HomeMy WebLinkAbout95-344
.
.
.
RESOLUTION NO. 95-344
ON FUNDING FOR AND REFINEMENTS TO THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM
WHEREAS, the Board of Supervisors of Mohave County, met in Regular Session this 7th
day of August, 1995, and
WHEREAS, the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program remains the
premier federal tool for neighborhood stabilization, revitalization, and economic development; and
WHEREAS, the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 contained a number of
refinements to the CDGB program which give county officials more flexibility in its use, but
additional funding and further refinements are needed to increase the program's effectiveness; and
WHEREAS, the House and Senate appropriations and authorization committees will soon
consider funding for and reauthorization of CDBG; and
WHEREAS, the House VA, HUD and Independent Agencies appropriations bill funds
CDGB at $4.6 billion in fisca11996; and
WHEREAS, the National Association of Counties adopted a similar resolution on July 25,
1995;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Mohave County Board of Supervisors urges
Congress to appropriate a minimum of $4.6 billion for CDGB in fiscal 1996; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mohave County Board of Supervisors urges
Congress to make the following refinements in the CDGB program:
A. Environmental Review - allow the substitution of substantially equivalent state or local
environmental review for NEP A;
B. Labor Standards - Increase trom eight to twelve units the threshold for triggering Davis
Bacon prevailing wage rates;
C. Nonhousing Community Development Plans - Revise the nonhousing community
development plan to reduce its paperwork burden;
D. Block Group - Permit the use of block groups in making the determination of areas presumed
to benefit low and moderate income persons for purposes of using CDBG for economic
development;
. Resolution No. 95-344
Page 2
E. Use of CDBG for Horne ownership - remove the sunset on the ability of grantees to use
CDBG for Home ownership;
F. Citizen Participation - Allow local governments the flexibility to devise their own citizen
participation requirements with the caveat that they follow minimum standards for engaging
citizens in a timely and informative manner about plans for and use of CDBG funds;
G. Relocation Benefits - Modify the current law overly generous benefits to provide displaced
tenants with comparable housing for a period shorter than five years;
H. Administrative Cap - provide administrative cap relief by legislating that assistance to
women and minority owned businesses is presumed to directly benefit low and moderate
mcome persons;
1.
Miscellaneous Community Development Amendments Rule making - express opposition to
the proposed Miscellaneous CD Amendments Rule which would require that all program
income in excess of 1/12th of a grantee's entitlement be disbursed before additional draws
can be made from the Treasury and would require that there be a 2.5 year time limit on float
funded activities;
.
J. Eliminate the 10 day limit on funds deposited into escrow for use in funding loans for
housing rehabilitation;
K. Oppose any change in the CDBG allocation formula;
L. Oppose any change in CDBG eligible activities;
M. Oppose the imposition of national performance standards;
N. Exempt CDBG Economic development activities from Section 3 requirements; and
O. Oppose BUD policy which caps the local median income at the national median income: and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mohave County Board of Supervisors urges the
Department of Housing and Urban Development to take the following administrative actions with
respect to the CDBG program:
A.
Amend the CDBG regulations [24 CFR 570.201 (c)] public facilities regarding special needs
housing to read: "examples include, but are not limited..."; and
.
.
.
.
Resolution No. 95-344
Page 3
B. Implement as quickly as possible the provisions ofthe 1992 Act that provide for technical
training of HUD staff who work with and monitor the economic development activities of
CDBG grantees;
C. Clarify that CDBG funds may be used for the administration of housing activities pursuant
to an approved Consolidated Plan;
D. Revise the defInition of eligible special sub-recipients to include community housing
development organizations (CHDOS) as defined under the HOME program;
E Provide administrative cap reliefby clarifying that overall community development planning
and administration are within the administrative cap, while project-specific planning and
administration are direct eligible as program delivery costs.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 7th day of August, 1995.
MOHA VE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
~~/-
Pat Holt, Chairman
ATTEST: