The City of Sparks is an Entitlement Community under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program.  As an Entitlement Community, the City receives a direct allocation of CDBG funding each program year.  In addition to the CDBG program, the City of Sparks partners with the City of Reno and Washoe County in the Washoe County HOME Consortium (WCHC).  Via the WCHC, the three jurisdictions also receive an annual allocation of HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) funding.  The guidelines for these formula grant programs outline three basic goals of decent housing, a suitable living environment and expanded economic opportunities.

As part of the annual application process for CDBG funds, an Action Plan is prepared by the City of Sparks, with information provided by the City of Reno for the WCHC, describing the proposed activities to be funded with CDBG and HOME dollars (City of Reno is the lead agency for the WCHC and the City of Sparks is a participating jurisdiction).  The Annual Action Plan also identifies the process through which the jurisdictions, along with Washoe County, allocate and distribute funding, along with information regarding other funding resources available for those programs.

HUD has advised the City of Sparks that its CDBG annual allocation for FY 2017-2018 totals $622,192 (see attached “Attachment A” HUD Allocation Letter dated June 15, 2017).

Additionally, attached is the “Final Draft copy of the FY 2017/2018 Annual Action Plan (AAP)” (see “Attachment B”).

The public comment period began April 7, 2017 with the advertisement of the Annual Action Plan and concluded on May 8, 2017, at which time all comments were compiled and incorporated into the AAP (no additional comments were submitted).  The AAP was scheduled to be submitted on or before May 15, 2017 to HUD for review and approval; however due to HUD’s issuance of a Notice:  CPD-16-18 (see attachment “A”) the actual submittal date was extended contingent on HUD’s issuance of official allocation amounts for FY 2017-2018.

The Action Plan serves as the application for CDBG Entitlement Communities such as the City of Sparks.  The 2017/2018 Annual Action Plan outlines the activities the City of Sparks plans to undertake in Program Year 3 (FY 2017/2018) of the City’s Consolidated Plan for the 2015-2019 period, leveraging CDBG funding to address housing needs, public services and homelessness prevention under the objectives of a suitable living environment and decent housing.  The 2017/18 Annual Action Plan allocates a total of $738,362.25, which is comprised of $622,192 in new CDBG entitlement funding plus $116,170.25 in unspent funds from previous years that will be reprogrammed and used to fund previously approved activities, as follows:

Activities to be funded from New CDBG Allocation for FY 2017/18:

• Up to $25,000 to support Fair Housing activities,

• Up to $13,125 for Continuum of Care (CoC) activities,

• Up to $65,000 for Planning and Administration activities,

• Up to $96,160 for Community Assistance Center activities (homeless shelter),

• Up to $45,000 for Housing Rehabilitation Administration activities,

• Up to $307,907 of new grant funding for Pedestrian Improvements which includes $49,000 in design/survey services (i. e. CFA – Neighborhood Street Reconstruction Design) which leaves a balance of $258,907.00 for Pedestrian Improvements.

• Up to $116,170.25 of reprogramed funding/program income from previous grant years which includes $46,170.25 reprogramed funds and approximately $70,000 of program income to be used specifically for Housing Rehabilitation Deferred Loan activities;

• Up to $50,000 of new grant funding for implementation of Single-Family Housing Rehabilitation Program activities;

• Up to $20,000 for Housing Rehabilitation Emergency Repair Grant activities,

Each project presented within the Action Plan meets the community’s needs as presented in the five year Consolidated Plan.  At the time the staff report was submitted, staff had not received any public comment on the Annual Action Plan.

1. Approve the proposed funding allocations as listed in the AAP.

2. Reducing or increasing the allocations for one or more of the activities.

3. Eliminating one or more of the activities.

I move to approve the proposed project funding allocations and to submit the Program Year 3, Fiscal Year 2017/2018 Annual Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.