Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-03-25 Housing PACKET Ashland Housing Commission Regular Meeting Agenda th Thursday March 25 2010: 4:30 – 6:30pm Community Development Building - 51 Winburn Way 1. (4:30) Approval of Minutes (5 min) th January 28, 2010 2. (4:35) Public Forum (5 min) 3. (4:40) Sub-committee Reports (15 min) Subcommittee Reports Liaison Reports Finance (none) Council (Navickas) Education (none) Parks Commission(Hauck) Land Use (none) School Board(Frost) Planning Commission(Benjamin) SOU(???) Staff(Linda Reid) Croman (Lewis) 4.(4.55)Transportation Growth Management (TGM) Grant Application(10 min) Presentation-Brandon Goldman Action Item-Letter of Support 5.(5:05)CDBG Program Public Hearing and Award Recommendation(30 Min) Applicant Presentation –St. Vincent De Paul Question and Answer-Discussion Action Item-Award Recommendation 6.(5:35) Public Hearing-Draft Consolidated Plan Review -Goal # 4 (30 min) Action Item-Commission Approval and recommendation 7.(5:55)Hunger and Homelessness Forum Report (10 min) Regina Ayars 8. (6:05)SubcommitteeDiscussion (10 min) Regina Ayars th 9.(6:15)April 22 2010 MeetingAgenda Items (10 min) Commissioner items suggested(5 min) Quorum Check – Commissioners not available to attend upcoming regular meetings should declare their expected absence. 10.(6.25)Upcoming Events and Meetings (5 min) th April 20 2010 7PM City Council Meeting-CDBG Program Award. th April 20 2010 7PM City Council Meeting-Consolidated Plan Public Hearing. Next Housing Commission Regular Meeting nd 4:30-6:30 PM; Thursday April 22 2010 Community Development Building 11. (6:30) Adjournment In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Community Development office at 541-488-5305 (TTY phone is 1-800-735-2900). Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting(28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1). ASHLAND HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES January 28, 2010 CALL TO ORDER – Chair Steve Hauck called the meeting to order at 4:35 p.m. at the Community Development and Engineering Services Building, 51 Winburn Way, Ashland, OR. Council Liaison Commissioners Present: Graham LewisEric Navickas Nick Frost, arrived at 4:55 Aaron Benjamin Staff Present: Steve HauckLinda Reid, Housing Specialist Richard BillinCarolyn Schwendener, absent Regina Ayars APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes from the December 17, 2009 meeting were approved as presented. PUBLIC FORUM The Commissioners welcomed Eric Navickas as the new Council Liaison and agreed to send Carol Voisin a letter of appreciation for her years of service on the Commission as well as a Council Liaison. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS Sub-committee Reports Finance – No report Education – No report Land Use - No report Liaison Reports Council – Navickas reported that the Council is working on goal setting, commenting that housing unfortunately isn’t one of the big goals. They did discuss the homeless issue working with a shorter term plan around homelessness; trying to form a coalition to replace the services previously offered by Interfaith Care Community of Ashland (ICCA) and the possibility of working with the College to use one of their unused dormitories for emergency housing. They are also working on continuing the project on Clay Street. Parks -Hauck assumed that the Parks Department is going forward with the Clay Street project, due to the passing of the meals tax. School Board - No report Planning Commission -No report Staff –Reid is currently working on the draft of the Consolidated Plan. The Commission will review the draft at the February 28th meeting and it will go before the Council at the April 20th meeting. The CDBG RFP is available now on the City website. Reid has had some inquires but no formal applications at this time. Applicants have until February 26th at 3:00 p.m. to apply. If there are no applicants it might be possible to use the money for City projects. Ashland Community Land Trust (ACLT) is moving forward with their development behind the Bridge Street duplex property. Access who manages the rental portion of the property, the duplex in the front, is going to be doing the weatherization on the existing duplex. We had prioritized projects that had received CDBG funding and were kept as long term affordable housing for those CDBG R weatherization funds. This project may be the first to expend some of the City’s CDBG-R. There is currently another project in the works which could qualify for the CDBG-R weatherization program. This project will be unique in that the City will partner with several organizations, including ACCESS, Inc., the Housing Authority and Rural Development. Reid is still working on the planning for Project Homeless Connect which will take place some time in June. The annual event is part of the ten year plan where agencies and citizens provide resources for and welcome homeless people into the community. Last year the event was very successful with about 400 attendants. It was brought to Reid’s attention that a pre-application for an annexation on Normal Street was applied for. It was suggested to the applicant to meet with the Land Use Sub-committee to talk about the affordable housing requirements of annexations. The Commission discussed whether they want to review these applications at the regular Housing Commission meetings or have them go before the Land Use Sub-committee. If they go before the Land Use Sub-committee there will need to be new members added to that committee because Ayars currently is the only member. Hauck suggested that the applicants go before the Land Use Sub-committee, though previously a rotating sub group of Housing Commissioners reviewed and made recommendations in the past. Reid will supply a handout on guidelines for projects triggering affordable housing requirements. Croman -Lewis reported that the advisory committee no longer exists. APPOINT NEW LAND USE SUB-COMMITTEE MEMBERS Hauck appointed Billin, Frost and Ayars to the Land Use Sub-committee effective immediately. It was decided that the meetings will continue to be held on the second Wednesday of each month at 11:00 am at the Community Development and Engineering Building located at 51 Winburn Way. Reminder: Sub-Committee meetings need to be noticed to the paper. RFQ FOR THE CLAY STREET PROPERTY th The Commissioners decided to have a study session on February 10 at 4:30 pm in the Community Development and Engineering Building to discuss the RFQ. The Commissioners will bring any data they have with them. Reid has some updated information. Commissioners will meet to come up with; numerical values for the number of units, bedroom size, and targeted income groups. Review what housing types are needed and what has been completed in the past. Some previous ideas suggested regarding housing at that site were Co- housing and incorporate green building. GOAL REVIEW The Commissioners discussed their current goals and reprioritized them. It was decided to devote more time to the Homeless Community needs rather then the Student Fair Housing Ordinance as homelessness is on the Council’s agenda. The Commission will seek direction from the City Council as to what their priority would be for the Housing Commission. Also decided to focus on ideas for funding the Housing Trust Fund. The Commission will re-evaluate their goals again the April. La Clinca de Valle would like to come to Ashland to do medical screening for homeless and low income people. They are asking the Parks Department to use the Community Center or Pioneer Hall for free maybe once a month. It was suggested to use The Grove on East Main Street but they wanted to be more centrally located. Report on the homeless liaison: Some candidates were recognized including: Ruth Coulthard and Nancy Spencer. Keep Workforce housing and Preservation properties as part of our goals. UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS February 10, 2010 study session at 4:30 on Clay Street RFQ at Community -Development February 25, 2010 Regular Housing Commission meeting 4:30 p.m. Community-Development February 26, 2010 CDBG Applications due (quorum check; everyone should be present Update on Clay Street project – The permits are ready but are waiting for some storm water engineering issues to be resolved with the City. Once those issues are resolved they will pull their permits and start working on the road possibly resulting in the road money being spent by May. The construction of the buildings should start in March and the first building is scheduled o be completed by fall. ADJOURNMENT - The meeting was adjourned at 5:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Carolyn Schwendener, Account Clerk 2 Staff Evaluation TO: Ashland Housing Commission and City Council Title:Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) 2010 RFP Date: March 25, 2010 Submitted By: Linda Reid, Housing Program Specialist The City of Ashland has received one applications for 2010 Community Development Block Grant funds that are competitively available. The total City of Ashland allocation of CDBG funds for the 2010 program year is expected to be approximately $207,000. The funds that have been offered competitively are estimated from the previous year’s allocation and have had the administrative portion of 20% removed (or approximately $41,000 for administration of the CDBG program). Of the available 2010 funds a set aside of 15% or approximately $30,000 is available for Public Service projects. An unallocated balance of $858.00 in carryover funds may be added to the Capital Improvement project funds. In total there is approximately $166,000 available for award. The City of Ashland Housing Commission is to hold a public hearing and review the grant request on March 25, 2010. The Housing Commission shall make a recommendation on a grant award to the City th Council. Subsequently, the City Council will hold a public hearing on April 20, 2010 to make a final decision on the grant award. Due to a lack of applicants for Capital Improvement funds, the City has re-released an RFP for those th, funds. Although the applications will not be due until Monday March 29after the public hearing before the Housing Commission, potential applicants have been encouraged to come before the Housing Commission at that meeting to provide a summary of proposed projects. Staff’s recommendation regarding the allocation of the 2009 CDBG funds is provided on the following pages. Proposals Received Organization Proposed Project CDBG Goal Consolidated FundsPlan Goal # Requestedand Rank* St. Vincent De Assist 620 Households with $30,000Provide 620 low Goals 4.1 Paulemergency funding to income Need Rank A prevent homelessness households with Goals 4.2 emergency Need Rank B servicesGoals 4.3 Need Rank B Goals 6.1 Need Rank B Funding Requested/Available A total of $166,000 in CDBG funds is expected to be available to distribute to eligible recipients for projects meeting the CDBG national objectives, and which are consistent with the City of Ashland 2005- 2009 Consolidated Plan. The maximum allocation allowable to be used to support public services is limited to approximately $30,000. These funds will be available upon approval of the 2010 Action Plan, and upon the completion of any regulatory requirements including but not limited to environmental review clearance. Upon completion of the Action Plan amendment a public hearing for review and approval will be held before the Housing Commission to insure consistency with the awards designated by the City Council. The US department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) must review the annual Action Plan submitted by the City to ensure the activities funded are consistent with federal requirements, and with the local Consolidated Plan. Assessment Criterion Staff has assessed the proposal to determine whether it meets the Federal CDBG regulations and addresses the priorities within the City of Ashland 2005-2009 Consolidated Plan. Three areas are evaluated for each proposal regarding compliance with federal regulations. Projects must meet the National Objective of the Community Development Block Grant Program. All CDBG funded projects must be an “eligible” uses under the Community Development Block Grant Program. If a project meets all federal requirements and is selected for award, then federal regulations must be met throughout the course of the project. Some examples of federal regulations which pertain to Community Development Block Grant funded projects are; All projects funded in whole or in part, with CDBG dollars require an environmental review in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Construction projects must use federal Davis-Bacon wage rates. Housing involving structures built prior to 1978 must be tested for the presence of Lead Based Paint and if found steps to mitigate Lead Based Paint must be taken. Any project involving the displacement of residents or businesses as a result of the federally funded project are entitled to assistance under the Uniform Relocation Act. Most importantly the beneficiaries from the application of CDBG funds must qualify as eligible populations under the Federal requirements. Areas of concern are described for each proposal received. The Housing Commission and the City Council can only award CDBG funds to projects that can meet all federal requirements and meets an objective as outlined in the City’s 2005-2009 Consolidated Plan. Priorities within the City of Ashland’s 2005-2009 Consolidated Plan are given a priority ranking by letter. The rankings of A, B and C are intended to assist in directing CDBG funds to the greatest needs. In cases where there are competing projects for limited funds, the projects(s) that are ranked the highest will be funded. A-The City of Ashland plans to use the CDBG funds for projects that meet these needs. B-The City of Ashland may use CDBG for projects that meet these needs. C-The City of Ashland does not plan to use CDBG funds for projects meeting these needs but will consider certifications of consistency for other entities which are applying for federal assistance to meet these needs. Additionally such needs may also be addressed by the City through the allocation of Economic Development and or Social Service Grants from the City General Fund. Proposal Evaluation St. Vincent De Paul-Home Visitation Program Staff has reviewed the St. Vincent de Paul program proposal to determine whether it meets the Federal CDBG regulations, and if the proposal addresses the priorities within the City of Ashland 2005-2009 Consolidated plan. St. Vincent’s has requested $30,000 to assist them in defraying the cost of rent and utility relief for people facing eviction and shut offs thereby preventing homelessness. This project proposal qualifies under the Low-Moderate Income (LMI) benefit national objective. Generally Income payments (payments to an individual or family, which are used to provide basic services such as food, shelter (including payment for rent, mortgage, and/or utilities) or clothing) are ineligible public service activities when such payments are provided has a grant. However, such expenditures are eligible if; the income payments do not exceed three consecutive months; and the payments are made directly to the provider of services on behalf of an individual or family. This project meets those criteria. Staff finds that St. Vincent’s proposal is consistent with goals number 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and 6.1 of the City of Ashland’s 2005-2009 Consolidated Plan. Goal 4: Support services for homelessness prevention and transition. Where possible, give funding priority to services that are part of a comprehensive approach that improves the living conditions of clients. Safety net services that meet basic needs shall only be funded with CDBG dollars if it can be demonstrated that clients receiving those benefits are part of a program that will eventually help them obtain self-sufficiency. 4.1 Provide assistance to non-profit organizations that assist the homeless ant those at risk of homelessness, provide transition assistance to the homeless, and help prevent homelessness (A) 4.2 Strengthen the capacity of the Jackson County Continuum of Care to plan activities reducing homelessness in the community. (B) 4.3 Support activities that expand service-enriching housing for the homeless and other special needs populations, including increased shelter, transitional and permanent supportive housing resources. (B) Goal 6: To support housing and supportive services for people with special needs. People with special needs include the elderly, the frail elderly, persons with developmental disabilities, persons with physical disabilities, persons with severe mental illness, parsons with alcohol or other drug dependencies and persons with HIV/AID or related illnesses. 6.2 Provide assistance to non-profit organizations that provide support services to extremely low- and low-income special needs populations. (B) In evaluating the proposal it is evident that the classification of “A” as a priority indicates that this is the highest priority use for the CDBG funds. A-The City of Ashland plans to use CDBG funds for projects that meet these needs. Staff sees that St. Vincent’s proposal is an eligible use of the CDBG funds and is consistent with the City of Ashland Strategies as outlined in the 5 year Consolidated Plan. This activity assists in the prevention of homelessness for low-income and special needs households. Further this project meets and exceeds the 10% leverage requirement of the City of Ashland’s CDBG program providing an equal amount of funds to the project. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS Staff recommends that St. Vincent De Paul – Home Visitation Program proposal be fully funded. Staff’s recommendation would be to fund the proposal since it meets both high and medium priority needs as outlined in the Five year Consolidated plan and offers a valuable, needed, and unduplicated service to the community while utilizing existing resources and maximizing partnerships. The project directs 100% of the funding for direct client services by utilizing an entirely local volunteer labor force and has no administrative costs. Lastly, the project leverages a significant match. The City of Ashland City Council has prioritized services and resources to homeless populations and homelessness prevention is the first step, the most economical and efficient step in combating homelessness. Staff is supportive of funding St. Vincent’s proposal with the full requested grant amount available under the 15% Public Service Cap Potential Housing Commission Motion: To recommend funding St. Vincent De Paul – Home Visitation Program $30,000 to fund emergency rent and utility assistance for people facing eviction and shut-offs. CDBG Project Proposal Rating Criteria The final step in the process of evaluating the proposals typically is for the Housing Commission to apply the following compliance criteria to determine which project(s) best meet the City's spending priorities. Projects are given a rating of High, Medium, or Low on each of the criteria listed below. The categories proposed provide a valuable way for individual Commissioners to gauge the effectiveness of the proposal in meeting City objectives. A.The Project provides benefit to a demographic group that has a need documented in the City of Ashland CDBG Consolidated Plan B.The project assists low and moderate-income households in substantially improving their living conditions. The proposed project must have or be part of a comprehensive approach that takes clients from the beginning to the end of the process that improves their living conditions. “Safety net” services or services that meet basic needs shall only be funded if it can be demonstrated that clients receiving those benefits are part of a program that will eventually help them obtain self sufficiency. Exceptions to this requirement are projects targeted at helping people with special needs. C.The project is a proven effective strategy to improve conditions or solve an identified problem. D.If the project is related to affordable housing, the project retains the units as affordable. The longer the period of time the units remain affordable, the higher ranking the project shall be given E.If the project is related to economic development for jobs for low and moderate-income people, at least 51% of the jobs shall be held by low and moderate income people. The longer period of time the jobs are held by low and moderate-income persons, the higher the ranking the project shall be given. The larger percentage of jobs held by low and moderate-income persons the higher the ranking the project shall be given. F.The project maximizes partnerships in the community G.The project has at least 10% of the total project in matching funds. The larger the amount of matching funds the higher the ranking the project shall be given H.The project utilizes already existing resources in effective and innovative ways. The project shall not duplicate service provided by another organization I.The agency submitting the proposal has the capacity to carry out the project J.The budget and time line are well thought out and realistic K.The proposal demonstrates CDBG funds are the most appropriate funding source for the project L.The project is ready for implementation within a year of a CDBG award notification M.The organization proposing the project has the experience and capacity to undertake the proposed activity. Letter St. Vincent De Paul A. High B. High C. Medium D. N/A E. N/A F. High G. High H. High I. High J. High K. High L. High M. High 10-High,1-Med,0-Low Housing Commission Memo TITLE: Public Hearing and Recommendation on the Consolidated Plan for the Five Year Use of Community Development Block Grant Funds for Program Years 2010- 2014. DEPT: Planning Department DATE: March 25, 2010 SUBMITTED BY: Linda Reid, Housing Program Specialist Synopsis: City staff began the update of the Consolidated Plan for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funds in 2009. City staff worked with appointed officials from the Housing Commission in consulting social service, affordable housing, and community service providers, and conducted demographic research drawing on a variety of recent reports and studies conducted on the City’s behalf to provide a comprehensive analysis of the needs of low to moderate income citizens of the City of Ashland. The City of Ashland 2010-2014 Consolidated Plan is a five-year strategic plan to provide an outline of action for the community as it works toward meeting the housing and community development needs of its low- and moderate-income households. The plan’s development includes a profile of the community and its economy, an assessment of housing and community development needs, and the development of long-range strategies to meet those needs. The City of Ashland is an entitlement jurisdiction, receiving an annual allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). As a recipient of CDBG funds, the City is required to prepare a five-year strategic plan that identifies housing and community needs, prioritizes these needs, identifies resources to address needs, and establishes annual goals and objectives to meet the identified needs. This five year plan is known as the Consolidated Plan. The consolidated plan serves the following functions: A planning document for the jurisdiction, which builds on a participatory process among citizens, organizations, businesses, and other stakeholders; A submission for federal funds under HUD's formula grant programs for jurisdictions; A strategy to be followed in carrying out HUD programs; and A management tool for assessing performance and tracking results. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has set guidelines regarding the use of Community Development Block grant funds. The City’s plan was compiled in accordance with federal regulations and contains tables required by HUD. The stated goals and objectives for the use of CDBG funds are in accordance with proscribed HUD performance and outcome reporting guidelines. The purpose of the Consolidated Plan is to outline a strategy for the City to follow in using CDBG funding to achieve the goal of the CDBG program, “to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment and expanding economic opportunities principally for low- and moderate-income persons.” The Primary Objectives of the 2010-2014 Consolidated Plan are: Affordable and Workforce Housing: The creation, preservation and maintenance of Housing which is affordable to extremely low-, low-, and moderate-income individuals and families. Homeless, At-Risk and Special Needs Populations: The creation of or support for new and existing emergency and support services to homeless, at risk, and special needs populations that foster self-sufficiency and economic independence. Economic and Community Development: The creation and support for an environment that fosters economic opportunity for extremely low-, low, and moderate-income residents. The “spending priorities” listed on pages 7-12 are very similar to those included in the previous plan. Additionally a focus group comprised of Staff, non-profit representatives, and members of the Ashland th Housing Commission met on December 17 2009 to discuss and identify priority needs within the community and suggest potential uses for CDBG funds to address these needs. At this meeting the general consensus was that the goals identified in previous Consolidated Plans were still relevant, namely affordable housing preservation and development, homelessness and emergency services for prevention and life skills training. The City has gone through two previous Consolidated Plan cycles. In that time the City has met or exceeded the outcomes for nearly every goal which was identified in those consolidated plans. The outcomes which were not met in the past were primarily due to cancelled programs or the loss of service providers. In those instances the City worked to identify new resources and/or reprogram funds to meet other goal outcomes, and the needs of the low and moderate income population. 2005-20092005-20092010-2014 Goals numeric goal achievednumeric goal Assistance to homeless and at risk populations 2500 414 750 people Transitional and supportive housing for special 15 12 14 people needs and extremely low- income housing Group homes or supportive housing for elderly or 15 12 1 unit special needs Acquisition and construction of affordable rental 5 0 10 units housing Acquisition and construction of affordable housing 10 21 10 units by private developers Down Payment Assistance 15 0 (activity N/A cancelled due to lack of applicants Acquisition and construction of affordable rental 50 0 50 units and housing with long term affordability (preservation units) Acquisition and development of long term 15 17 14 units affordable ownership housing Rehabilitation of affordable rental and ownership 3 5 3 units units Rehabilitation of long term affordable units 2 2 40 units (preservation units) Improved public infrastructure serving low – 100 75 100 households moderate income persons (# of households benefiting from new or enhanced city sidewalks Construct new sidewalks in qualified census tracts 600 600 10,000 linear (linear feet of new or improved sidewalk-# taken feet of sidewalk from Public Works Capital Improvement Plan) Installation of wheelchair ramps (# taken from 10 5 5 new or Public Works Capital Improvement Plan) improved ADA ramps Some additional interesting data about the extent of need within the Ashland community: The 2006-2008 American Community Survey estimates the median income for the City of Ashland is $36,701. This is significantly lower than the median income of Jackson County as a whole which is estimated to be $43,784, and the median income of the average American, at $52,175. Similarly, the percentage of families and individual in below poverty is substantially greater in Ashland than in Jackson County, in the State of Oregon or in the rest of the Nation. See table 1.2 below for details. Table 1.2 PERCENT IN POVERTY Household type Ashland Jackson State of United CountyOregonStates Percentage of families in 12.5%8.9%7.9%9.2% poverty Percentage of Individuals 19.6%12.5%11.6%12.4% in poverty Data taken from the 2000 Census Table 1.8 Median Income 2006-2008 American Community Survey Household Type Ashland Medford Jackson Oregon United CountyStates Median Household Income $36,701 $43,502 $43,784 $49,863 $52,175 Median Family Income $47,313 $54,787 $53,480 $60,665 $63,211 It is estimated that in 2008, 1 in every two hundred people in the state of Oregon was homeless. Data from the Point in Time homeless Count conducted across the State of Oregon and throughout the U.S. on January 2008 showed that Oregon has the highest concentration of homeless people of any state at .54 percent or 20,653. The 2009 Point in Time homeless count for Jackson County totaled 899. Totals are not broken out per jurisdiction but are for the entire Continuum of Care region. Of the 899 respondents 66% identified themselves as chronically homeless (continuously homeless for a year or more or had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years), 12.6 respondents were families with children, the majority of the respondents were male (74.5%). The Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), which collects data on the use of emergency shelters and transitional housing over time, showed that there “is a rise in family homelessness, which is considered to be more sensitive to economic conditions than homelessness among individuals. \[ \] Between 2007 and 2008 there was a decrease in the share of people who reported they were already homeless prior to entering a homeless residential program and an increase in those who reported that they were living with family or friends the night before entering the homeless residential facility. This could be reflective of the economic downturn, because people tend to use all alternative housing options before resorting to the shelter system. Finally, a larger percentage of sheltered homeless persons came from stable accommodations prior to entering a facility-that is; they were in the place the spent the night before becoming homeless for a year or more.” The Ashland School District reported that for the 2009-2010 school year 62 children currently attending school within the district report being homeless. This number is up from 58 the previous year. Similarly, the School district reports that 35% of all students currently enrolled in the school district qualify to receive free or reduced lunch. This is a slight increase from the previous year which total of 33%. Recommendation: Staff recommends approval of the 2005-2009 CDBG Consolidated Plan. Background Information: The City of Ashland receives approximately $200,000 a year in CDBG funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for projects benefiting low- and moderate-income residents. As a condition of receiving these federal funds, HUD requires the City to maintain a five-year “Consolidated Plan” which assesses and prioritizes the housing and homeless needs in Ashland. The CDBG Consolidated Plan also contains “spending priorities” which determine the types of projects for which the funds may be used. The City is required to update the Consolidated Plan every five years in order to continue receiving CDBG funds. The City’s first Consolidated Plan covered 1995-1999, and was adopted in June 1995. The federal regulations prescribe that certain data must be included in the plan, and that there must be a substantial community involvement process. Consequently, the completed plan contains valuable data about the Ashland community and it’s housing and social service needs that informs ongoing housing and social service objectives. As part of the update process, two public hearings are required. One hearing must be held during the development of the plan, and one hearing held after a draft is completed. The first was held on th December 17 2009, by the Housing Commission and an additional meeting to take comments and th suggestions on the draft plan is being held on March 25 at the regular meeting of the Housing Commission. With feedback from this public hearing before the Housing Commission, the final draft th will be completed and presented to the City Council on April 20, 2010 for adoption.