERTY. ONCE WE MAKE THE IMPROVEMENT. CURRENTLY IT'S A ONE YEAR FOR A, WE PUT A ONE YEAR LIEN ON THE PROGRAM, OR IF THE APPLICANT IS APPROVED, UH, WE PUT A ONE YEAR LIEN ON THE PROPERTY. UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO EXPAND THAT TO FIVE. UM, THAT'S MORE CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WE HAVE IN OTHER HOUSING REHAB PROGRAMS. SO, UH, WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CONSISTENT ACROSS THE BOARD. THIS IS ACTUALLY MIDDLE OF THE GROUND AS FAR AS COSTS OF WHAT WE SPEND ON REHAB. SO WE, WE, WE WANT, WE FEEL LIKE THAT WE SHOULD BE MORE CONSISTENT WITH EVERYTHING ELSE. THAT'S IT. SO, GO AHEAD. I'M SORRY. LEMME MAKE THIS OBSERVATION. UH, WE [00:05:01] TRY TO GO ALONG WITH ROBERT'S RULE OF LAW AND PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURES BEFORE YOU SPEAK, ALWAYS ADDRESS THE CHAIR. AND THE CHAIR WOULD IN TURN, GIVE YOU LATITUDE TO SPEAK ON YOUR SUBJECT MATTER, BUT MAINLY STATE WITH THE NARRATIVE. IF YOU KIND OF GET OFF THE NARRATIVE, I'LL KIND OF GET YOU BACK IN SYNC. THOSE ARE SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR, FOR OUR COUNSEL. SO, SO WHAT I WAS GONNA ASK WAS, UH, IF, IF, IF, UH, IF THE, THE PROGRAM WON'T, UH, LIKE SAY, YOU KNOW, WE HAD JUST GOT THROUGH WITH, UH, UH, THE WEST, WEST END MM-HMM . UH, AND, AND DOING ALL THE IMPROVEMENT THAT WAS DONE, YOU KNOW, THE TAKING DOWN THE HOUSES AND IMPROVEMENTS OF . SO EVEN NOW I MOVED TO PELLY. SO IN OTHER WORDS, SO THAT'S NOT, UH, SO YOU CAN'T, WE CAN'T DO ANY WORK, SHALL WE SAY, IN, IN, WITH, ON THE WEST END BECAUSE WE ARE IN PLY NOW, OR IT HAS TO WAIT TILL WE COME AROUND AGAIN. AGAIN. CURRENTLY THE WAY THE PROGRAM FOR THE PAINTBRUSH PROGRAM AND THE PAINTBRUSH ALONE MM-HMM . UH, THAT IS HOW IT IS WRITTEN. SO NOW THAT WE'VE MOVED ON TO PELLY, WE CAN'T UTILIZE THE PAINTBRUSH PROGRAM INSIDE OF WEST BAYTOWN. RIGHT. I, OKAY. UM, AND THE AMENDMENT HERE IS PROPOSING TO ALLOW WEST BAYTOWN TO BE INCLUDED IN THE PROGRAM, PELLEY AND ALSO MIDDLETON. OH, THAT'S, AND THESE ARE ALL THREE NIP, UH, AREAS OF THE PAST. GOOD. OKAY. THAT'S MAKES IT CLEAR. THANK YOU. OKAY. ANYONE ELSE? DESIRE? I MEAN, I JUST THINK IT MAKES SENSE. I MEAN, GO AHEAD. OKAY. LET ME INJECT THIS ALWAYS THE CHAIR, AND THEN I WILL OFFER YOU YOUR TIME THAT YOU NEED. OKAY. DRESS THE CHAIR AND THEN WE'LL GIVE YOU LATITUDE TO SPEAK TO. ALRIGHT. THOSE ARE SOME GROUPS. NO, NO. SO DO I ADDRESS? YES, SIR. OKAY. SO YES, SIR. I, I JUST THINK IT MAKES SENSE. I MEAN, FROM, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE THAT, UH, UH, SOMETIMES THAT WE CONCENTRATE IN ONE AREA. YEAH. UH, MAYBE THE FOLKS THAT ARE THERE ARE NOT KNOWN TO THE PROGRAM. THEY'RE NOT AWARE OF IT. SO BY EXPANDING IT TO COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED, UH, THE SUCCESS WITH THE PROGRAM, I THINK IT'S MORE BENEFICIAL. SO I AGREE. I'M IN TOTAL AGREEMENT WITH THIS NEW CHANGE. MR. S GOT ADDITIONAL? NO, SIR. THAT, THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. OKAY. MR. UM, BARNETT, I'LL LET YOU ADDRESS THE FLOOR. MR. DIAZ, I HAVE A, UH, UM, I HAVE A QUESTION. UM, WE'RE ONLY TARGETING WORKS ONLY HIGHLIGHTED, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. SO I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF PASSING BY THIS NEIGHBORHOODS, AND, UM, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, SOMEONE IN DIRE NEED OF TO BE PAINTED, BUT THE APPLICATION POOL IS ALREADY SMALL ENOUGH AS IT IS. AND THESE, AND ACCORDING TO THIS PAGE, IT ONLY APPLIES TO HOMEOWNERS. A LOT OF THESE, UM, PEOPLE ARE RENTERS. SO HOW WOULD THIS AFFECT THEM HAVE AS FAR AS NOTIFYING THE HOMEOWNERS AND NOT THE RENTERS? SO IF THE, I GUESS ONE OF THE, THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS PROGRAM MM-HMM . IS THAT THE HOME IS OWNER OCCUPIED. SO IF IT IS OCCUPIED, IF THE HOME IS OCCUPIED BY RENTERS MM-HMM . THEN THEY'RE NOT, IT'S NOT ELIGIBLE. UM, SO IN THAT EVENT, THAT PARTICULAR PROPERTY OR HOME WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO APPLY FOR THIS, THIS PROGRAM, YOU HAVE TO ALSO THINK THAT CDBG IS PRIMARILY FOR LOW TO MODERATE INCOME FAMILIES. MM-HMM . SO TYPICALLY SOMEBODY WHO HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE RENTAL PROPERTIES MIGHT NOT BE CONSIDERED LOW TO MODERATE INCOME. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU ALSO HAVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT AS WELL. . CAN, CAN I ADDRESS THE MR OSA? UH, DOES THAT INCLUDE, LIKE, LET JUST SAY MY UNDERSTANDING, IT'S MORE TO THE ELDERLY AND, AND LOWER INCOME IS, IS THAT WHAT THE CRITERIA IS? WELL, THE CRITERIA IN GENERAL IS JUST LOW TO MODERATE INCOME. UM, I MEAN, WE HAVE SOME, NOT, NOT NECESSARILY NOT TARGETING ELDERLY SPECIFIC OR ELDERLY OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. BUT DEFINITELY YOU GOTTA MEET THAT LOW TO MODERATE INCOME THRESHOLD. I, OKAY. ALRIGHT. I GET THAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH INDEED. OKAY. NO MA'AM. INPUT, UH, I, IIII, I THINK THIS IS A RECOMMENDATION THAT WE NEED A MOTION ON. THAT'S CORRECT. IF YOU GUYS', IT WILL BE CONSIDERED TENDED TO, UH, COUNSEL, TO RECOMMEND THIS TO COUNSEL. AM THAT'S CORRECT. CORRECT ON MY ASSUMPTION. AM CORRECT ON MY ASSUMPTION. YES. YES, YOU ARE CORRECT. OKAY. SO THEREFORE I NEED A, A MOTION TO, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION. IT'S BEEN MOTIONED BY MR. EZ. I'D LIKE TO SECOND HIS MOTION. SECOND BY MR. DIAZ. [00:10:01] ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIED. LET'S GO TO THREE B. [b. Consider a recommendation to City Council to adopt the revised Sewer Line Repair and Replacement Program Guidelines.] OKAY. ITEM NUMBER THREE B. AGAIN, WE'RE LOOKING AT PROGRAM AMENDMENTS. THESE PARTICULAR AMENDMENTS ARE WITH THE SEWER LINE IMPROVEMENT OR THE SEWER LINE REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT GUIDELINES. UH, THESE PARTICULAR GUIDELINES ARE, UH, ARE JUST CLEANUP ITEMS FOR THE GUIDELINES THEMSELVES. WHAT WE HAVE INSIDE OF THE GUIDELINES ARE A LOT OF REQUIREMENTS OF THE APPLICATION, LIKE THREE TAX, TAX RETURNS OR TWO, UH, PAYCHECK STATEMENTS. THOSE ARE NOT THINGS THAT NECESSARILY NEED TO BE IN THE GUIDELINES. WE CAN BETTER FRAME THAT BY SAYING THAT, HEY, YOU NEED TO SHOW US A RECORD OF YOUR PAVEMENT HISTORY SO THAT WE CAN VERIFY INCOME, AND THEN WE CAN TAKE THOSE BULLET POINTS OUT OF THE GUIDELINES AND PUT THEM IN THE APPLICATION SECTION THEMSELVES. THAT WAY, ANY EVENT THAT THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PROGRAM CHANGE, LIKE MAYBE WE ONLY WANT TO COLLECT ONE YEAR OF TAX RECORDS. WE DON'T HAVE TO COME BACK TO, TO THE BOARD FOR AN AMENDMENT IN ORDER TO DO THAT. SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE SEWER LINE AMENDMENT GUIDELINES, THAT'S THE AMENDMENT THAT WE'RE PROPOSING. OKAY. AND MR. CHAS, IS THAT SOMETHING NEW OR SOMETHING BEEN ADDED TO THAT CRITERIA? NO, IT'S, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT ANY ADDITION. ANYTHING ADDITIONAL, UH, THE, THE STANDARDS. WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS STREAMLINE AND MAKE THE STANDARDS ACROSS THE BOARD THE SAME. SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE PAINTBRUSH PROGRAM, THE SEWER LINE PROGRAM, THE OWNER OCCUPY REHAB PROGRAM, ALL PRETTY MUCH HAVE THE SAME EXPECTATIONS AS FAR AS SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS FROM THE PROPERTY OWNERS OR FROM THE APPLICANTS, UH, CHAIR. CAN I, MR. BOARD, UM, THIS, THIS, I DON'T, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE, WHAT WHAT THE SEWER LINE REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT PROGRAM IS. THAT THAT, DOES THAT MEAN THAT IF THERE'S A BLOCKAGE IN SOMEBODY'S LINE, THEN THEY GO REPAIR IT? OR, UM, AND, AND WHAT, WHAT IS THE GUIDELINES? IS IT FROM, FROM THE HOUSE TO YES. TO THE PUBLIC? THE EXISTING CITY LINE? YES, SIR. THAT'S CORRECT. SO JUST TO GIVE YOU A BRIEF, UH, DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM, IT IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR, UH, PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT HERE AT THE CITY. AND WHAT THEY DO IS THEY GO OUT AND PERIODICALLY CHECK AND USE A, A TELESCOPE OR A SCOPE TO LOOK TO SEE IF THERE'S LEAKAGE INSIDE OF THESE SEWER LINES ON THE PRIVATE SIDE. UM, AND THEN THEY REPORT, UH, ONE TO US. AND THEN THEY ALSO REPORT TO THE PROPERTY OWNER THAT SAY, HEY, YOU NEED TO GET A REPAIR, UM, OF YOUR SEWER LINE. HERE'S A PROGRAM THAT YOU MAY APPLY FOR, YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE TO SEE. SO THAT'S HOW THEY GET INTO OUR SYSTEM OR GET ONTO CDBG SYSTEM. UM, AND WITH THAT, UH, WE THEN MAKE CONTACT WITH 'EM, OR THEY MAKE CONTACT WITH US AND WE GET THEM INTO THE PROGRAM IF THEY'RE ELIGIBLE AND WE DO REPAIR FROM THE, THE CITY MAINE TO THE ENTRY OR TO THE HOUSE. WOW. THAT'S AWESOME. THANK YOU. YES, SIR. OKAY. ANY MORE COMMENTS? LET'S GO FOR AMENDMENTS. ITEM THREE B SAYS, CONSIDERED A RECOMMENDATION, CITY COUNCIL ADOPT THE REVISED SEWER LINE REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT PROGRAM GUIDELINES. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? I MOTION THAT WE, MOST OF MY BUSINESS IS, UH, MR. LOPEZ, AM I CORRECT? YES. AND I NEED A SECOND. AYE. I SECOND. MR. OSA? UH, ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIED. [c. Consider a recommendation to City Council to adopt the revised Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Program Guidelines.] ITEM C3 C, CONSIDER A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL TO ADOPT THE REV, THE REVISED OWNER OCCUPIED HOUSING, REHAB, REHAB PROGRAM GUIDELINES. SO, AGAIN, MR. CHAVIS? YES, SIR. THANK YOU. UH, AGAIN, WE'RE GOING TO DO THE SAME THING THAT WE DID IN THE PREVIOUS PROGRAMS. WE'RE GOING TO CLEAN UP THOSE ITEMS AGAIN, MAKING THEM CONSISTENT ACROSS THE BOARD AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. UH, UH, ONE OF THE, THE MAIN CHANGES INSIDE OF THESE GUIDELINES IS, UH, THE CONSIDERATION OF OUR EXPECTATIONS OF WHO WE ISSUED A BID TO. UM, AS YOU KNOW, INSIDE OF THE OWNER OCCUPIED REHAB PROGRAM, THIS IS WHERE WE, UH, DO MINOR REHABS TO HOMES THAT ARE BELOW $25,000, OR WE DO A COMPLETE REHAB OF THE HOME OR RECONSTRUCTION OF THE HOME. IF IT'S ABOVE THAT, UM, INSIDE OF THAT PARTICULAR PROGRAM, WE'VE SET A STANDARD, OR YOU ALL HAVE SET A STANDARD TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS PER PROJECT. UM, AND [00:15:02] IN CURRENTLY THE LANGUAGE SAYS THAT WE SHOULD SEEK THE LOWEST BID. WELL, WITH THE CAP BEING AT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, I THINK THAT WE CAN NOW TRANSFER OUR, UH, EXPECTATIONS FROM THE LOWEST BID TO THE ONE OF THE BEST QUALITY. AND THAT'S KIND OF THE WAY THAT WE'VE BEEN GOING, UM, THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO GO IN THE FUTURE. SO YOU WOULD STILL HAVE A PROJECT THAT IS, UH, A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OR LESS, BUT NOW WE CAN BETTER CONSIDER, UM, THE QUALITY OF THE PRODUCT THAT'S BEING PRESENTED AS OPPOSED TO JUST THE LOWEST BID. BECAUSE WE CAN GET FOR, WE CAN GET FOR MICRO COUNTERTOPS AND WE CAN GET, UH, VINYL FLOORING AS A, BUT THEN WE CAN ALSO GET TILE FLOORING AND WE CAN GET GRANITE COUNTERTOPS AND ALL THAT STUFF FOR JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE, MAYBE, IF NOT THE SAME PRICE. SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DO AND CHANGE THAT LANGUAGE. ANOTHER THING THAT WE WANT TO CONSIDER HERE IS REMOVING THE REQUIREMENT FOR IT TO BE A THREE BEDROOM HOME. SO THERE, RIGHT. CURRENTLY, THE WAY THE GUIDELINES READ IS THAT WE CAN SPEND A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS UP TO THREE BEDROOMS. WELL, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF CONSIDERING, UM, PLAN CHANGES, UM, AND ELEVATION CHANGES FOR THE HOUSING PRODUCTS THAT WE PRODUCE. UH, SO WITH THAT, THAT MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A SMALLER, NOT A SMALLER, A SMALLER HOME AS FAR AS THE NUMBER OF BEDROOMS IS CONCERNED. SO WE HAVE A SINGLE, UM, A SENIOR, A SINGLE SENIOR CITIZEN. HE OR SHE MAY ONLY WANT TWO BEDROOMS, RIGHT? SO YOU MAY HAVE A TWO BEDROOM, ONE AND A HALF BATH TYPE HOME. IF YOU HAVE A, ANOTHER SITUATION WHERE YOU HAVE AN EXTREMELY SMALL LOT WHERE IT'S EXTREMELY NARROW, THE CURRENT BUILDING ELEVATION THAT WE HAVE MAY NOT FIT WITHIN THE SETBACKS OF THAT PARTICULAR HOME. SO THAT REQUIRES YOU TO HAVE A SMALLER FOOTPRINT. SO WE WANT TO CONSIDER THINGS LIKE THAT, AND WE DON'T WANT TO TIE OURSELVES IN ON THE GUIDELINES. I THINK THE BIGGEST, UH, THE BIGGEST CATCH OF IT IS THAT WE HAVE A MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF VALUE THAT WE WANT TO SPEND ON IT SO THAT WE CAN BE GREAT STEWARDS OF THE DOLLARS. BUT IF IT COMES TO A DIFFERENT TYPE OF FLOOR PLAN, I THINK WE WOULD WANT STAFF TO HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO SAY THIS FITS IN THIS AREA BETTER THAN OUR STANDARD THREE BEDROOM HOUSE. SO I, I, I, I THINK WE IMPLEMENTED THAT, IMPLEMENTED THAT SOME YEARS AGO, RATHER THAN HAVE ONE PLAN FITS ALL. MM-HMM . YOU HAVE A SELECTION OF ONE OR TWO FLOOR PLANS, IF I'M CORRECT ON MY ASSUMPTION? WELL, OR THIS IS SOMETHING NEW TO GIVE THEM MORE SELECTION AS TO WHAT FLOOR PLAN THEY CHOOSE. WELL, THERE ARE DIFFERENT FLOOR PLANS THAT EXIST, BUT THE GUIDELINES AS THEY CURRENTLY READ, SAYS THAT WE'RE, WE CAN ONLY USE THREE BEDROOM HOME FOR THE, FOR THE A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS THAT WE DO. SO AGAIN, WE'RE TRYING TO GIVE OURSELVES THE FLEXIBILITY TO USE THOSE OTHER FLOOR PLANS. OKAY. MR. CHAIR, I HAVE A QUESTION. YEAH. MR. LOPEZ, UM, SO JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, SO THE AMENDMENT IS TO, UM, IS TO CHANGE THE, UM, LIKE THE BID BID PROCESS TO NOT JUST ACCEPT THE LOWEST, BUT THE, THE, UH, I GUESS A, THE ONE THAT PRESENTS THE BEST VALUE, THE BEST VALUE, AND ALSO TO NOT BE TIED INTO JUST USING THE THREE BEDROOM, TWO BATH? THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. FOR THE THREE BEDROOM, ONE BATH. THANK YOU. I DO HAVE A QUESTION, MR. CHAIR. UH, MR. EZ, UM, WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL INTENT OF, UH, UM, WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL INTENT OF HAVING ONLY, UH, OF, UH, LIMITING, UH, THE, UH, STRUCTURES OF THREE BEDROOMS? WHY WAS THAT PUT IN PLACE? UH, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN, WHAT WAS THE RATIONALE FOR THAT? HONESTLY, I CAN'T ANSWER THAT FULLY. I CAN TELL YOU THE CONSIDERATION THAT, UH, WE WANT TO USE MOVING FORWARD IS THAT THE THREE BEDROOM, ONE BATHROOM, UM, IS JUST BELOW MARKET STANDARD. SO YOUR MARKET STANDARD IS AT THREE, TWO. SO YOU HAVE THREE BEDROOMS, TWO BATHROOMS. UM, IN ORDER TO STAY IN THAT LOW TO MODERATE INCOME AFFORDABILITY RANGE, UM, WHERE FOR OUR CLIENTS AND OUR CUSTOMERS, UH, WE WANT TO, WE WANT TO KEEP IT TO A SMALLER PRODUCT THAN, THAN WHAT, WHAT A THREE, TWO PRESENTS. YOU ADDING PLUMBING, YOU'RE ADDING EXTRA. 'CAUSE YOUR BATHROOMS AND YOUR KITCHENS ARE YOUR MOST EXPENSIVE, UH, AREAS OF YOUR HOME. SO YOU'RE GONNA BE ADDING SIGNIFICANT VALUE AND SIGNIFICANT COSTS TO A PROJECT ONCE YOU GO INTO THAT SECOND BATHROOM. [00:20:01] OKAY. NOW, THE WHY THEY CHOSE A THREE ONE AS OPPOSED TO A TWO, TWO OR A TWO ONE, I, I'M NOT CERTAIN ABOUT THAT. I MEAN, THE ONLY THING I, I MEAN, I, I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THE RATIONALE. UH, AND MAYBE IF I UNDERSTAND THAT I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY THEY, THEY HAD, I MEAN, WHAT WAS THE INTENT OF THAT? I, I, I CAN MAYBE GUESS THAT IT MAY HAVE TO DO WITH VALUE. I MEAN, EVENTUALLY WHEN YOU WANNA SELL THE HOME MM-HMM . UM, BECAUSE I MEAN, I EVENTUALLY THIS FOLKS WILL, UH, PASS OUT THIS, WELL WEALTH TO SOMEONE ELSE. AND, AND SO WHEN THEY PASS HIS WEALTH, I MEAN, I, I'M THINKING THAT THE RATIONALE MAYBE HAD TO DO WITH THE, THEIR FUTURE SALE AS A PROPERTY MM-HMM . AND MARKETABILITY. BUT I, I DON'T KNOW. I MEAN, AND, AND THAT, THAT'S FAIR TOO. THAT IS A FAIR STATEMENT. UH, YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO, WHEN WHEN WE BUILD ON THE GROUND, ARE WE BUILDING A PRODUCT THAT CAN THEN BE TRANSFERRED, UM, OVER, WE DON'T WANT IT TO BE, UH, AN OBSOLETE PRODUCT AND BE DORMANT, YOU KNOW, FOR MANY YEARS AFTER THE INITIAL APPLICANT HAS USED IT BECAUSE IT'S TOO SMALL OR IT'S, YOU KNOW, UH, IT'S, IT, IT DOESN'T ACCOMMODATE THE CUSTOM NEEDS OF, OF WHAT A FAMILY, UM, TYPICALLY IS. SO I, WE DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND, AND THAT'S A CONSIDERATION. IF YOU GUYS WANT US TO STICK TO THE THREE ONE, THEN WE CAN. UM, BUT AGAIN, IF WE LEAVE IT INSIDE OF THE GUIDELINES, THAT THAT KEEPS US REALLY STRICT ON OUR ABILITY TO FLUCTUATE WITH THE, WHAT THE PROPERTY PRESENTS US AND WHAT THE APPLICANT MAY PRESENT US. 'CAUSE ALL OF OUR APPLICANTS DON'T HAVE BIG FAM OR FAMILIES THAT WILL FIT INSIDE A THREE BEDROOM. IT MIGHT BE A SINGLE GRANDMOTHER, LIKE I SAID. SO ANOTHER THING ALSO IS THAT WHEN IT COMES TO THE VALUE OF THE PROPERTY, NOT ALL OF OUR APPLICANTS ARE 65 AND OLDER TO WHERE THEY HAVE THAT TAX EXEMPTION TO WHERE THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY THE PROPERTY TAXES. SO YOU HAVE TO THINK WHEN YOU GO FROM A HOUSE THAT'S WORTH $50,000 AND NOW YOU'RE PAYING TAXES ON THAT, AND THEN YOU START PAYING TAXES ON $120,000 VALUE HOUSE, THAT CAN ACTUALLY HURT SOME OF THESE PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY ARE LOW INCOME. MM-HMM . I MEAN, WE, I'VE HAD IT HAPPEN BEFORE TO WHERE ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AFTER WE REBUILT SOMEONE'S HOME, THEY CAME IN AND ASKED ME, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS TAX BILL? I CAN'T PAY IT. BUT WE DO HAVE A CONFERENCE WITH THEM PRIOR TO WE, US EVEN PUTTING THE PROJECT OUT FOR BID, IT'S CALLED OUR HOMEOWNERS BRIEFING. AND WE ACTUALLY LET THEM KNOW THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT MIGHT OCCUR AS A RESULT OF YOU HAVING, GOING FROM SOMETHING THAT IS PRACTICALLY SUBSTANDARD TO SOMETHING THAT IS, YOU KNOW, ADDING VALUE TO THE PROPERTY. SO THAT INCREASES THEIR TAX BILLS, SO THAT CAN HURT THEM ALSO. SO WE WANT TO TRY TO STAY KIND OF BELOW THAT TO WHERE WE'RE NOT HURTING PEOPLE, BECAUSE THESE ARE ALREADY LOW INCOME FAMILIES THAT HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING BY. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE LIKE TO CONSIDER AS WELL. OKAY. I'LL READ THE, UH, CONSIDER A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL TO ADOPT A REVISED OWNER OCCUPIED HOUSING REHAB PROGRAM GUIDELINES. MAY I ENTERTAIN A MOTION AND A SECOND? I MAKE MOTION. IT'D BEEN MOTION BY MS. LOPEZ AND I SECOND. SECOND BY MR. NOOSA. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OPPOSED? AYE. OKAY. I, I, I, I, I AM I I THINK THAT, UH, UH, IT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE, WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT FOR A WHILE BEFORE WE, WE, WE, WE, UH, MOVE ON FORWARD WITH THIS, UH, BECAUSE I DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THAT. I DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT, UH, I SEE THE POINT THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HELP, UH, FOLKS AND, AND, AND WHATNOT. BUT I, I DO THINK THAT THIS IS ALSO A WEALTH THAT'S GONNA BE TRANSFERRED ON LATER ON. AND, AND I, MY ONLY CONCERN IS THAT WE'RE BUILDING, LIKE YOU SAID, A PRODUCT THAT MAY NOT BE, UH, ABLE TO BE TRANSFERRED, UH, AND KEEP THE, KEEP THE VALUE THAT, THAT, UH, WE INVESTED WITH THIS INITIAL INVESTMENT. SO I AM, BUT THEN I THINK IF WE STICK TO THE GUIDELINES THAT YOU, THAT YOU SUGGESTED, UH, WOULD WE BE, DO YOU FORESEE ANY DEVIATION IN AS FAR AS THE VALUE STRUCTURE OF THE HOUSE, MR. CHAVEZ? I WOULD, I WOULD HOPE NOT. UM, THE, BUT I, AGAIN, I'M NOT AN APPRAISER. SO, UH, THAT WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT, UM, THE MORE BEDROOMS, THE MORE BATHROOMS, THE MORE VALUE GENERALLY. UM, AND THERE'S A CAP TO THAT. UM, IF WE, IF WE GO DOWN TO A SMALLER PRODUCT FOR WHATEVER REASON, UM, CAN WE GET THE SAME VALUE THAT WE HAVE AS A, THAT WE CAN HAVE IN A THREE ONE? I'M NOT SURE. SO IF WE DO A, A TWO, IF WE DO A TWO TWO, OR IF WE DO A TWO, ONE OF THE SAME SQUARE FOOTAGE, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO ASSESS BEFORE WE, BEFORE WE, UH, BUILD A PRODUCT, I GUESS. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN, WE CAN LOOK INTO. [00:25:01] OKAY. UM, BEFORE WE GET A NEW SET OF PLANS TO ACCOMMODATE A, A TWO ONE, AND THEN YOU ALL CAN LET US KNOW IF THAT'S, UH, SOMETHING YOU WANT US TO CONSIDER BUILDING IN THE FUTURE. OKAY. LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT MOTION HAVE BEEN CARRIED. AND MOTION. AND SECOND, THERE IS A MAJORITY. UH, SO, UH, THERE ARE ONE DIS CENTER, SO GEORGIA RULES. SO WE'LL TAKE THAT TO COUNCIL. YES, SIR. I'LL MAKE THE THANK YOU. GO ITEM [a. The Community Development Division will hold a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Request for Proposal (RFP) Technical Assistance Workshop on March 9th and March 17th, 2021.] NUMBER FOUR. ALL RIGHT. AND THIS IS THE MAIN EVENT FOR TONIGHT. UH, WE'RE GOING TO GO INTO THE TECHNICAL WORKSHOP SESSION, UH, OF THE PRESENTATION. LET ME SEE. DOES THIS, DOES EVERYBODY HAVE IT ON THEIR SCREEN THERE? YOU PRESS THE RED BUTTON. YES. OKAY. IT JUST COME UP. PROBABLY TAKE A LITTLE SLOW. IT'S PROBABLY SLOW. HIT IT AGAIN. HELP. HEY, APPRECIATE YOUR CONCERNS. I LOOKS LIKE THE POWER SUPP SUPPLY BLEW BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT GETTING, I DON'T, I DON'T NEED IT. THAT TURN. OKAY. SO IN THAT EVENT, WE, WE WILL HAVE TO TURN AROUND TO LOOK AT THE SCREEN BACK HERE BEHIND US. TURN, TURN THESE BACK ON THERE. UH, YOU CAN IF YOU WOULD LIKE. UM, BUT ESSENTIALLY THIS IS GOING TO GO INTO THE TECHNICAL WORKSHOP ASSISTANCE. AS YOU KNOW, EVERY YEAR WE HAVE TO CONSIDER, UH, THE BUDGET, UM, FOR THE CDBG PROGRAMS. UM, WITH THAT, WE HAVE, UH, APPLICANTS FROM OUTSIDE OF THE CITY THAT, UH, APPLY. AND THEN WE HAVE APPLICANTS WITH INSIDE THE CITY THAT APPLY FOR THE FUNDING. UM, THIS PARTICULAR WORKSHOP ACTUALLY REVIEWS THE CDBG PROGRAM, AND IT KIND OF GIVES, IT GIVES EVERYONE, UH, GUIDANCE ON, ON HOW TO SUBMIT A BETTER APPLICATION. AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING TO GO OVER TODAY. ALL RIGHT. BASICALLY TO COVER THE AGENDA, UM, WE'RE GOING TO GIVE A OVERVIEW OF CDBG. UM, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE APPLICATIONS FORMAT, APPLICATION DEADLINES, ET CETERA. UM, OF COURSE, WITH THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STAFF, UM, YOU HAVE MR. MARTIN SCRIBNER, WHO IS OUR, UH, PLANNING DIRECTOR, UH, MYSELF AS THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, CHRIS CHAVIS. TO MY LEFT OVER HERE IS MS. SHARON ROSE. UM, MR. EDDIE COPELAND IS OUR DEMOLITION AND HOUSING INSPECTOR. AND THEN, UM, THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH SPECIALIST OVER THERE ON THE FAR RIGHT IS, UH, UH, LOUISE SANCHEZ. UH, WHAT IS THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT? WELL, UH, THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT IS, UH, IT'S IN A PROGRAM THAT IS ADMINISTERED BY HUD, UM, THE US HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, UM, DEPARTMENT, [00:30:01] UM, THAT, THAT PARTICULAR, UH, ENTITY, UM, PRESENTS A NUMBER OF GOALS WITH THE CDBG PROGRAM. AND ULTIMATELY THOSE GOALS BASICALLY COVER HELPING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF INDIVIDUALS, UM, HELPING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF LOW TO MODERATE INCOME PEOPLE. UM, SO YOU PROVIDE, UM, DECENT, SAFE, SANITARY HOUSING, SUSTAINABLE LIVING ENVIRONMENTS, AND YOU EXPAND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES. MM-HMM . WITH THIS YEAR, UM, WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN NOTICE THAT THE ALLOCATION FOR THE CDBG BUDGET IS GOING TO BE ABOUT OR APPROXIMATELY $643,000. UM, AND THAT MEANS THAT THE ELIGIBLE FUND FOR PUBLIC SERVICES WITHIN THE BUDGET WILL BE 96,000, DO ABOUT $96,000. SO THE $96,000 ARE THE PARTICULAR FUNDS THAT WE'LL BE RECEIVING APPLICATIONS FOR, UM, FROM BOTH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL APPLICANTS. THIS PARTICULAR CHART SHOWS US EXACTLY, UH, WHAT THE AMOUNT OF FUNDS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. AS YOU CAN SEE, IT HASN'T BEEN VERY CONSISTENT. WE HAVE SOME UP YEARS, WE HAVE SOME DOWN YEARS, AND, AND WITH THIS YEAR, WE'RE DOWN PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT OVER $30,000, $38,000, UH, TO BE MORE PRECISE. UM, SO, BUT YOU KNOW, WITH THAT, WE'RE STILL GONNA DO THE BEST WE CAN AND MOVE FORWARD. UM, WITH THE FUNDING, THERE IS A, THERE IS A, A, A METRICS THAT, UH, CDBG FOLLOWS WHEN THEY ALLOCATE FUNDS TO US. UM, BUT I CAN'T GO INTO DETAILS ON THE, THE COMPLEXITY OF IT. UM, I WOULD HAVE TO VERSE MYSELF TO LEARN, UH, TRIGONOMETRY AND CALCULUS TO FIGURE IT OUT, . UM, BUT, UH, TO CONTINUE, UM, THE ELIGIBILITY OF, UH, PROGRAMS THAT ARE FUNDED ARE, ARE BASED AROUND, UH, THREE OBJECTIVES, UM, THE NATIONAL OBJECTIVES. SO, UH, YOU GOTTA BENEFIT LOW TO MODERATE INCOME PEOPLE, UM, OR BE IN A LOW TO MODERATE INCOME AREA OR TACKLE A, A SPECIFIC CLIENTELE. UM, YOU CAN, UH, ELIMINATE AID. I MEAN, YOU CAN ELIMINATE BLIGHT, UM, FOR THE AREA. SO FOR INSTANCE, MR. COPELAND, THE DEMOLITION AND HOUSING INSPECTOR, HIS PARTICULAR, UM, TASK AND DUTIES ALLOW HIM TO TACKLE THAT BLIGHT. HE GOES, HE DOES THE, THAT'S WHERE THE CODE ENFORCEMENT ARM COMES INTO PLAY. UM, AND THEN WE ALSO ARE ALLOWED TO MEET URGENT NEED WITH THE CDBG FUNDS. UM, SO THESE ARE ALL THE NA THE THREE NATIONAL OBJECTIVES, UM, THAT WE HAVE TO MEET. ANY QUESTIONS SO FAR? WE GOOD ON THE, OKAY. UH, OH, WHAT DID I DO THERE? ALL RIGHT. NOW, ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES, THE ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES VARY GREATLY, UM, AND YOU CAN FIND A MORE DETAILED LIST OF ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES AND THE PRIORITY LIST THAT, UM, WE HAVE ON IN OUR, UH, CONSOLIDATED PLAN, WHICH YOU CAN FIND ON OUR WEBSITE. UM, BUT MAJORITY OF OUR FUNDS GO TO PUBLIC SERVICES. AND THEN THE HOUSING REHABILITATION PROGRAMS. UM, SO THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT WE COVER HERE. BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, YOU CAN DO A LOT OF THINGS AROUND, UH, THOSE PARTICULAR ACTIVITIES THEMSELVES. UM, AGAIN, THE PRIORITY NEEDS HERE. WE HAVE A FEW LISTED, BUT, UH, AS, AS YOU ALL KNOW, WE JUST WENT THROUGH THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN PROCESS LAST YEAR AND THERE'S ABOUT 20 CRI OR 20 DIFFERENT PRIORITY NEEDS THAT WE RANKED HIGH AND LOW. SO, UM, WE CAN PROVIDE THAT LIST TO THE BOARD. AND THAT LIST IS AVAILABLE AGAIN, INSIDE OF THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN, WHICH IS ON THE WEBSITE. AND THEN OF COURSE WE HAVE, BECAUSE WE HAVE ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES, WE HAVE INELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES. SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN'T NECESSARILY USE CDBG FUNDS [00:35:01] FOR. UM, I, I LIKE TO TAKE PRIDE IN THE FACT THAT THE ELIGIBILITY LIST IS PROBABLY A LOT LONGER THAN THE INELIGIBILITY LIST. USUALLY WE CAN FIND A WAY. SO, UH, IF YOU, IF ANY APPLICANTS HAVE A PROPOSAL, UM, THEN UH, AT LEAST GIVE US A CHANCE TO CONSIDER IT TO SEE IF IT CAN FIT IN THE BOX AND THEN WE CAN, WE CAN GO FROM THERE. ALRIGHT. AGAIN, WE'RE GOING TO COVER, UH, LOW MOD AREA BENEFIT. SO THIS IS, THERE ARE SPECIFIC DESIGNATIONS INSIDE OF THE C-D-G-C-D-B-G UM, PROGRAM AND LOW MOD AREA IS ONE OF THEM. SO THIS IS WHERE THERE IS 51% OR MORE OF THE CENSUS TRACK HAS, UM, LOW TO MODERATE INCOME PEOPLE OF THAT, THAT PERCENTAGE. UM, NOW, NOW WITH THAT BEING THE CASE, THAT PARTICULAR AREA IS ALMOST ENTITLED TO CERTAIN BENEFITS. UM, BECAUSE YOU ARE INSIDE OF THIS PARTICULAR CENSUS TRACK IN A LOW MOD AREA, YOU'RE PRETTY MUCH ELIGIBLE FOR CDBG FUNDS. UH, THEN YOU HAVE THE LIMITED CLIENTELE. NOW, UH, LIMITED CLIENTELE CAN BE, UH, THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE OF PRESUMED BENEFIT. UM, IN THIS CASE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE THAT ARE HOMELESS, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, THE PEOPLE THAT, UH, MAY HAVE SOME TYPE OF DISABILITY, UM, PERSONS THAT ARE ILLITERATE, FOR INSTANCE. THESE ARE, UH, ARE PRESUMED BENEFITS BECAUSE THAT, THAT, THAT CLIENTELE, UM, IS NOT LIKELY TO HAVE A HIGH INCOME. IT'S VERY UNUSUAL IF THEY DO. SO WHAT THAT DOES IS IT KIND OF CLEARS THE WAY FOR SOME OF THE, THE PAPERWORK AND THE REQUIREMENTS THAT WE WOULD HAVE FOR THE PROGRAMMING IF WE CAN FIND THAT PARTICULAR POPULATION TO SERVE. AND THEN WE HAVE THE ELIGIBLE INCOME FOR BY FAMILY SIZE. SO SOME OF THE PROGRAMS YOU'RE GONNA BE SUBJECT TO, WELL, ALL OF THE PROGRAMS YOU'RE GONNA BE SUBJECT TO MEETING, UH, ONE OF THESE LEVELS OF INCOME. AND THAT BASICALLY KEEPS US ON TRACK TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SERVICING THE RIGHT POPULATION. AGAIN. UM, FOR INSTANCE, THE PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE FOR THE, UH, OWNER OCCUPIED REHAB PROGRAM, YOU HAVE TO BE AT 50% OR BELOW THE, THE INCOME VALUE THAT IS LISTED HERE. SO IF YOU'RE IN THE 80% BRACKET, YOU CAN'T, YOU CAN'T BE APPLICABLE FOR THAT PROGRAM. SO, UH, THIS PARTICULAR SCALE KIND OF ALLOWS US TO TARGET POPULATION SO THAT WE MAKE SURE WE'RE HITTING ALL THE BOXES, THAT WE'RE NOT JUST SERVING THOSE THAT ARE 51 TO 80%, BUT WE'RE ALSO SERVING THOSE THAT ARE ZERO TO 25 OR ZERO TO 30 RATHER. GENERAL RECORD KEEPING DOCUMENTATION, DOCUMENTATION, DOCUMENTATION. THAT'S GONNA BE VERY IMPORTANT FOR ALL THE APPLICANTS, UM, THAT ARE PURSUING, UM, THIS PROGRAM. THEY SHOULD BE REMINDED OF THAT THEY NEED TO HAVE RECORDS OF THEIR CURRENT SITUATION AND THEIR CURRENT FINANCIAL STRUCTURES AND THEIR ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES, UM, IN ORDER TO BE, UH, SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED FOR THIS APPLICATION. AND THEN ONCE THEY RECEIVE THE, THE ALLOCATION OR THE GRANT, THEY WILL ALSO NEED TO GO INTO GREATER DETAIL ON TRACKING THE TRACKING THE ACTIVITY, AND HOW THEY'RE SPENDING THE FUNDS. AND THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT. UM, WE AS STAFF WILL, UH, COMMONLY CHECK IN. WE REQUIRE A QUARTERLY REPORT, UM, FOR YOUR ACTIVITY, WHETHER YOU SPENT ANY MONEY OR NOT. UM, AND I WANT TO REMIND EVERYBODY THAT OUR PROGRAMS ARE GENERALLY ON A REIMBURSEMENT BASIS. SO, UH, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU ONE, DOCUMENT EVERYTHING SO THAT WHEN YOU ASK FOR REIMBURSEMENT FROM US THAT IT'S CLEAR THAT WE ARE ABLE TO REIMBURSE YOU FOR THAT, THAT YOU DIDN'T SPEND MONEY THAT YOU DIDN'T HAVE OR THAT YOU DIDN'T SPEND MONEY THAT WASN'T ELIGIBLE. RECORDS RETENTION IS ANOTHER BIG ONE AND A KEY, UH, FOR US. SO IF YOU ARE GO ARE, UH, DEEMED ELIGIBLE [00:40:01] FOR A-C-D-B-G GRANT AND YOU DO GET REIMBURSEMENTS, UM, YOU WILL HAVE TO KEEP YOUR RECORDS FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS. SO, UM, AND THAT'S FROM THE END OF THE PROGRAM. UM, AND THE PROGRAM IMPACT, I BELIEVE, RIGHT, IT'S FOR THE END OF THE PROGRAM YEAR. SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE LOOKING FOR FUNDING FROM FOR THE 2122 YEAR. SO BASICALLY SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2022 IS WHEN THIS PROGRAM YEAR THAT YOU'RE APPLYING FOR WOULD END. YOU HAVE TO MAINTAIN RECORDS FROM THEN PLUS FIVE YEARS. SO IT'S NOT FROM OCTOBER 1ST OF 21, BUT IT'S BASICALLY CAPER PLUS FIVE. WE DO OUR ANNUAL REPORT TO HUD IN DECEMBER. SO OUR ANNUAL REPORT KIND OF CLOSES OUT THAT PROGRAM YEAR. SO THE WAY WE DO OUR PROGRAM FILES IN-HOUSE IS THE END OF THE PROGRAM YEAR WHEN WE SUBMIT THAT FINAL REPORT PLUS FIVE. ALRIGHT. AND THIS IS JUST, UH, A LIST OF SOME OF THE RECIPIENTS OR PROGRAMS AND SOME OF THE RECIPIENTS OF THE, UH, PARTICULAR, UH, CDBG FUNDS. UM, OF COURSE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, UM, HOUSING PROGRAMS, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HANDLE HERE IN HOUSE. UM, BUT THEN YOU HAVE BAY AREA TURNING POINT, WHICH IS, UH, HANDLING THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTER, UH, AGENCY. THEY'RE CALLED A SUB-RECIPIENT OF THE FUNDS. SO THE CITY IS THE RECIPIENT AND THEN THOSE, THOSE ENTITIES FROM OUTSIDE THAT ARE RECEIVING FUNDS ARE CALLED SUB-RECIPIENTS. UM, OF COURSE WE'VE WORKED WITH BAYTOWN PD IN THE PAST, BAYTOWN, UM, EVENING OPTIMIST PROGRAM, WHICH IS THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM. UM, AND THEN YOU HAVE, UH, BRAC OR BAYTOWN RESOURCE AND ASSISTANCE CENTER WHO DOES THE BACKPACKS AND THE SHOES, OR NOT THE BACKPACKS, BUT THE SHOE PROGRAM. UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I ALWAYS LIKE TO SAY, AND THAT WAS PASSED ON TO ME, IS THAT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PRETTY MUCH DOES EVERYTHING FROM BACKPACKS TO BUILDING HOUSES. AND, AND THAT'S A TRUE STATEMENT AND YOU CAN SEE THAT REPRESENTED IN THIS LIST. AND WITH THAT, WE'RE GONNA PASS IT ON TO MS. SHARON SO SHE CAN TELL US ABOUT THE, THE APPLICATION FORMAT. SO THIS IS THE FUN PART. WOW. THIS IS WHY WE'RE ALL HERE TODAY. THIS IS THE FUN PART. THIS IS ACTUALLY APPLYING FOR THE MONEY. SO, UM, IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS WHILE WE'RE MAKING OUR PRESENTATION, LUIS IS MONITORING THE ZOOM CHAT. SO YOU CAN ALWAYS JUST PUT YOUR QUESTIONS IN THERE AND WE'LL ANSWER THEM ONCE WE GET TO THE END. SO RIGHT HERE YOU ARE SEEING THE, A PORTION OF THE FIRST PAGE OF THE APPLICATION. SO THIS IS WHERE YOU WOULD ENTER YOUR AGENCY'S INFORMATION. AND BASICALLY IT'S THE NAME OF YOUR AGENCY, WHAT PROGRAM YOU'RE APPLYING FOR, WHERE YOU'RE LOCATED, HOW MUCH FUNDING IT IS THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE REQUESTING. THIS IS ALL THE THINGS THAT WE NEED, YOU KNOW, UPFRONT FROM YOU SO THAT WE CAN DETERMINE EXACTLY WHAT KIND OF ORGANIZATION YOU ARE. AND WE EVEN HAVE THAT QUESTION, WHAT TYPE OF ORGANIZATION YOU ARE. SO THIS IS BASICALLY JUST A LITTLE SNAPSHOT OF WHAT YOUR AGENCY IS AND WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'RE REQUESTING. SO IN OUR NEXT TWO PAGES, YOU'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE, UM, TALKING ABOUT YOUR PROJECT. SO YOU WANNA DESCRIBE THE PROJECT THAT YOU'RE REQUESTING FUNDING FOR AND YOU WANNA DO A REALLY GOOD JOB OF DOING THAT BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE SITTING UP HERE, THEY MIGHT NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOUR INTENTIONS ARE, THEY JUST MIGHT KNOW THE NAME OF YOUR PROJECT FROM THE FRONT PAGE. BUT IF YOU DON'T ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS SPECIFICALLY, THEN THEY DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOUR GOALS ARE, WHO IT IS THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO HELP OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SO YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU GO THROUGH ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS AND ANSWER THEM AS SPECIFICALLY AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW YOU OR WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH. SO THIS IS THEIR WAY TO GET TO KNOW YOU AND EXACTLY WHAT YOUR PROJECT IS. AND THEN WE ALSO TALK ABOUT BUDGET. SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE SEE EXACTLY WHAT YOUR BUDGET IS GONNA BE FOR THIS PROGRAM. SO CDBG, AS MR. CHAVIS EXPLAINED PREVIOUSLY, IT IS A GRANT THAT IS DONE ON A REIMBURSEMENT BASIS. SO WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR ORGANIZATION HAS THE CAPACITY TO ACTUALLY CARRY OUT THIS PROJECT BECAUSE WE DON'T PROVIDE YOU WITH THE FUNDING AHEAD OF TIME. IT IS SOMETHING WHERE YOU WILL, OCTOBER 1ST IS WHEN YOU CAN START SPENDING MONEY, YOU SPEND THE MONEY AND IF YOU DID IT IN AN ELIGIBLE MANNER, YOU WOULD SUBMIT YOUR PAPERWORK TO US AND WE PAY YOU BACK FOR IT. IT'S NOT SOMETHING TO WHERE WE GIVE YOU YOUR MONEY UPFRONT. SO THIS RIGHT HERE LETS US KNOW THAT YOU HAVE THE CAPACITY TO ACTUALLY CARRY OUT THESE PROGRAMS AND THAT IF FOR WHATEVER REASON YOU DIDN'T RECEIVE FUNDING, THE PROGRAM WILL STILL EXIST. BECAUSE ONE THING WITH CDBG, IT'S NOT AN END ALL BE ALL. IT'S NOT ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE MONEY THEN THE PROGRAM'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN BECAUSE THAT'S JUST NOT THE WAY CDPG WORKS. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE TO WHERE THIS PROGRAM WILL STILL CONTINUE EVEN IF YOU DON'T RECEIVE YOUR FUNDING OR IF YOU DON'T RECEIVE THE FULL AMOUNT OF FUNDING. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO ASK IS THAT YOU PROVIDE US WITH EITHER [00:45:01] ANY IN KIND FUNDS THAT YOU MIGHT BE RECEIVING, ANY OTHER FUNDS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE APPLIED FOR FROM DIFFERENT GRANTS SO THAT WE KNOW THAT IF YOU REQUEST $10,000, BUT WE CAN ONLY GIVE YOU FIVE, BUT YOU'RE GETTING FIVE FROM T-D-H-C-A, SO YOU SHOULD STILL BE ABLE TO MANAGE THAT PROGRAM. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU ACTUALLY FILL OUT THE BUDGET NARRATIVE AND THERE IS AN ATTACHED DOCUMENT. IT IS A SPREADSHEET THAT IS THE BUDGET INFORMATION AND ALL OF THAT INFORMATION IS GONNA BE THERE. COLUMN A IS WHAT YOU'RE REQUESTING FROM CDPG. COLUMN BI BELIEVE IS UM, IN KIND AND COLUMN C IS UM, OTHER FUNDING THAT YOU'RE GETTING FROM, I MIGHT HAVE CONFUSED B AND C, BUT YOU, IF YOU HAVE IT, YOU SAW IT, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. AND THERE IT IS THERE, IT'S LOOK AT THAT. SO THERE IS THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL BUDGET. SO YOU WOULD ACTUALLY FILL OUT THIS DOCUMENT, THE BOTTOM BLANK LINES, THOSE ARE ACTUALLY FILLABLE TO WHERE IF THERE'S SOMETHING ON THERE THAT'S LISTED THAT YOU'RE NOT APPLYING FOR BUT YOU'RE APPLYING FOR SOMETHING ELSE, THEN YOU CAN ACTUALLY FILL IN THAT SECTION THERE. THAT'S WHAT THE BOTTOM SECTION ON. THE FIRST COLUMN ON THE LEFT IS. AND THEN COLUMN A WOULD BE WHAT YOU'RE REQUESTING FROM CDBG AND LOOK AT THE OTHER FUNDING SOURCES AND INCON CONTRIBUTIONS, THAT'S WHERE YOU WOULD PUT ALL OF THAT INFORMATION THERE. SO ONCE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION, NOW IN THE PAST WE USED TO REQUIRE THAT YOU ONLY SUBMIT PAPER DOCUMENTS. WELL, COVID HAS TAUGHT US BETTER AND WE KNOW NOW THAT DIGITAL IS OKAY, BUT WE DON'T MIND IF YOU GIVE US PAPER DOCUMENTS AS WELL. THE ONLY THING WE WILL NOT ACCEPT IS FAX OR MAIL DELIVERIES BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A PHYSICAL FAX MACHINE. IT ACTUALLY GOES INTO A MAILBOX AND THEN WE'RE NOT SURE WHEN YOUR APPLICATION WAS SUBMITTED. SAME THING WITH MAIL. YOU MIGHT HAVE PUT IT IN THE MAIL IN TIME, BUT IT, WE MIGHT NOT RECEIVE IT IN TIME. AND WE HAVE A HARD AND FAST DEADLINE THAT YOUR APPLICATIONS ARE DUE ON APRIL 12TH AT 5:00 PM SO IF WE RECEIVE IT IN THE MAIL ON APRIL 13TH, WE CAN'T ACCEPT IT. SO TO STOP ALL OF THAT FROM HAPPENING, YOU CAN SUBMIT IT TO US EITHER VIA EMAIL@CWGATBAYTOWN.ORG, OR YOU CAN DROP OFF HAND DELIVERED APPLICATIONS TO CITY HALL. AND IF YOU DO HAND DELIVER AN APPLICATION, WE DO REQUEST THAT YOU PROVIDE US WITH ONE ORIGINAL AND ONE COPY BECAUSE WE DO BOX UP ONE COPY IN CASE WE EVER GET AUDITED BY HUD. AND THEN THE OTHER ONE IS WHAT I MAKE VARIOUS COPIES BECAUSE I MAKE OUR COMMITTEE BOOKS OUT OF THESE DOCUMENTS, WHICH IS ALSO WHY WE ASK THAT IF YOU DO HAND DELIVER YOUR DOCUMENTS, PLEASE DON'T PAPERCLIP. I MEAN, EXCUSE ME, DON'T STAPLE IT OR WHOLE PUNCH IT OR ANYTHING. PAPERCLIP, BIG RUBBER BAND BINDER CLIPS, THOSE ARE GOOD BECAUSE IF YOU'RE SUBMITTING YOUR PAPERWORK, THEN I HAVE TO GO AND UNSTABLE EVERYTHING AND THEN I HAVE TO MAKE THE, IT'S, IT GETS TEDIOUS. SO JUST FOR THE SAKE OF EASE, WE ASK THAT YOU UM, IF YOU SUBMIT IT IN PAPER FORMAT, DO NOT PUT ANYTHING BUT PAPERCLIPS OR BINDER CLIPS OR RUBBER BANDS ON IT. IF YOU ARE AN AGENCY THAT WILL BE APPLYING FOR MORE THAN ONE PROJECT, WE DO ASK THAT YOU PRIORITIZE THOSE PROJECTS BECAUSE THERE COULD BE A PROJECT THAT IS NOT ELIGIBLE AND THAT WAS YOUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. OR IT COULD BE THAT WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO GIVE YOU FOR BOTH OF YOUR PROJECTS. SO WHICH ONE WOULD YOU PREFER US TO GIVE YOU THE FUNDING FOR? OF COURSE WE'D LIKE IT IF YOU ONLY APPLY FOR ITEMS THAT ARE ELIGIBLE, BUT SOMETIMES THINGS, YOU KNOW, GET LOST IN THE WIND. SO WE UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW BETTER. THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE THOUGH. SO IF YOU DON'T THINK YOU KNOW BETTER, YOU CAN ALWAYS GIVE US A CALL OR EMAIL OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. BUT IF YOU DO PLAN ON APPLYING FOR MORE THAN ONE PROJECT, PRIORITIZE IT. THAT WAY WE KNOW WHERE TO PUT THE BULK OF THE MONEY. IF WE CAN ONLY GIVE YOU $10,000 FOR TWO PROJECTS, WELL MAYBE WE'LL GIVE 75 TO THIS ONE AND 25 TO THE OTHER ONE. SO THAT'S THAT THERE. NOW AS I MENTIONED, APPLICATIONS ARE DUE ON APRIL 12TH AT 5:00 PM WE WILL NOT ACCEPT LATE SUBMISSIONS. SO THEY LOCKED THE DOORS AT 5:00 PM IF YOUR APPLICATION IS NOT IN THE BUILDING AT THAT TIME, WE WILL NOT ACCEPT YOUR APPLICATION. SO PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE BEING TIMELY IN DOING YOUR PAPERWORK AND EVERYTHING. UM, YOU DO STILL HAVE MORE THAN A MONTH FOR YOU TO GET THIS DONE. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, IF YOU WERE CONFUSED OR YOU WERE UNSURE OF HOW IT IS THAT YOU DO YOUR APPLICATION, GIVE US A CALL BECAUSE WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU SUCCEED AND YOU GET WHAT EXACTLY IT IS THAT YOU NEED SO THAT YOU CAN HELP THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE, RIGHT? SO YOU'VE SUBMITTED YOUR APPLICATION AFTER APRIL 12TH, WHAT'S NEXT? SO WHAT WE DO IS, IS I ACTUALLY REVIEW ALL OF THE APPLICATIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE INDEED ELIGIBLE FOR CDPG FUNDING AND THEN, UM, CHRIS AND I WILL ALSO GET TOGETHER. WE HAVE OTHER STAFF MEMBERS WHO REVIEW THE APPLICATIONS THAT ARE SUBMITTED TO US AS WELL AND WE SCORE THOSE APPLICATIONS. ONCE I GET EVERYTHING BACK, I CREATE THIS NICE BOOK FOR OUR CDAC MEMBERS SO THAT THEY CAN ACTUALLY NOW REVIEW ALL OF THE APPLICATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED. BECAUSE COME THE FIRST TUESDAY IN MAY, WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING. WE ACTUALLY HAVE ALL APPLICANTS WILL BE SUBMITTING THEIR PROJECTS TO OUR BOARD MEMBERS ON THE FIRST AND SECOND TUESDAY OF MAY. AND THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO SIT THERE AND TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE, WHY YOU NEED THE MONEY, WHO YOU WANNA HELP, AND WHY YOUR PROJECT IS NECESSARY. SO YOU, YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT COMES ACROSS IN YOUR APPLICATION AND YOU ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT COMES ACROSS IN [00:50:01] YOUR PRESENTATION TO OUR COMMITTEE. SO ONCE WE FINISH OUR PUBLIC HEARINGS, THAT'S WHEN OUR BOARD WILL COMMENCE AND THEY WILL HAVE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS. THAT'S WHEN WE DO DELIBERATIONS, THAT'S WHEN WE DISCUSS EVERY APPLICATION THAT WAS SUBMITTED. THE PROS, THE CONS, AND THAT'S WHEN THEY DECIDE EXACTLY WHO IT IS THAT GETS FUNDING AND HOW MUCH YOU GET FUNDING FOR. BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER, JUST BECAUSE YOU APPLIED FOR $10,000 DOES NOT MEAN YOU'LL RECEIVE IT. YOU COULD RECEIVE 5,000, YOU COULD RECEIVE ZERO. IT ALL DEPENDS BECAUSE YOU SAW HOW MUCH MONEY WE GET AND YOU SAW HOW THE MONEY GOES UP AND DOWN. SO WE CAN ONLY PROVIDE SO MUCH MONEY TO OUR LOCAL NONPROFITS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT REQUIRE THE FUNDING YOU SAW FOR PUBLIC SERVICES. WE ONLY HAVE ABOUT $96,000 BECAUSE WE CAN ONLY ALLOCATE 15% OF THAT AMOUNT THAT WE RECEIVE TOWARD THOSE ACTIVITIES. SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE CHOSE THAT MONEY ARBITRARILY, IT IS LITERALLY IN THE CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS THAT ONLY 15% OF OUR ENTITLEMENT CAN GO TOWARD PUBLIC SERVICE ACTIVITIES. SO YOU HAVE TO THINK THAT THERE'S A CHANCE THAT YOU MIGHT NOT GET FUNDED. SO ONCE OUR UM, COMMITTEE DECIDES ON A BUDGET, WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER PUBLIC HEARING TO PRESENT THAT TO THE CITY AND WE HAVE PEOPLE COME IN AND COMMENT ON THAT. AND ONCE THAT'S ALL COMPLETED, WE TAKE IT TO CITY COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL AND THEN WE SUBMIT THE REPORT TO HUD ON EXACTLY HOW IT IS THAT WE'RE GONNA SPEND OUR MONEY. 'CAUSE JUST LIKE YOU'RE SUBMITTING IT TO US THAT HOW YOU WANNA SPEND YOUR MONEY, WE HAVE TO SUBMIT TO HUD NOW HOW EVERYBODY'S GONNA SPEND THEIR MONEY WITH THE FUNDS THAT WE'RE GIVEN. SO AS I SAID, APRIL 12TH IS WHEN OUR PROPOSALS ARE DUE, WHICH WILL BE AT 5:00 PM NOT 5 0 1, BUT 5:00 PM MAY 4TH AND 11TH ARE WHEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE OUR TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS TO WHERE ALL OF OUR PUBLIC SERVICE AGENCIES WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THEIR PROJECTS TO OUR COMMITTEE. AND AFTER THERE'S GONNA BE ANOTHER PUBLIC HEARING IN JUNE, BUT WE HAVE NOT DECIDED ON A DATE YET, WHICH IS WHY IT'S NOT ON THIS MENU. IT'S EITHER GONNA BE JUNE 8TH OR 22ND. I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD. BUT WE WILL TAKE A FINAL DOCUMENT TO COUNSEL AT THE LAST MEETING IN JULY, WHICH IS JULY 23RD. AND THEN AFTER COUNSEL APPROVES IT, THAT'S WHEN WE PREPARE OUR REPORT TO HUD AND WE SUBMIT THAT TO THEM ON OCTOBER 13TH. FUNDS WILL BE AVAILABLE OCTOBER 1ST. THAT MEANS THAT DO NOT SPEND ANY MONEY FOR YOUR PROJECT OR ACTIVITY ON SEPTEMBER 30TH OR SEPTEMBER 20TH OR SEPTEMBER 10TH IF YOU SUBMIT A RECEIPT THAT HAS OCTOBER 1ST AS YOUR DATE OR ANYTHING AFTER YOU'RE GOOD TO GO. IF YOU SUBMIT A RECEIPT WITH ANYTHING SEPTEMBER 30TH OR AFTER PRIOR, WE CAN'T GIVE YOU YOUR MONEY BACK. SO YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU REMEMBER THAT MR. DAVIS. YES. AND JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, YOU CAN SPEND MONEY, IT'S JUST NOT A REIMBURSABLE EXPENSE. OH YES, YES. SPEND YOUR MONEY PLEASE, BUT JUST DON'T SPEND OUR MONEY BEFORE OCTOBER 1ST. SO GRANT WRITING TIPS AND TRICKS. I KNOW SOME OF YOU ARE PROBABLY NEW TO GRANT WRITING AND SOME OF YOU ARE, UM, OLD DOGS TO IT AND I KNOW SOME OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS HAVE HEARD ME TALK ABOUT THIS, UH, MANY TIMES. MS. LOPEZ, THANK YOU FOR BEING A NEW PERSON. UM, BUT BEFORE YOU APPLY FOR THE GRANT, ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO IS PRINT OUT THE APPLICATION AND LOOK AT IT, MARK IT UP, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN MAKE LITTLE NOTES HERE AND THERE AND THAT WAY YOU KNOW EXACTLY HOW IT IS THAT YOU WANT TO GO FORWARD WITH SUBMITTING IT TO US, HOW YOU'RE GONNA ANSWER THE QUESTIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. YOU WANNA GET ALL YOUR PAPERWORK TOGETHER BECAUSE THERE ARE ATTACHMENTS THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR YOU TO SUBMIT WITH YOUR APPLICATION. SO YOU WANNA MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL OF THAT BECAUSE YOU DO GET SCORED BASED ON EXACTLY WHAT IT IS THAT YOU SUBMIT. SO IF YOU'RE NOT SUBMITTING EVERYTHING THAT IS REQUIRED FOR YOUR PROJECT, THEN YOU SUBMITTED AN INCOMPLETE APPLICATION. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE NOT DOING AND SOME PEOPLE ARE SCARED OF WRITING, JUST DON'T BE SCARED, JUST DO IT. JUST GO AHEAD AND DIVE INTO IT. I MEAN, IT'S JUST LIKE DOING A CANNONBALL AT THE DEEP END OF THE BOWL. JUST GO AHEAD AND JUMP INTO IT. AND OF COURSE YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE READY TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION NOW FOR YOUR BUDGET. DON'T BE VAGUE WITH YOUR BUDGET, YOU KNOW, IF YOU KNOW THAT YOU KNOW IT'S GONNA COST $35 FOR A PAIR OF SHOES AND YOU'RE GONNA SERVE 300 PEOPLE, 35 TIMES 300 IS WHAT YOU NEED. THAT'S IT RIGHT THERE. I'M NOT GONNA GIVE YOU THAT NUMBER BECAUSE IT'LL BE WRONG, BUT THAT'S THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT YOU NEED IF YOU'RE GONNA BE, UM, FOR WHATEVER REASON, UM, TRYING TO PURCHASE EQUIPMENT OR PAY FOR CONSTRUCTION COSTS, ESPECIALLY AFTER HARVEY, YOU KNOW, THE COST OF CONSTRUCTION ITEMS HAS GONE UP AND GOD, I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW MUCH PLUMBING IS GONNA GO UP NOW AFTER YURI. SO YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE ASKING FOR A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU NEED. SO YOU WANNA PAD YOUR BUDGET A LITTLE BIT AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE GOING ABOVE THE PROJECTED COSTS. AND LIKE I SAID BEFORE, HOW WILL YOU SUSTAIN THE PROGRAM AFTER THE GRANT GOES AWAY? SO THAT'S A PART OF WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT YOUR BUDGET AND YOUR APPLICATION, YOU WANNA DISCUSS THAT AND YOU WANNA MAKE SURE YOU DO YOUR RESEARCH. YOU WANNA CALL AROUND AND FIND OUT WHAT THE COST OF TIMBER IS, WHAT THE COST OF PIPE INSULATION IS. IF YOU WANT TO GO AROUND INSULATING PEOPLE'S PIPES, YOU KNOW, THAT'S FOR YOUR PROJECT AND HEY, MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT THE COST IS AND MAYBE ERR ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHER ONE NUMBERS. THAT WAY YOU'RE ASKING FOR MORE THAN YOU NEED. AND THEN WHEN YOU SPEND LESS, WE'RE HAPPY GENERAL GRANT LIGHTING. YOU WANNA BE CREATIVE WHENEVER YOU'RE PUTTING YOUR GRANT PROPOSAL TOGETHER, BUT YOU ALSO [00:55:01] DON'T WANT TO BE INSANE EITHER. YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE BEING LOGICAL IN WHAT YOU'RE REQUESTING AND WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'RE WRITING, BUT IT, YOU DON'T WANT IT TO BE FANTASTICAL EITHER. MAKE SURE THAT YOU ANSWER ALL OF THE QUESTIONS IN THE APPLICATION IF YOU LEAVE IT BLANK, THAT IS AN INCOMPLETE APPLICATION. IF IT IS NOT APPLICABLE TO YOU AND SLASH A, THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO PUT IN THAT QUESTION FIELD AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU PUT THAT THERE. THAT WAY WE KNOW THAT MAYBE YOU DIDN'T MISS IT, IT'S JUST NOT APPLICABLE TO YOUR PROJECT. AND THERE IS THIS CHECKLIST ON PAGE TWO OF THE APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS THAT SHOW WHAT THE REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS ARE WHENEVER YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION. AND SO YOU JUST WANNA MAKE SURE YOU GO DOWN THAT LIST TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE SUBMITTING THOSE DOCUMENTS TO US. AND WHEN YOU'RE WRAPPING IT UP, YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, I MEAN, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING IN ONE DAY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT, YOU KNOW, AT THE LAST MINUTE. WRITE A LITTLE BIT EACH DAY, ANSWER TWO QUESTIONS A DAY, AND THEN THAT WAY YOU GIVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TIME FOR YOU TO GO OVER YOUR ANSWERS SO THAT THEY MAKE SENSE. AND WE'RE NOT SITTING HERE SCRATCHING OUR HEADS AS WE'RE READING YOUR APPLICATION RESOURCES. OH MY GOODNESS. YOUTUBE, YOU CAN SEE YOUTUBE VIDEOS ON ANYTHING AND THEY HAVE A PLETHORA OF VIDEOS ON GRANT WRITING. SO PLEASE USE YOUR RESOURCES. AND IF YOU KNOW PEOPLE WHO WRITE GRANTS FOR A LIVING, IF YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW ANY ORGANIZATIONS OUT THERE THAT HAVE DONE THIS IN THE PAST, USE YOUR RESOURCES. ANOTHER RESOURCE IS THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT. YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO A PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST THROUGH A CITY CLERK'S OFFICE AND YOU CAN REQUEST TO SEE PREVIOUS GRANT APPLICATIONS, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE ONE, IF YOU KNOW SOMEBODY IS APPLYING FOR SOMETHING. IF YOU ARE APPLYING FOR SOMETHING THAT HAD BEEN FUNDED IN THE PAST BY A DIFFERENT ORGANIZATION, YOU CAN SUBMIT A PUBLIC, UH, INFORMATION REQUEST AND WE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH THE APPLICATION THAT WAS SUBMITTED TO US IN THE PAST. AND YOU WANNA KEEP IT SIMPLE. YOU DON'T WANNA GO CRAZY AND JUST ASK FOR $80,000 WHEN YOU SAW WE ONLY HAVE 95. SO YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IT, WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING IS REALISTIC. YOU DON'T WANNA JUST GO OUT OF THE BALANCE WHENEVER YOU'RE DOING IT. AND THEN WHENEVER YOU'RE APPLYING, MAKE SURE THAT YOUR PROPOSED PROJECT ADDRESSES A SIGNIFICANT NEED. YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOUR AGENCY HAS THE CAPACITY TO RUN THIS. HAVE YOU RUN THIS PROGRAM BEFORE, IS IT NEW TO YOU? HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO PROPERLY IMPLEMENT THIS PROGRAM? THAT'S ACTUALLY A QUESTION IN THE APPLICATION. SO DO YOU HAVE THE LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE, JUST LIKE I JUST SAID, AND ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT? I MEAN OUR, OUR BOARD MEMBERS WANNA SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT JUST ASKING FOR MONEY AND YOU'RE NOT SURE EXACTLY HOW IT IS THAT YOU'RE GONNA DO IT. THEY WANNA SEE THAT YOU KNOW EXACTLY HOW IT IS THAT YOU'RE GONNA SPEND THE MONEY, WHO YOU'RE GONNA ADVERTISE TO, WHAT YOUR DEMOGRAPHIC IS, THEY WANNA SEE THAT KIND OF THING. YOU ALSO, WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES OUT THERE BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, CDBG IS NOT FINITE. YOU SAW THE CHART, IT GOES UP AND DOWN. AND THEN THE REASONS THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT FUNDED, OF COURSE, IF IT'S NOT AN ELIGIBLE ACTIVITY, YOU SUBMITTED AN INCOMPLETE APPLICATION. IF WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS YOU'RE ASKING FOR BECAUSE YOU LEFT THINGS BLANK OR YOU DIDN'T SUBMIT YOUR ATTACHMENTS, THEN YOU'RE NOT GONNA RECEIVE FUNDING BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW IF YOUR PROJECT IS FEASIBLE, WHICH IS NUMBER TWO. NUMBER THREE, IF IT'S NOT FEASIBLE AND YOU ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S A PRIORITY IN THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN. NOW THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN IS ON THE CITY'S UH, PAGE. IF YOU GO TO PROGRAMS AND HUD PLANS AND REPORTS, YOU'LL ACTUALLY FIND A COPY OF THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN THERE. I BELIEVE S SP 45 IS THE SECTION WHERE OUR PRIORITY NEEDS ARE. SO YOU CAN ALWAYS JUST GO THERE AND LOOK AT THAT AND YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOUR BUDGET IS WITHIN THE FUNDING RANGE AS DISCUSSED. YOU SAW HOW MUCH MONEY WE GET. SO YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOUR PROPOSAL IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN JUST NOT FUND AT ALL. AND ADEQUATE CAPACITY, WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THAT. UNREASONABLE COSTS, LACK OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY. WE, WE WORRY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT END UP CUTTING THE FUNDING FOR A PROGRAM AND THEY'RE JUST NOT GONNA HAPPEN ANYMORE. THAT'S NOT SOMETHING WE WANT TO SEE. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, CDBG CAN'T BE THE END ALL BE ALL, LIKE I SAID BEFORE, AND LACK OF FUNDS AND IF WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY, WE, WE CAN'T GIVE IT TO YOU. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ALSO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT. SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE. IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MYSELF OR MR. CHAVIS. JUST ONE OBSERVATION, UH, WHEN ARE THE APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE? IS, IS IS RIGHT NOW OR MARCH 1ST? MR. BARNETT MARCH. WE, UM, SENT OUT AN EMAIL TO BORROW. WE ALSO PUBLISHED AN AD IN THE PAPER. THE APPLICATIONS WERE AVAILABLE ON MARCH 1ST. SO THEY WILL HAVE, UH, JUST OVER 42 DAYS, ABOUT 42 DAYS TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION. OKAY. SO QUESTION NUMBER ONE IS FROM RAMON WILLIAMS FROM THE MARCELLUS WILLIAMS RESOURCE CENTER. SHE ASKED, CAN YOU PROVIDE A CURRENT MAP OF THE CDBG SERVICING AREA? YES, WE CAN. UH, AND IF MS RO, I BELIEVE I HAVE MS. RAMONA'S EMAIL CONTACT, SO I CAN JUST SEND THAT TO HER. YES, IT'S BASICALLY THE CITY LIMITS OF BAYTOWN. AND THEN ANOTHER AREA YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, SO YOU [01:00:01] WANTED A-C-D-B-G SERVICE AREA? YEAH, THE TARGET AREA, WHICH THE SERVICE AREA IS THE, THE TARGET AREA IS 51, PRIMARILY 51% OR LESS, UM, INCOME PEOPLE. BUT THE SERVICE AREA FOR THE CDBG PROGRAM IN GENERAL IS THE CITY LIMITS OF BAYTOWN. THAT'S CORRECT. SO THE CITY LIMITS IS THE ONLY, YOU'RE ONLY ELIGIBLE IF YOU'RE INSIDE OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN CITY LIMITS. UM, BUT THEN FURTHERMORE, THE NEXT LAYER IS THE CDBG TARGET AREA AND THAT TARGET AREA IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON OUR GIS SYSTEM. SO I WILL DEFINITELY SEND, UM, MS. RAMONA THE, THE PDF OF IT, BUT IF SHE WANTED TO USE THE WEB ACCESS IS THERE AS WELL AND WE CAN WALK THROUGH THAT. UH, QUESTION NUMBER TWO IS FROM TAMMY SCOTT WITH THE HOUSTON RESPONSE. UH, SHE ASKED, HOW OFTEN DO WE REIMBURSEMENTS HAPPEN ? WELL, REIMBURSEMENTS CAN HAPPEN AS FREQUENTLY AS THE APPLICANT, UM, OR AS THE SUB RECIPIENT, UM, WOULD LIKE, UM, THEY CAN SUBMIT TO US. UH, WE DO HAVE A, A MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR REPORTING AT, UH, ONCE EVERY QUARTER, SO AT AT LEAST FOUR TIMES WITHIN A GRANT YEAR. AND WE HAVE SOME SUB RECIPIENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, SUBMIT MONTHLY. SO IT JUST DEPENDS. WE UNDERSTAND THAT BECAUSE THIS IS A REIMBURSEMENT GRANT THAT YOU MIGHT NEED THAT OPERATING CAPITAL FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION, SO YOU CAN SUBMIT AS OFTEN AS YOU'D LIKE. BUT WE DO ASK THAT WHEN YOU SUBMIT FOR A REIMBURSEMENT, YOU ALSO SUBMIT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. WHY ARE WE REIMBURSING YOU THIS MONEY? HOW MANY PEOPLE DID YOU HELP OR, YOU KNOW, BEDS AT A HOMELESS SHELTER, ANYTHING LIKE THAT DID YOU PROVIDE SO THAT WE SEE EXACTLY WHY IT IS THAT WE'RE REIMBURSING YOU FOR THOSE FUNDS? OKAY. I HAVE EASTON ROGERS WITH HOUSING FOR CURES. UH, HE HAS A FEW QUESTIONS. NUMBER ONE IS, ARE THERE EXAMPLES OF APPROVED PAST APPLICATIONS TO REVIEW? IF SO, ARE THEY ONLINE TO REVIEW? IF SO, WHAT IS THE WEBSITE? THE APPLICATIONS ARE NOT ONLINE. UM, FOR REVIEW, HOWEVER, IF YOU WOULD LEAVE, UH, YOUR, OR SEND US AN EMAIL@CDBGATBAYTOWN.ORG, WE WILL HAPPILY REPLY TO YOU WITH, UH, SOME APPROVED APPLICATIONS FROM THE PAST. QUESTION NUMBER TWO FOR MR. ROGERS IS HOW MANY APPLICATIONS ARE SUBMITTED EACH YEAR AND HOW MANY ARE APPROVED? IT FLUCTUATES. IT VARIES. , IT, IT DOES VARY. I BELIEVE LAST YEAR WE HAD 12 APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED AND NINE WERE APPROVED BECAUSE IT, I MEAN, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO OUR BUDGET BECAUSE WE PRIMARILY FUND THE PUBLIC SERVICE ACTIVITIES. THAT IS THE BULK OF OUR, OUR, OUR OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS. UM, INTERNALLY WE DO FUND OUR HOUSING PROGRAMS AND OUR SUBSTANDARD STRUCTURES PROGRAM AND WHATNOT. BUT PRIMARILY IT IS, UM, PUBLIC SERVICE AGENCIES, AND I'M GONNA SAY PROBABLY ANYWHERE FROM 10 TO 15 APPLICATIONS. AND THAT'S, AND 15 IS ME STRETCHING IT. BUT MR. BARNETT, I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR LONGER THAN ANYONE. YES. I MEAN, WE PROBABLY DON'T GET MORE THAN 15 APPLICATIONS A YEAR. NO, NO, NOT SINCE I'VE FUNDED, BEEN CUT LIKE IT HAS BEEN. YEAH. OKAY. UH, QUESTION NUMBER THREE IS FOR MR. ROGERS IS WHAT IS CONSIDERED PADDING THE BUDGET 20% FROM YOUR ASKING BUDGET, WHAT IS A REASONABLE FROM PAST EXPERIENCE? UM, I KNOW THAT IN THE SLIDE WE DID PUT, YOU WANNA DO AT LEAST FIVE TO 10% ABOVE THE PROJECTED COSTS. YOU DON'T WANNA, YOU KNOW, IF YOU KNOW THAT THE PRICE OF LUMBER IS $5 A YARD OR HOWEVER IT IS THAT LUMBER IS SOLD, AND YOU, YOU SAY YOU WANT, YOU KNOW, $10 A YARD, THEN THAT'S, YOU KNOW, A LOT . BUT IF YOU WANNA JUST LIKE OVER THERE UNDER BUDGET, IF YOU SEE THE SLIDE, YOU KNOW, YOU WANNA ADD AT LEAST FIVE TO 10% ABOVE WHAT YOU BELIEVE IT'S GONNA COST. YEAH. AND JUST BE MINDFUL OF CONTINGENCIES, THINGS HAPPEN. SO THAT, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE REALLY PADDING THE BUDGET FOR IS TO CONSIDER IN CASE SOMETHING, UH, DOESN'T HAPPEN PERFECTLY, THEN YOU HAVE, UH, A LITTLE BIT OF BREATHING ROOM THERE. IT'S JUST RESPONSIBLE, UH, MONEY MANAGEMENT. UH, FOURTH QUESTION FOR MR. ROGERS IS, ARE REIMBURSEMENTS TAXED? NO, NOT AT, NOT AT ALL. NO. OKAY. SO NEXT STEP IS MR. CORNELL GORDON FROM THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, THE CITY OF BAYTOWN. HE ASKED, UM, HE WANTED TO KNOW IF CDBG MONEY [01:05:01] CAN BE USED TO FUND SPORTS FIELDS AND OUTDOOR FITNESS FACILITIES. IT CAN, BUT THERE IS SOME CRITERIA THAT, UH, HE WILL HAVE TO MEET, UM, AND HAS TO, AGAIN, HE HAS TO MEET THAT THRESHOLD OF BEING ABLE TO SHOW THAT HE'S SERVING LOW TO MODERATE INCOME PEOPLE OR HE'S IN A LOW TO MODERATE INCOME AREA. UM, AND THAT, THAT'S IN THE CRITERIA. SO THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT THE IMPROVEMENTS TO THAT SPORTS COMPLEX, UM, CAN BE FUNDED. A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT IS A COUPLE OF PARKS THAT WE FUNDED IN THE PAST IS APELLI PARK, GERON PARK, UNIDAD PARK IN CENTRAL HEIGHTS PARK. AND THOSE ARE IN LOW, LOW TO MODERATE INCOME AREAS WHERE THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THAT AREA ARE PRESUMED TO BE 51% OR LOWER IN INCOME. SO THOSE ARE JUST GOOD EXAMPLES FOR HIM RIGHT THERE. UH, NEXT UP I HAVE DR. TOM KILNER. UM, WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET THIS YEAR? HOLD PLEASE, . VERY MUCH SO FOR THE CURRENT YEAR. WE JUST GOT OUR LETTER FROM HUD A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, WHICH IS GREAT BECAUSE WE USUALLY DON'T GET IT UNTIL AFTER THIS PROCESS IS DONE. SO WE'RE RECEIVING $643,126 FOR THE NEXT, UH, FOR THE UPCOMING GRANT YEAR. OUT OF THAT FUNDING FOR PUBLIC SERVICE ACTIVITIES, WE ONLY HAVE JUST A LITTLE BIT OVER $96,000. SO THAT IS WHAT THE BUDGET IS GONNA BE. AND THERE'S OTHER QUESTIONS I HAVE IN THE CHAT BOT THERE. ANY QUESTIONS COMING FROM THE BOARD? NO. ALRIGHT. WELL, AND FOR EVERYBODY, UM, ATTENDING THIS MEETING, OF COURSE, IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, YOU FEEL FREE TO DIRECT THEM TO CDBG@BAYTOWN.ORG AND WE WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS. OR IF YOU'D LIKE TO EMAIL TO SET UP A TIME TO DISCUSS YOUR PROJECT AND TO SEE IF IT IS CDBG ELIGIBLE, THEN, YOU KNOW, GIVE US AN EMAIL AND WE WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SET UP A TIME TO WHERE WE CAN DO A ZOOM MEETING OR A CONFERENCE CALL AND WE CAN DISCUSS EXACTLY WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO. AND WE CAN HELP YOU, KIND OF GUIDE YOU TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU'RE APPLYING FOR IS ELIGIBLE. BECAUSE THE LAST THING IN THE WORLD WE WANT YOU TO DO IS, YOU KNOW, SPEND YOUR TIME FILLING OUT THE APPLICATION TO FIND OUT THAT IT WASN'T EVEN ELIGIBLE. SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ALL DAY. SO ANYTIME YOU GUYS NEED IT, JUST LET US KNOW AND WE'LL SET UP A TIME SO THAT YOU KNOW, CHRIS AND MYSELF OR CHRIS OR MYSELF, WHICHEVER, UM, CAN GET WITH YOU AND SEE EXACTLY HOW IT IS THAT WE CAN HELP YOU. AND AGAIN, I WANT TO STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF REVIEWING THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN AND THE, THE PRIORITIES, UM, THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN SET BY THIS BOARD AND CITY COUNCIL. UM, AND THAT WILL GIVE YOU, UH, A NUMBER OF IDEAS ON HOW YOUR FUNDS CAN BE SPENT AS WELL. UM, SO WITH THAT, UH, THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION. OKAY? OKAY. THANK YOU MR. CHAVIS. UH, LET'S GO TO ITEM FIVE MANAGER'S REPORT. I HAVE NO REPORT, SIR, SO NO REPORT. I MEAN, IF YOU GUYS DON'T HAVE ANYTHING FOR ME, THEN I MEAN, I'M, I'M TAPPED OUT. OKAY, SO THAT'S END. I, SO THAT MEANS ITEM SIX. ADJOURNMENT. YES. SO, I MEAN, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU WANT TO ADJOURN. DO YOU WANT TO CONTINUE TO DO A, A VOTE OR DID YOU WANT TO JUST END, UM, ADJOIN THE MEETING? MM-HMM . OKAY. I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION OF WHAT WE DID THE OTHER DAY. OH, WELL, I MEAN, YEAH, WE, WE ABSOLUTELY COULD. SO LET ME SAY THIS. UH, ALL IN FAVOR, ADJOURNMENT. ALL RIGHT. THAT'S IT. . * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.