Attached is a draft copy of the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report for Program Year (PY) 3, Fiscal Year (FY) 2017-2018 for the City of Sparks.  Each year, the City of Sparks is required to prepare and submit a CAPER to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  Submission of the CAPER is a condition of receiving federal Community Development Block Grant and Home Partnership Program funding (The City of Sparks receives the latter as a member of the Washoe County HOME Consortium [WCHC] where the City of Reno is the lead agency and the City of Sparks is a Participating Jurisdiction [PJ]).  The City of Sparks must conduct a fifteen-day public comment period for the CAPER, hold at least one public hearing and submit this report to HUD by September 30, 2018 (see attached).

The CAPER provides an overview of how the City of Sparks expended CDBG funding, as well as how the WCHC spent Home Partnership Program funds, and reviews the jurisdictions’ community development and affordable housing accomplishments during PY 3, FY 2017-2018.  More specifically, the document is intended to provide a brief description of Sparks’ and WCHC’s HUD funded programs, including a listing of the projects undertaken during the prior year, the amount of funding expended, a review of the accomplishments achieved using grant and other funds, and serve generally as an assessment of progress made toward the jurisdictions’ goals as specified in the Five Year Consolidated Plan.  The Five-Year Consolidated Plan serves as a planning tool for implementation of community wide initiatives, goals and priorities.  The CAPER is a programmatic review and done in addition to the City’s annual financial audit.

For FY 2017-2018 the City of Sparks received $622,192 in new CDBG fund.   The City committed the maximum the permitted percentage – 15% ($96,160.) of its FY 2017-2018 CDBG allocation to provide funding support for the Community Assistance Center (CAC), a homeless shelter complex located on East Forth Street in Reno.  The CAC includes shelters for men, women and families as well as a resource center.  The City supplemented the CDBG funds it provided to support the CAC with $277,410 from its general fund.

In FY 2017-18, the City allocated up to $50,000 of new grant funding and $70,000 Program Income to support its Single Familiy, Homeowner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Deferred Loan Program and  additionally, up to $46,170.25 of reprogramed funding was allocated to its Emergency Repair Grant Program as well as an additional $20,000 of new grant funding to support the its implementation.  A total of $65,000 was expended during FY 2017-2018 for Planning and Administrative activities and an additional $45,000 was used for Housing Rehabilitation Administration activities that included program administration of the housing rehabilitation programs to provide loans and grants to a total of eighteen (18) households assisted through these programs:  nine (9) with Single Family Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation loans and nine (9) with Emergency Grants.

The maximum grant allowable under the Emergency Repair Grant program is $2,500 per household.  The applicant must meet the HUD income guideline requirement of 60% or less of Area Median Income (AMI).  These grants may only be obtained when conditions of the home affect the quality of life, health and safety of the household occupants.

The City of Sparks allocated new CDBG grant funds in the amount of $307,907 for FY 2017-18 which includes $49,100 in design/survey services; plus, an additional $46,170.25 of reprogram funds toward infrastructure and pedestrian improvements for a total community investment of $354,077.25.  The specific boundaries of the Pedestrian Improvement activities were H Street between Rock Boulevard to 15^th Street and 16^th Street between I Street to G Street.  The work performed under this activity primarily consisted of removing and replacing concrete curb, gutter and sidewalks, installing accessibility ramps, driveway approaches, and street repairs as necessary.

CDBG planning and administration funds in the amount of $13,125 were allocated in support of the Reno Area Alliance for the Homeless (RAAH) work for the homeless Continuum of Care planning and funding process.  Also, $25,000 from the City of Sparks and $25,000 from the City of Reno were provided for administrative funding to Silver State Fair Housing Council to further Fair Housing efforts throughout the community.  The total community investment of $50,000, is a HUD minimum requirement.

The City of Sparks, Washoe County and Reno collectively comprise the Washoe County HOME Consortium (WCHC), which uses HOME funds from HUD as well as other affordable housing funding sources to foster the development of affordable rental and for-sale housing.  No new HOME funds were expended in the City of Sparks during FY 2017-2018.  However, construction continued on the Alpine Haven development that had an anticipated completion of Spring/2018:

The WCHC invested HOME funds from previous funding years and other leveraged funds for the new 40 new affordable housing units on Oddie Boulevard.The project was successfully completed and the Grand Opening ribbon cutting ceremony was held on June 26, 2018

HUD’s CDBG regulations require a minimum fifteen-day public comment period for the CAPER, and the City’s HUD-approved Citizen Participation Plan requires a public hearing.  A notice announcing the availability of the CAPER was published on August 15, 2018 in the Reno Gazette-Journal.  The public comment period began on August 15, 2017 and closed on August 30, 2018.  Staff hosted a public comment meeting on August 22, 2018 at City of Sparks Council Chambers but no residents attended the meeting.  A public hearing before Sparks City Council will be held on September 24, 2018; any public comment received at this hearing will be documented and incorporated into the final CAPER.

• The City Council may identify changes to the CAPER.  However, the CAPER must be submitted by September 30, 2018, as it is a condition of receiving CDBG funding allocation.
• The City Council may approve the submittal of the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for Program Year 3, FY 2017-18 for the City of Sparks to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

I move to approve submittal of the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report for Program Year 3, Fiscal Year 2017-2018 for the City of Sparks to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.