HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/21/2010 04B Minutes 09-01-2010 Council Neighborhood Development Committee lfak ma` G Y. ti 1 eo aM ee 111 ee <ti'� MJ s *m
Arewfi6orfioodOevefopment Committee
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
6:00 p.m.
PUBLIC INPUT MEETING FOR ANNUAL ACTION PLAN
Council Members present: Bill Lover, Dave Ettl
Staff Archie Matthews, Orville Otto, Caroline Gonzalez
Chairman Bill Lover opened the Public Input Meeting for Annual Action Plan
ONDS Manager Archie Matthews read the following statement:
For over 35 years the City of Yakima has been the recipient of annual Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds The City has benefited from funding through the
HOME Program since its inception in 1990 This document describes Yakima's strategy for
the investment of these funds for previous years 2009 Annual Action plan is for year 5 of the
2005 -2009 Consolidated Plan It is anticipated that in 2009 the City will have approximately
$1,063,841 00 in CDBG funds (new entitlement dollars and program income) and
$556,250 00 in HOME funds While the Federal government has not yet approved budgets
for the programs, these figures represent the best estimates at this time If the estimates turn
out to be significantly different, appropriate adjustments will be made
The Annual Action plan is made after receiving public input from numerous sources and is
guided by priorities established by the Yakima City Council It is important to note that there
is never enough money to fund all of the program recommendations received during the
public input process This is not because of the merit of many of these ideas Often it has
more to do with the limited amount of funds, restrictions in the federal regulations, and the
need for the City Council to select those projects that best meet the current needs of the City
and its low /moderate income residents This is a difficult selection process and, of necessity,
some worthwhile recommendations will not be adopted
For the action plan, CDBG programs have been divided into five categories
1 Single - Family Housing Rehabilitation Programs
2 Economic Development
3 Public Services
4 Public Development
5 Infrastructure
HOME projects fall into three categories
1 Down Payment and First -Time Homebuyer Assistance
2 HOME Single - Family Housing Rehabilitation
e l 3 Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO)
He encouraged those in attendance to read the handout for full program explanations and to
provide written feedback during the 30 -day comment period
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Four citizens spoke about the ONDS programs Liz Gutierrez of RCDR complimented the
programs and recommended consideration of some "green" projects Pat Sponcler spoke
about the experience his daughter had in purchasing a home through the Down Payment
Assistance program He applauded both the program and the staff An unidentified woman
said she and her husband greatly appreciated the help they received with heating and air
conditioning units and outdoor paint. Another woman said her family is convinced that
ONDS assistance helped them avoid a house fire when the fuse box was upgraded They
also received new windows and outdoor paint.
Councilmember Ettl said he is very impressed with the well run ONDS programs He
considers them to be important and said that the dollars are used wisely Mr Matthews
praised the staff and the volunteers, and encouraged additional volunteers Chairman
Lover said the current staff has put "neighborhood" back into the department and
enthusiastically noted the valuable improvement in the housing stock.
Citizens were encouraged to submit written comments during the 30 -day comment period
Following the public comment period, Council will hold a public hearing and will adopt the
plan
The next meeting of the Council Neighborhood Development Committee will be
Wednesday, October 6, 2010, at 9 30 a m , in the CED Conference Room
Bill Lo er, Chair Date
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