2026-10-28 - Vision Committee

01:42Oh sure, yeah. We got some staff joining

01:44us as well this morning that'll be

01:45helping our presentation. So, love to

01:47introduce ourselves.

01:47>> Hi, I'm Nick Stepp. I'm the program

01:49housing coordinator here at HCD.

01:51>> So, I work in the local housing

01:53division. So, we do both compliance and

01:56day-to-day housing.

01:57>> [snorts]

01:57>> I'm Marcia

01:59and I'm the community development

02:00administrator and I work in the

02:01community services

02:09>> Eazy-E

02:28>> Uh my name is Joe Hill. I work for

02:29Robins Financial Opportunity.

02:32I've worked a little bit there. I've

02:34been in Athens in banking for

02:38recent years.

02:41Yeah, I got uh kids in college and

02:44one that's a junior at Central. So,

02:46first year I've been in the county.

02:48>> Uh my name is Michael London. I've lived

02:50in Athens this time for over 20 years.

02:54Went to school here. My children went to

02:56school here. My grandchildren will go to

02:57school here in a year.

02:59Um and semi-retired after three

03:03different retirements. So,

03:08>> Um I'm Ryan Thompson. This is my first

03:10year doing this. Um

03:12I'm a fifth year mechanical engineering

03:14student right now at UGA. Also studying

03:17masters in social policy.

03:21>> Thank you all. It's nice to have you

03:23this morning. Thanks for sharing a

03:24little bit about what you do. And um

03:26so, basically today the goal of this

03:29meeting is going to be to do a little

03:30bit of training. It's nice to again that

03:32we have all of our new folks here cuz

03:33we're going to be covering some stuff

03:35related to, you know, the main reason

03:37you all are here, which is reviewing and

03:38scoring uh current FY20A applications

03:42for three different funding sources. So,

03:44we'll go through uh member orientation,

03:46which will cover just general

03:47information about HC D, uh and then

03:50specifics about the different funding

03:52sources, past funded projects, things of

03:55that sort, and then kind of looking

03:57forward

03:58um

03:59you know, upcoming dates for when the

04:01applications will be released to you and

04:02when they are reviewed, what the scoring

04:04matrix will look like for different

04:06programs and things of that sort. So,

04:08uh

04:16This is Lizette. She's also a community

04:18impact specialist on the CI team.

04:21Uh and then yeah, well just so you can

04:23see the agenda, we'll cover a few

04:24different things. We'll cover the

04:25upcoming schedule. Uh there's some

04:27conflict of interest confidentiality

04:29policies and procedures we'll cover. We

04:31got email out to you all yesterday, but

04:32also there's copies on the table, so

04:34we'll need everyone to sign those.

04:36Uh and then I've got some general

04:37updates on the vision committee and now

04:39that it's been voted in as an

04:41official board of the organization,

04:43there's some various things that we'll

04:44discuss there. Uh we actually only have

04:47one returning officer kind of related to

04:50that, who is Allison Holloway. She's a

04:52vice chair from last year. She

04:53unfortunately had a conflicting meeting

04:55and can't be here for about halfway

04:57through. So, I've bumped down our new

04:59selection officer. So, we'll take a few

05:01minutes uh and vote in a new chair and

05:04secretary as well for the upcoming year.

05:07And so, Matt is going to be taking our

05:08notes for right now. Uh and then the

05:11week forward after that, the secretary

05:12will kind of handle those duties for

05:15meeting minutes and things of that sort.

05:17So,

05:18we can get started with the presentation

05:20and you know, we'll we'll have time for

05:22questions at the end as well. So, we'll

05:24go through some of this and I'll send

05:25this presentation out to you all at the

05:27end of the meeting once we're done.

05:28>> Yeah, I'm Lizette Aguilar Pi and I'm

05:30Alejandra Cavazos, the assistant

05:32director of HCD. Also, I'm on tech duty

05:35today.

05:36Um along those lines, just a reminder

05:37this is being live streamed. Um so,

05:40that's that's what this little owl thing

05:42is over here. And the recording will be

05:44available on the website just for future

05:45reference. So,

05:46>> Yes, thank you for the disclaimer.

05:48>> Yes.

05:51Yeah.

05:52All right.

05:53>> So, just this is our mission statement.

05:55Housing Community Development Department

05:57provides funding for the creation and

05:58rehabilitation of affordable housing,

06:01fosters and coordinates for

06:02disadvantaged populations, and promotes

06:05mobility among residents of the County.

06:08So that's kind of the main

06:10We just feel again all of what we're

06:12doing with all of the funding sources

06:13and things of that nature.

06:21My computer hates a presentation day. It

06:24always decides that it wants to mess up

06:26on me. So

06:32I can't see that we got the volume cuz I

06:33can't see anything.

06:36I have Bridget outside that I can hear

06:39this and hear that.

06:53Oh,

06:542 minutes 2 minutes.

06:57We're trying to be punctual today.

07:18I'll go ahead and cover our conflict of

07:20interest and all that stuff that we

07:21want.

07:22>> Mhm.

07:22>> Okay.

07:23Well, we'll go around all of this

07:25conflict of interest.

07:27The one that I don't have to stop

07:28spinning in front of you and an email

07:30like I said yesterday you should have

07:32received uh the conflict of interest and

07:35confidentiality

07:37Um and just kind of a note on that so

07:40emails and things that go out any

07:41communication forward uh

07:43all be through your ACC gov email.

07:46That's just to kind of keep things

07:48streamlined. Open records request things

07:50of that sort it keeps all that very

07:51simple and streamlined and easy. So

07:53we'll do all of our official

07:54communication

07:56uh over that. You know, you can always

07:57call me if you have a quick question or

07:58something as well if you're if you're

08:00having an issue with your email or

08:01something like that please let me know.

08:03I can reach out to IT and we can we can

08:05help you get that sorted. So uh the

08:07first one we can talk about is our

08:09conflict of interest policy. So,

08:12this is really just a space uh this

08:15includes the policy and then on the back

08:17I'll need to get one of these one of

08:18these signed from each of you today.

08:21Uh but really a lot of you are very

08:23involved in the community in various

08:24ways, which is wonderful uh on boards,

08:28connected to previous you know,

08:30non-profit organizations previously,

08:32things like that. So, really what we

08:34want to know here is are there any

08:37connections you have in outside of this

08:39group that might cause, you know,

08:41perceived or you know, just some sort of

08:45conflict of interest in general or

08:48something that could have the appearance

08:49of personal gain. So, for example, this

08:52is obviously, you know, obvious, but

08:54like if you're on the board of an

08:55organization or the executive director

08:57of an organization that's applying for

08:58funds,

09:00you have a major conflict of interest.

09:01You can't vote and discuss that. So, uh

09:04we do have a couple of those. And the

09:06way we handle that is essentially the

09:08person who is maybe on the board or who

09:11is works for the organization that's

09:12applying for funding, that person would

09:14just recuse themselves from voting on

09:16that particular application. And then

09:18during any discussion [clears throat]

09:19in our February meeting, they would just

09:21step out of the room and that's how we

09:24typically handle that. So, this really

09:26it's not a major issue, it's just we

09:28need to know up front so that we know

09:29how to handle it and we can talk about

09:31it in the most appropriate way possible.

09:32So, if you have any questions about

09:35whether a relationship with an

09:36organization may or may not be a

09:37conflict of interest that you want to

09:38talk about, you know, right after this

09:40meeting before you complete this, I'd be

09:42happy to do that with you as well.

09:44Uh

09:45So, what you'll be signing that you

09:47agree and acknowledge the conflict of

09:48interest policy and then the back is

09:50where you can actually list out those

09:53uh conflicts of interest that you know

09:54of or may have.

09:56So.

09:57Any questions about that one?

10:02All right.

10:03And then our confidentiality policy,

10:05this is something that we distributed

10:06this year and it's something that's

10:08covered in the new BAC manual that I

10:12probably sent out to you all that it was

10:13approved in

10:15November or December of 2025. So, it

10:18includes a section

10:20on confidentiality, but really this is

10:22just acknowledging that you know, you're

10:25going to receive some information that

10:27may or may not be appropriate to share

10:30out in the public, frankly speaking. So,

10:33you're going to have access to things

10:35like we require organizations to submit

10:37audits. They're submitting budgets.

10:39They're submitting all of this kind of

10:41sensitive information about their agency

10:43that's required and helpful for their

10:44application process, but it's not

10:47they're not submitting it with the

10:48understanding that it's going to be out

10:50there for everybody to see. Now, they do

10:52all know that our stuff is subject to

10:54public records requests, but not

10:56everything is subject to public records

10:58requests. So, this is basically just you

11:00acknowledging that

11:02anything that you receive, you're not

11:04going to

11:05you're going to keep that in confidence,

11:07and anything that, you know, may be

11:09acquired through another records request

11:11that is on here, and that is how that

11:13would be handled in the public records

11:15So, I mean any questions about the

11:16confidentiality policy?

11:18Okay. Obviously, these meetings are live

11:20streamed. We discussed that, and so this

11:22is public knowledge, public information.

11:25So, there there are elements of that to

11:28that.

11:32Correct.

11:34The other thing that we've got up is our

11:37taking new vision committee member

11:39trainings and things like that. I know

11:41believe pretty much everyone has

11:43completed that based on the report I

11:44looked at, but does anyone have any

11:45questions or have any you know

11:48concerns about anything within this

11:49training that you want to discuss, or

11:51any issues with completing the

11:52trainings?

11:54I got a couple certificates of

11:55completion from the public folks. So,

11:56thanks for sending that. I also get a

11:58report every month, but I can see that

12:00they're all done.

12:03Good job.

12:06>> Great.

12:07>> It's still on.

12:07>> And then you're hearing all the clicks

12:08and clacks.

12:09>> I can't help it.

12:10>> I'm going to keep on It's okay.

12:14>> Um

12:15Let's go ahead and jump down item D as

12:18well. Specifically just to pull up

12:21separate update on bylaws and BAC

12:24ordinance. So,

12:25uh one thing that we'll discuss in a

12:27little bit more detail throughout the

12:28presentation is the vision committee

12:30became formalized for the authority

12:32commission uh at a meeting December 11th

12:36last year. So, uh part of that was at

12:39the meeting that we had in the first

12:41recently, we

12:43the the previous members of the vision

12:45committee

12:46all voted on board officers and met and

12:49got a sub committee to create bylaws, uh

12:51which will then guide how we

12:54move forward as a vision committee. And

12:56I sent those out to everyone over email

12:57at some point, but to refresh your

12:59memory, I put a couple of printed copies

13:01of the bylaws up on the table so if

13:02you'd like to take a look. Uh

13:06And so, really that just covers

13:08attendance, uh

13:10things of that sort, you know, if you

13:11don't

13:12don't attend

13:14all the meetings, it could

13:16you know, jeopardize your position on

13:17the vision committee. You could be voted

13:18to be removed cuz there's really only

13:20two. And so, it's important that we're

13:23able to make it to all of the meetings

13:25that that we have.

13:27Uh

13:28and then

13:29part of that that will be coming up to

13:30is that there's a new BA

13:33Basically, that's all done good. We've

13:35got bylaws. We've got these things.

13:36We've got officers. The process is in

13:38place, but there's a new BAC ordinance

13:40that will be voted on by the mayor and

13:42commission, hopefully in December. Uh

13:44that will actually codify all those

13:46things

13:47um that we have been doing bylaws, that

13:49type of stuff.

13:51>> I got it running.

13:53>> Okay.

13:55>> I'm sorry.

13:56Choice number one was

13:57>> Great. Uh which one was that again?

14:02>> I got this one as the old group.

14:05>> This one?

14:05The other one?

14:07Right.

14:08But before we jump into that, any

14:10questions about anything provided in the

14:11bylaws, BAC ordinance, any of that stuff

14:13that we've been talking about?

14:15Okay.

14:16Well, we'll jump back to item C now and

14:18we will get into the actual

14:20presentation. So, I'll continue with

14:22this. I've got a few things I'm going to

14:23share with you all and then I'll be

14:24covering later in the presentation

14:27CVP stuff specifically, but we've got

14:29some folks that you all met earlier from

14:32our housing team and our community

14:33development team that will be discussing

14:35CDBG and housing counseling related

14:37projects for you as well. So, what is

14:39the role of the vision committee? So,

14:42as you all probably know, the vision

14:43committee is you know, citizen advisory

14:46group of 10 Athens-Clarke County

14:47residents

14:48appointed by the mayor for 3-year terms.

14:51So, really what you're here to do is to

14:54provide input on, you know, community

14:56needs that may be addressed through our

14:58different funding sources. So, this year

14:59that you're what you're reviewing,

15:01community development block grant, CDBG

15:03for short, it's probably what I'll keep

15:04calling it, our housing counseling

15:06program, and community partnership

15:09program funding, CVP. So, there's a lot

15:11of acronyms, so just kind of if you have

15:13questions or need these spelled out, let

15:15me know.

15:16But, you are going to be evaluating

15:17these applications to make sure, you

15:18know, they appropriately appropriately

15:20meet the consolidated plan goals,

15:23address prioritized community needs,

15:27and you know, ultimately who it benefits

15:29for the community based on the criteria

15:31that you're going to rate as part of

15:32these.

15:33And then you'll also, you know, provide

15:35feedback on these applications. We

15:37really encourage that throughout the

15:38process. Zoom Grants, which is the

15:41platform where you'll be reviewing these

15:43applications, allows you not just to

15:44rank and score the application, but also

15:46provide comments and feedback, which is

15:48incredibly helpful when we're providing

15:50technical assistance for agencies in

15:52future application years. I can go back

15:55and pull and say, well, you know, my

15:57this

15:58committee Well, not your comments are

16:00confident. So, I wouldn't say who said

16:02it, but I'd say, "This person on the

16:03vision committee said, you know,

16:05the application maybe could have been

16:06improved in this way." And then they can

16:08use that to then better

16:10their standing for next year. So,

16:12we'll

16:13have this meeting, obviously, and then

16:14we've got one more meeting, which is

16:16already set for February 17th where we

16:19will actually need to discuss your

16:21rankings and then score and make those

16:23sundry recommendations.

16:31So these are our current bidding

16:32committee members.

16:34Uh so we these kind of just broken up by

16:37year

16:38and where you are but we've got

16:40Ron. Well, obviously you all know who is

16:42here today but the folks who aren't able

16:44to who are aren't here today uh Zachary

16:46Crew isn't here

16:48and then Chabot Hollabaugh and then

16:50Allison Always will be here probably

16:53around

16:5410 a.m. she said or 10:30 5 so we'll

16:57have her joining us

16:58and then

17:01Hey, I've been seeing you talk and you

17:02shouldn't have sleeping on the sleeping

17:04on the bidding

17:05committee shortly.

17:11These are some important considerations.

17:13We've covered some of this so yeah, so

17:15this was approved in November of 2025

17:18excuse me.

17:19So we're now you know the bidding

17:21committee is a formalized board

17:22authority commission

17:24so we

17:25will select officers in accordance to

17:27the bylaws. We've already developed

17:29those.

17:30They may change slightly

17:32language wise after the AC ordinance is

17:35approved. So if that happens, you know

17:39we're doing the documents and things of

17:40that nature.

17:42Uh but one of the other requirements

17:43obviously is that members must complete

17:46that five

17:47module training course on Kate May which

17:49you've all done and then we also will

17:52have to submit an annual report to Mary

17:55Commission outlining key activities. So

17:57that is a responsibility

17:59that we can talk about how to do that.

18:00It's something that will fall to the

18:02chair of the commission but obviously

18:03support from your staff agencies which

18:06are myself and

18:08Kate May.

18:10And then we talked about conflict of

18:11interest and again just please remember

18:13attendance to these meetings

18:15is is critical. So if you could just go

18:17ahead and mark off that February

18:19today so that it's on the calendar and

18:21you know what's happening.

18:23Cuz that wrap really is the most

18:25significant

18:26whole deal.

18:27You'll be involved in.

18:31Uh and then the expectation is that you

18:32will complete all reviews of all

18:35projects that you're tasked with.

18:43Just some additional important

18:44considerations.

18:46The subject to open records and open

18:47meeting laws, so we do stuff like that.

18:49We can livestream these. We'll record

18:51meeting minutes. They'll be signed,

18:53approved, and voted on. And then agendas

18:55and minutes will be posted online. Um

18:58ample advanced notice has to be given

19:01to the public about these meetings,

19:02which hopefully y'all don't have to

19:03worry about us. I'm here to take care of

19:05so I'll I'll post these things on the

19:07public calendar, post them on the little

19:09message boards outside of this building,

19:11create the agendas, post them on

19:12Facebook, and all that stuff. So, really

19:15the responsibility of

19:17of you all is just to kind of once we

19:19have officers and everything in place,

19:20put all that together, kind of

19:21facilitate the management portion of the

19:23whole process, and then submit that to

19:25me and get it appointments together.

19:32It's all about staff liaison as myself

19:34and Al Hunter. We basically will just

19:36kind of will lead the process and just

19:38kind of help facilitate what you're all

19:40doing.

19:42There's a mixture of staff involvement

19:44and your involvement as part of rating

19:46and ranking applications will will talk

19:48about later. Um

19:50but really so again, that is your

19:52starting. So, for CDBG Housing

19:54Counseling, you have you all are scoring

19:56just a portion of the application and

19:58staff is also scoring a portion. Um so,

20:00then there's combined things come

20:02together. The CBP programs, the

20:04Community Partnerships program, is

20:06unique for y'all because it's it's

20:07totally up to you. It is your ratings

20:11and rankings are the only factor that go

20:13into whether or not CDBG gets funded or

20:14not.

20:15Uh and so, it's important, you know,

20:18and that you just look at all the

20:19applications and are aware and

20:21understand the rating criteria and

20:22things of that sort. So, when we're

20:24going through your ranking and scoring

20:26in February,

20:28you know, that will totally be up to you

20:30all. We won't be

20:31swaying your decision anyway. We can

20:33provide feedback, we can give you any

20:34information to help your decision, but

20:37ultimately that decision is up to you.

20:40And so, yeah, you'll be able to consider

20:42past performance for agencies who's been

20:44funded in the past. We'll get that all

20:45to you all in ample time to review.

20:49And then, Zoom Grants which I'm not

20:51going to cover today because

20:53it's you're not going to get the info

20:54applications open to you until December.

20:57So, I'll email that training out to you

20:58how to access Zoom Grants a little bit

21:00closer to the time.

21:02It's not super tricky or anything, but

21:04it can be a little

21:05nuanced and I don't want you to forget

21:06about it. So, we'll get that to you

21:08closer to when it's available.

21:13Great. So, the next few slides are just

21:14going to be on our different funding

21:15sources, kind of some

21:17past examples that have been awarded,

21:18kind of what they're for, things of that

21:20nature.

21:22And how we start with Oh, well, yes, so

21:25this is just an overview. So, you all

21:27are not obviously

21:29tied to all of these, but regular annual

21:31funding that we have is the Community

21:32Development Block Grant, the Home

21:34Investment Partnerships Program,

21:36Continuum of Care, and then general

21:38funds including CDBG and housing

21:39counseling. And then some other

21:41supplemental funding we have is a Lead

21:42Hazard Reduction and Capacity Building

21:45Grant,

21:46CDBG, American Rescue Plan Act. Those

21:49were a product specific to

21:52COVID and so this is going away, but our

21:55bill will be finished up at the end of

21:56this year, but still kind of happening

21:58so let that be known.

21:59And then, HOME ARP as well, very

22:01similar.

22:06We'll turn it over to Abe or Martha. Are

22:09you guys Are you regular grants

22:14>> So, just real quick, I'm one

22:17The Community Development Block Grant

22:18funding is

22:20As a county, it's an entitlement

22:21community which is awarded funds and the

22:24basis of formula grant by HUD. And I'm

22:26not sure but I think we're going to the

22:28amounts a little bit later on, but we

22:29get about one to two million dollars

22:31annually that's part of this program. It

22:34covers things from supporting affordable

22:36housing, public facility improvements,

22:39economic development activities, which

22:41are slightly different than general

22:43economic development is mostly for

22:45neighborhood revitalization, things of

22:47that nature, and then some public

22:48service dollars.

22:51I'm going to get to part cuz I know

22:52there's another slide there that talks

22:54about the breakdown, so

22:56Okay.

22:57So,

22:58So for last year, um

23:00like I said, we got 1.247 million. There

23:03are some regulatory caps that come along

23:05with the federal funding.

23:07Uh we take 20% is allowable for

23:10administrative costs, that comes off the

23:12top, and then there is a limit to how

23:15much money we can put into services,

23:16which is 15% of our allocation, which we

23:20get a lot of applications and only about

23:21$180,000 to award. So, it's very small

23:25portion of CDBG that goes towards public

23:27service activities.

23:29Um the bulk of that is banned for

23:31economic

23:32remainder is economic development and um

23:35affordable housing

23:37um activities, and then we do have

23:40on occasion the past few years had some

23:41public facility improvements that we've

23:43done.

23:44Um some park improvements we did at the

23:46low to income neighborhoods. Everything

23:48that we do for CDBG has to benefit low

23:50and moderate income neighborhoods or

23:52individuals.

23:55>> Next page.

23:56>> What is that?

23:58>> Yes.

23:58>> What does that mean from

23:59I guess I could be eating dinner

24:02standpoint?

24:02>> Okay, so depending is a sliding scale

24:05that HUD publishes annually. So, um

24:08moderate income is 80% of the average

24:10for the area. So,

24:13think for a family of four and a half

24:14people, it might be like $80,000 for a

24:16family of four or less.

24:18Um but depending on your family size,

24:21there is a sliding scale, and HUD

24:23doesn't really know

24:25I don't see any control over how that

24:26was determined. I will say they are

24:29doing some new things with a sliding

24:32scale for some of the other funding for

24:33CVP or CVP, which is slightly different,

24:36but they are close. Um but you won't

24:39have to get into that detail.

24:41We can always ask questions and answer

24:43questions. Yes, sir.

24:45>> You know, when you're going down that

24:46line

24:47in the FY '27 142 mil,

24:50and then you start splitting it out

24:53into three different program areas,

24:56that's not a lot of money.

24:57>> It is not.

24:58>> So,

25:00why do you decide to split it

25:02into three pieces rather than just

25:05concentrating it in in one particular

25:08program area where you can have a bigger

25:10impact?

25:11>> We can do that. It depends on the

25:13applications that we receive and how

25:15those rankings pan out. So,

25:18the

25:19we have not our consolidated plan. I

25:21think there might be a a slide in here

25:22that establishes some priorities um that

25:25was established in 2025 for our con plan

25:27for the for the five years that governs

25:29the funding for CDBG and those

25:31priorities help us rank and review those

25:35applications as they come in.

25:37>> Well, Carl, that leads me to a question

25:39I was going to ask you, but I didn't

25:40want to interrupt you.

25:44On the previous chart, you talked about

25:47for CDBG,

25:50the rating is just one factor.

25:54So, what are the other factors and who

25:56decides?

25:58>> Yeah.

25:58>> Oh, sorry.

25:59Yeah, but we will get into the details

26:02about it. The rating your rating is only

26:04one factor. So, like staff's rating and

26:07then the vision committee's rating,

26:08those your rating are different.

26:09Fortunately, the application which we'll

26:10talk about, there's a section for you

26:12all. And then ultimately, I mean, we

26:14recommend funding to the mayor's

26:16commission. They that's kind of how

26:18they decide on factors.

26:20>> Let me follow that up with a

26:23question and that is,

26:25you know, it talk talks about in the

26:27statement for the committee,

26:30it talks about providing input on

26:32emerging emerging community needs.

26:35So,

26:37who does that needs assessment, how

26:39often is it done, and what role do we

26:41have

26:43in determining what those needs are?

26:45>> Yeah, so we typically the planning

26:47commission committee, as Marsha was

26:48mentioning, every 5 years HUD requires

26:51us as a county

26:52uh so the county and community in

26:54particular to do a consolidated plan

26:56that identifies the priorities for our

26:58needs for the next 5 years. So, when

27:00that comes up, that's an opportunity

27:02where we bring the mission committee. Um

27:04you're also in every funding

27:06recommendation, every rating you're

27:08you're providing us with, you're also

27:11helping us identify needs that you see

27:14in the community. For example, last

27:15year's mission committee uh was really

27:17interested in providing money for youth

27:19development programs, and so their

27:21rankings and funding recommendations

27:23kind of geared a little bit more towards

27:25that than that for past previous mission

27:27committee. So, those are just two quick

27:29examples of how you all as the body help

27:32us identify and fund those needs.

27:35So, also whenever we do strategic plans,

27:38like when we did the homelessness and

27:39housing plan

27:40last 3 years ago 2 or 3 years ago, the

27:43mission committee at that one was also a

27:45very full part of that feedback

27:48providing input.

27:49>> So, we've got a coffee plan?

27:52>> Absolutely. Yeah, we can provide it.

27:58>> Uh the Home Investment Partnerships

28:00Program, or HOME as we love to call it,

28:02is um

28:03another HUD community planning

28:06department's funding source, and it

28:09generally

28:11exclusively leads to the construction of

28:13a affordable housing units. So,

28:16usually CDBG can be done to support

28:18housing, but we just have to do the

28:21role. Um usually you cannot use CDBG to

28:23construct new units. You can do

28:25supportive instruction, things like

28:27that. And HOME was

28:29upright construction. We're building

28:30units for this. So, every HOME dollar

28:32has to result in a home unit to a

28:35affordable

28:36low-income family or children.

28:41So, home

28:42home allocations

28:43932,000 a year. This is what you can see

28:46what we did last year. I'm not going to

28:47go over the details. You can go back and

28:48do it. There's a 10% administration cap

28:51for um

28:53home, which is slightly different than

28:54CDBG, which allows 20%. Those are

28:56regulatory

28:57um federal guidelines.

29:02And I don't know much about the housing

29:04program. So, if you want to know

29:07housing program.

29:08>> I'll talk about it a little bit more

29:09later, but

29:10>> So,

29:11>> Yeah.

29:12>> Saying that some of this is

29:13>> So, starting in FY25 in the

29:16Athens-Clarke County budget, the mayor

29:17and commission decided to set aside

29:19$100,000 of general funds to do housing

29:22counseling and financial financial

29:25counseling. Um

29:28in the first year of the program, the

29:29Athens Land Trust and East Athens

29:31Development Corporation were selected to

29:34receive these funding. Um

29:37and that first year as it was kind of

29:39getting off the ground, they just

29:41extended the contract through FY26.

29:44So, our third our you know, second and

29:46competitive round was last year in FY27.

29:49The Athens Community Council on Aging

29:51and East Athens Development Corporation

29:53both received funding that year. And

29:56again, this year for FY28, we have

29:58$100,000

30:00um that will be on a competitive basis

30:03and and I'll talk about it in more

30:04detail later, but you all are part of

30:07those ratings.

30:12Oh, yeah. This is This is just a

30:13breakdown so you can kind of see how the

30:15funds um have been allocated over the

30:17past few years. So, like I was saying

30:20initially FY25

30:22um went to East Athens and the Land

30:24Trust. That got extended through with 40

30:27and 60,000 in FY26.

30:30And then,

30:32you can see you know, there's about

30:36>> 2/3 of the money about went to these

30:38efforts last year and the the remainder

30:40went to

30:41uh reading council each year.

30:46That's it.

30:48>> All right. So, the next funding

30:49opportunity we'll talk a little bit

30:50about is our community partnerships

30:52program. Uh so, this one again is the

30:55one that we all are aware of. Total

30:57ownership over in the storing and the

30:59ranking portion. So, just a little bit

31:01of history about the community

31:02partnership program. Um basically, it's

31:05kind of the idea started in 2023. It was

31:08proposed. Uh but the first funding year

31:10for CDBG was FY25. So,

31:14uh

31:15in support of the FY26 to 28 strategic

31:17plan, they can still apply for funding

31:19to support community service.

31:22Uh there's two categories of community

31:23services, which has three things under

31:25it. They were to provide revitalization,

31:26poverty reduction, and economic

31:28strength. And then, intervention and

31:29prevention or homeless services

31:31activity. So, we'll get into the weeds

31:33about this a little bit here later. Uh

31:35but FY25 funding was, you know, $871,000

31:39and some change. Uh and then, starting

31:42in FY26, it moved up to a million

31:44dollars. And so, that has been the

31:46recurring funding for last

31:48[clears throat] year, and that's what's

31:49available uh currently for FY28

31:52resources. And our application release

31:54for that was on October 28th.

31:58And this is just kind of most recent.

32:00So, for FY27, you can kind of see our

32:03various funding allocations here. Again,

32:05it was a million dollars. Uh

32:08and so, you can see a large portion of

32:10that went to intervention and

32:11prevention. Uh

32:13and some uh 14% poverty reduction and

32:15economic strength, and then homeless

32:17services. Um so, this is just kind of to

32:19give you a snapshot of, you know, the

32:21prioritization of funding that the

32:22divisional committee had last year.

32:28Okay.

32:29So, the consolidated plan, I know that

32:32um Michael was asking about this earlier

32:33as well. There's a lot of information in

32:36the consolidated plan. I know that Al

32:38Hunter briefly you just kind of covered

32:39what that looks like a second ago, so

32:41I'm not going to necessarily recap all

32:43that. I can send out a copy of this

32:45consolidated plan as well as the link to

32:48or the copy of the FY26 through the

32:51community strategic plan for you all

32:52that way you just have a kind of all the

32:54money on it easily as you're going

32:56through the process.

33:00Uh but our consolidated plan goals for

33:02FY26 through 30 are affordable housing

33:04and redevelopment, public services,

33:07economic development, and public

33:08facilities improvements.

33:13And the And so there's several slides

33:15just kind of getting into the weeds of

33:16what each of those things look like. And

33:18so for the affordable housing

33:19development, you know, the goal there is

33:21to foster foster an affordable housing

33:23market that meets the needs of average

33:25Stark County residents through the

33:26creation and preservation of a variety

33:28of housing and those

33:32And then so affordable housing goal

33:35strategies, uh again, this is a lot of

33:37information. There's a lot of things

33:39kind of tied to different funding

33:40sources and things of that nature. So,

33:43um I won't necessarily read through all

33:45of these strategies for you, but you

33:47will receive a copy of these slides and

33:48you'll be able to have this just to kind

33:49of get a better sense of what what we're

33:51doing.

33:52>> I'm going to interrupt here. There are

33:54This will go through examples of each of

33:56the goals, but that's part of the reason

33:59why for CDBG in particular, um vision

34:02committee does a portion of the funding

34:04and has staff doing a lot of There's a

34:05lot of new laws and regulatory

34:07requirements to meet eligibility

34:08criteria that you cannot be expected to

34:11know in this short time. So, that's why

34:13you're only funding a portion of our

34:15Excuse me, scoring a portion of the

34:18application, which we'll break down that

34:19for you in the slides later on. So, you

34:21can always rely on us to ask us

34:22questions if you have You're going to

34:23have access to all of these things and

34:25to the whole application. Um so, if you

34:28have questions, please reach out, but

34:30don't feel like you have to become an

34:31expert on all of these goals and that's

34:33all of the activities cuz they're a lot

34:35of

34:36>> Thank you.

34:37>> Okay. For that clarification.

34:39>> video wall don't want to leave you all

34:40just leave here feeling like you have

34:42to, you know, do a dissertation on CDBG

34:44funding in the county like so.

34:47Um

34:48All right. So, just so you can see here

34:50FY27 CDBG and HOME affordable housing

34:53programs. Um so, you can kind of see

34:55what the awarded activity is. So, we'll

34:57give some of our community partners that

34:58receive that those funding sources at

35:01Athens Habitat for Humanity,

35:03uh the Housing Authority, Athens Land

35:05Trust, Historic Athens.

35:07Um and so, you can see some emergency

35:09services We have a lot of agencies in

35:11the community that receive multiple

35:13funding sources from us either for the

35:15same project possibly if it's larger you

35:17can kind of stack those um those levels

35:20of support, but then also you know, for

35:23individual projects as well. So.

35:26>> Yeah. And I do want to clarify those

35:28awards that you see there for Habitat

35:30and um the Housing Authority, those

35:32awards were actually in FY26, but

35:35because of the nature of the contracting

35:36and the projects, they're actually being

35:39activated within well those contracts

35:41within this fiscal year. So, it's a

35:42little bit of confusing in that sense.

35:46>> And again, HOME is one of those that

35:48you're not necessarily going to be able

35:50to be able to do anything with, but in

35:51the interest of just sharing what HCD

35:53does and the scope and the the breadth

35:55of the funding sources, we just wanted

35:56you to kind of see

35:58that. Can I say something real quick and

36:00then

36:00>> Absolutely. So, one thing that you

36:01probably will see in the CDBG

36:03applications is

36:05supporting home projects. So, one of the

36:07ways you see CDBG used to support those

36:10funded home projects and so, there's

36:11everything from Housing Authority and

36:13the Land Trust, Habitat. You will likely

36:16see certain activities that are about

36:19supporting those projects. So, it's just

36:21a matter of instance and general

36:22information.

36:26>> If y'all agree with this, it's great

36:28that So, jump in if you've got it, but

36:30this is it's welcome.

36:32Uh so, we've got goal two, public

36:34services. And so, that's really just to

36:35enhance the quality of life through

36:37programs and services that meet the

36:39needs of residents of Clark County. So,

36:41the next couple slides we'll go through

36:42some you know, what the goal areas of

36:44that are and then previously funded

36:46projects.

36:49So again, this is some public goal

36:51services and strategies, but that's you

36:53know, homelessness for individuals and

36:55families,

36:56youth development and violence

36:58prevention, and then serving low and

37:00moderate income households as well.

37:07>> 50 eligible public services and regional

37:10There's a lot of things under CDBG that

37:12are eligible in our consolidated

37:14planning process. Um

37:16the these were the top three strategies

37:18that were identified. So these are the

37:20five already made means of how public

37:22services are centered. So homelessness

37:24being the first, then youth development

37:26and violence prevention, and then the

37:28last is

37:30eligible activities that support any of

37:32the other goals. And anything that's

37:33related to affordable housing or

37:35economic development or something that

37:37is going to fall inside of the public

37:38facility improvement. Those are also

37:40eligible. Um there might be some other

37:43activities

37:44under CDBG that are eligible but they

37:45might not necessarily be our our

37:47consolidated planning goals. And that's

37:49why this might be a good example. And

37:51that's why this might be a good

37:53example.

37:56>> Any questions?

37:57>> Mhm.

38:00>> Do you want to talk about this for a

38:02second, I think?

38:03>> So this is about the

38:05nuance of the public

38:07public service activity applications. We

38:10just got

38:11430,000

38:13so

38:14five awards. Um

38:16which resulted in if everybody got

38:1730,000, we could only fund

38:19[clears throat] six awarded projects.

38:21Keep that in mind. That's something

38:22they're they're eligible or allowed to

38:25ask for more than that.

38:27Um this is the only portion of CDBG

38:29where we require the agencies to

38:31provide a 25% cash match. Um

38:35that's going to make sure they have some

38:37skin in the game and that they're aware

38:39of the kind of

38:40requirements and what's expected here.

38:42So other projects may not require that.

38:45They might provide documentation

38:47leverage, but our public service

38:49activities can be required 25% of the

38:51CDBG award to be a match.

38:55>> So, could you give me an example of

38:57something where

38:58of a

38:59program that you are acting like they

39:01are getting grants?

39:05This is one of the public services.

39:06>> They could. Yes.

39:08Yeah, so I don't know if there's a list

39:10of who who is for. So, this year we have

39:12>> Excellent.

39:14opportunity

39:14>> Yeah, so these are our

39:16service partners this year. Um the

39:19ornamental structures and counseling,

39:22family promise center, emergency

39:23shelter, and child care costs, Joyce

39:26Conflict Conflict Center gets

39:29uh restorative justice diversion program

39:30for youth, various masses are daily um

39:34operations. They get some money for that

39:36and they do some ID and work with credit

39:38and that kind of thing.

39:40And then most of this is in our program.

39:42So, that's how the list

39:43>> Yeah.

39:45Thank you.

39:46We had a couple of questions here.

39:47>> Yeah, I mean when I look at those dollar

39:49amounts,

39:51what can you do for $30,000?

39:54It's It starts to cross to me more like

39:56we're funding these agencies to fund

39:58these agencies

40:00because the dollar amounts are so small

40:02I don't know how it can result in

40:03anything of substance value

40:06in terms of services being delivered.

40:09>> Yeah, but it's one of the reasons why we

40:10require the match in this particular

40:12case for CDBG to show. A lot of

40:15nonprofits are spending it all together

40:17and a lot of funding sources but it's

40:18funding split. I mean, we can

40:20only give out so much. In our case for

40:22example, um you'll notice the majority

40:24of these

40:25Some of these agencies last year also

40:27applied for CDBG funds. And so, it's

40:30just a bunch of little awards um usually

40:33for the same program but

40:36kind of cobble together. Um they're

40:37running on fumes. But that's pretty

40:39typical of the nonprofit operating world

40:41not just here in Athens but across

40:43the country, probably worldwide. I'm

40:45going to I'm going to venture is

40:47But you're right, it's never the needs

40:50are so great in all our communities that

40:52there's just never quite enough funding.

40:55So, they just do what they can and

40:57it's a little drop in the bucket, so to

40:59speak.

41:00>> And you know, that's one of the things

41:01you'll be able to see when you're

41:02reviewing and, you know, looking at the

41:04applications is the budgets that are

41:06provided that will show you, other

41:08categories, funding sources and it may

41:10be for the same program that they get

41:12additional funding that's supposed to go

41:14to them, which is sub-awarded through

41:15the alcohol office and

41:20All right, so for goal three for the con

41:22plan, that's going to be economic

41:23development and workforce development.

41:25And so, the goal there is to promote

41:27upward economic mobility of low and

41:29moderate income Athens-Clarke County

41:30residents through small business

41:32entrepreneurship and work workforce

41:34development.

41:38Did you have anything you want to say

41:38about those activities?

41:39>> No, currently we're funding

41:42micro-enterprise

41:44activities through Goodwill and

41:48What has my brain

41:49left out? Sorry, we're on the

41:50next slide. So, micro-enterprise is one

41:53thing that is eligible under economic

41:55development. There are also activities

41:57that are eligible under there where

41:59they're actually job creation that has a

42:01lot more of a workforce side to it, so

42:02we have not had any applicants apply for

42:04that yet

42:06um since my in my tenure here in the

42:08last four years. So, we'll be interested

42:10to see what comes in this application

42:12cycle,

42:13but

42:14as you can see,

42:15Athens Development Corporation is a

42:18community They have a special

42:20designation as a community-based

42:22development organization, meaning that

42:24they serve

42:25primarily in Inner West Athens, which is

42:26a neighborhood revitalization strategy

42:28area, which is the designation they

42:30have.

42:31Um so, because of that, they are able to

42:33access

42:34um

42:35funding outside the public service cap

42:37that would otherwise be considered a

42:39public service because they have that

42:40special designation. So, their three

42:43activities there are job coaching,

42:44medical services training, and economic

42:46development, which is kind of like

42:48actual tutoring and what I can

42:49understand from the review. Those who

42:51would normally be considered for public

42:53services, but because uh East Athens

42:55Economic Development Corporation is a

42:57CBDO and um they've had a special uh

43:01board of

43:02their board of directors has special um

43:06criteria. They have to be somebody who

43:07has to be low income, somebody has to

43:08have businesses in the

43:10community. They've met all those

43:12criteria, so they are um able to access

43:14this funding, which would normally not

43:16be available or would [clears throat] be

43:18normally not be able to get that. So,

43:20all of the CDBG

43:21or CDBG money can go.

43:26>> Okay. So, goal four is going to be

43:27public facilities and improvements. So,

43:29the goal there is to foster uh public

43:31infrastructure improvements that improve

43:33the lives of low and moderate income

43:34residents in Athens-Clarke County. Uh

43:36so, for these, this is a category where

43:38we haven't received any applications,

43:40correct, for the past couple of years?

43:42>> of years, yeah. We did uh two park

43:44improvements um

43:46uh well, we did a park improvement

43:48probably a couple years ago at Lay Park,

43:50and then um we did get an application

43:53from the Athens Housing Authority for

43:54roof repair, uh which that's eligible.

43:56So, it doesn't necessarily have to be uh

43:59facilities that are owned or operated by

44:00Athens-Clarke County. Nonprofits can own

44:02facilities, but once they do that, they

44:04have to maintain that use

44:07in that way forever, it's in plain. And

44:09then if they ever try to change the use,

44:11that's come back for the public or they

44:12have to give it back. So, um things like

44:15uh community centers, side uh um

44:18homeless shelters, group homes for

44:20senior and disabled adults, things like

44:22that are also eligible activities.

44:25But, the funding usually is so limited.

44:27You can't really do a lot, all right,

44:29because that's CDBG money going out.

44:31There's so many resources

44:34to get a bigger facility

44:36or something.

44:42>> All right.

44:42>> So, now we're going to roll into this

44:44year's Vision Committee roles and

44:46responsibilities, which I know we've

44:47been kind of touching on here. Uh I

44:50won't harp on this too much because I

44:51know we've talked about it somewhat

44:53already, but uh basically kind of moving

44:55forward what we'll need to do is select

44:57new vision committee officers. So, we'll

44:58need to select a chair and a secretary,

45:01complete required BAC training which you

45:04have already done. You all have done.

45:06Review the updated BAC manual. And then

45:09once, hopefully by the time our, as you

45:11can see, February 17th is our next

45:13meeting. Hopefully by the time that

45:15rolls around and the ordinance and

45:17everything will have been approved. If

45:18that's the case, we'll have additional

45:20information for you to review and inform

45:23you of what we need to do there.

45:25But that February 17th, again, I'll

45:27probably say it 10 more times, that like

45:29that is the meeting that we're going to

45:31have this year to talk about all the

45:33ratings and rankings and generally it's

45:35scheduled from 9:00 to 12:00. It will

45:37likely go over from 9:00 to 12:00. It's

45:39a long one, but it's very good

45:41discussion and everyone should want to

45:42give a lot of feedback and thoughts. And

45:44so, we don't want to rush that process

45:46because as you can see, it's an

45:47important

45:49such a big department of what ABC block

45:51grant theory

45:55So, for our FY28 CDBG funding, I'll kick

45:59it over to Mars and she's going to talk

46:01through some different things.

46:06So, the 1.2 million is an estimate.

46:09Obviously, we won't get the award until

46:11probably March or April of next year.

46:14But generally speaking, it's been on the

46:16way and on trend to stay about the same.

46:18It may have gone down a little bit, but

46:20we rarely see

46:22up ticks

46:23in this.

46:25We really

46:26usually get about 30 or more

46:29applications in. So,

46:31this is the big a big undertaking for

46:35you all cuz there's a lot of

46:36applications in the pipeline here.

46:38We do a staff go through and and once

46:41the applications are submitted, we do go

46:42through and if anything isn't eligible,

46:45we inform the applicant immediately.

46:47This activity is not eligible under CDBG

46:49and you won't have to look at those or

46:50waste your time.

46:52Um

46:53Um let's see. We get the

46:56most applications are usually for public

46:59service activities

47:01because that's just the nature of that.

47:03As you know, we have a lot of non-profit

47:04partners that want to help the community

47:06and so we get a lot of applications

47:07then.

47:08Sometimes they ask for more money than

47:10is even allowed. Like, you know, we'll

47:12get a $150,000 request and only have an

47:14$80,000 cap. So, it's it's finding that

47:17balance between the priorities of the

47:19agency, what what the best use of the

47:21money is and that's part of what you

47:22will be helping decide.

47:24The grant year for CDBG funding runs

47:28from July through

47:36And

47:37so it's one year. So, the funding that

47:39the funding that you are deciding on now

47:41will be actually available when it

47:42applies to on next July.

47:45And let's see.

47:46For us

47:48This is incorrect. It's not 100.

47:52It's It's okay. It's 110. So, there's

47:54150 possible points. There's a breakdown

47:56from this slide later on that I'll show

47:57you. For the CDBG funding scoring,

48:00there's 150 points possible.

48:03So, the citizen committee is responsible

48:05for 40 of those points. And it goes to

48:08community impact review and priority

48:11funding how you think it needs to be

48:12done. So, you will be working that way

48:14and that helps the application process.

48:16And let's see.

48:19You'll be getting access to these in the

48:21June Excuse me.

48:23In December on December 14th. So, by

48:25then you will have all the resources

48:27that you need to be able to review these

48:29appropriately.

48:32So, it's

48:33You can take a picture of this.

48:35>> Yeah, and you'll see you'll have about 6

48:38weeks right between December 14th and

48:40January 29th. That's going to be your

48:44review period. We know the holidays fall

48:46right over it. These are a lot of

48:48applications. It's not just CDBG, it's

48:51also CPN and Down's Lake. So, I think

48:53our budget committee found that it's

48:54good enough to review and please don't

48:57wait till the last minute. It's a lot

48:58cuz you will not be done. So, as soon as

49:00those of these go out on the 14th for

49:02you, start working on them.

49:05We'll get more into the nitty-gritty of

49:06it, but

49:08it's a lot. Don't think it's a lot of

49:09time. It looks like a lot of time, but

49:11it's not. And then we come back together

49:13on the 17th to then discuss your scores.

49:21>> Okay, here's Here's the the slide that's

49:22coming later. I mean, so the HTP staff

49:26will review these uh components of the

49:28application. You'll be able to see all

49:30the responses in these attachments. So,

49:31it's not like you're only going to see

49:32the responses that apply to your

49:35scoring. You can see you're going to be

49:36able to review the entire application.

49:38Um so, you get a feel for what they're

49:39actually asking for. And then um the

49:41visiting committee will There's a

49:43specific section within the grants that

49:45talks about community impact and

49:47relationships with your other partners,

49:48and

49:50that's where you're going to have that

49:51um

49:52input that's needed to see what the

49:55vision worksheet and what the community

49:56really is looking for. And then you'll

49:58be able to assign points as for priority

50:01there. And it says that there's a

50:04priority guide as a reference. You'll be

50:06getting that um

50:07when the information for the mini grants

50:09comes out to help you guys with the um

50:11scoring there.

50:12>> That's all at the bottom. That's an

50:14oversight on my part, so apologies. It

50:15should be total FY2018 CDPG application

50:18points, not 6. I'll fix that before I

50:19send it out to you all.

50:21>> And what is the total? Oh, right here.

50:23>> Hi. Pathway to Literacy.

50:25Sorry, I was in line. One thing to to

50:27note, please make sure last year we did

50:30have some visiting committee members

50:32that accidentally completed the staff

50:34portion of the committee review.

50:36Um so, we had to go over and review uh

50:38some accounting for action. Please make

50:40sure that for CDPGs specifically and for

50:43having nothing that you fully reviewed

50:46the two criteria that you're responsible

50:48for. Don't do more work

50:51than you have to do. Like, we'll we'll

50:53indicate that for you when you're doing

50:55this. Yes, ma'am.

50:56>> Why does the committee only

50:59get to look at uh points worth of uh

51:03the value of these proposals.

51:05>> Because that's the way I think it's

51:06because the CDBG

51:09applications are usually so technical as

51:12far as regulatory requirements and past

51:14performance. You'll be able to see that,

51:16but we didn't It's not

51:19fair to put that kind of

51:21um responsibility on the vision

51:23committees. The vision committee is

51:24designed to help inform community desire

51:27and impact and and establish priorities

51:29that are going to be recommended to the

51:32um mayor and commission. So, that's how

51:33those That's

51:34>> So, this is not a statutory requirement.

51:37This is a

51:37>> No, federal government only presents

51:40that we get community input

51:43for community input portions of the

51:47application. Under no circumstances are

51:50we required to have community input on

51:54those under the uh 100,000 or more.

51:57We actually go above and beyond having a

52:00vision committee that is you that gets

52:0340-point input

52:05for the actual community portion that

52:08gives preference to the requirement.

52:11>> And I believe you had to had to step out

52:12for a second earlier, and there was a

52:13few slides about the uh conference

52:16center that we got into some of like all

52:18the really technical nuance. And so,

52:20once you get once you're able to see

52:21those slides, it's it's very like

52:23there's so much technical nuance to the

52:25stadium information and scoring criteria

52:27that if you go to it that, you know,

52:29just to kind of give you some

52:30>> And you don't you you you don't have the

52:32information that is required to be able

52:34to account for those criteria that the

52:36staff already

52:39We have the

52:40experience, the training, and the

52:42knowledge. We also have the background

52:44and the history of dealing with agencies

52:46on the performance level annually that

52:49you don't have. And then we would not be

52:51able to provide you

52:52in this environment that you need to

52:54write write this.

52:54>> And this has been a topic of discussion

52:56with the mayor and commission. So, this

52:58is how this has been discussed with you

53:00here. So, it's not a new way of writing.

53:03>> And I'll say like a 40 out of 150 may

53:06not seem like much, but we've seen

53:08applications like even that, you know,

53:10staff feel pretty strongly about. We've

53:12seen those scores drop significantly in

53:14some cases because of what the vision

53:16committee feels.

53:18You know, 40 points, so it it does play

53:21a big role in it, even if it only looks

53:23like it's 40 points.

53:25I mean, that's where it's And that makes

53:27a substantial difference.

53:29>> Mhm.

53:31>> All right.

53:32I think that's it for CDBG.

53:34>> Okay.

53:36>> Please welcome and talk a little more

53:37about housing and community development.

53:39So, like I mentioned before, there's

53:41$100,000 that have been made available

53:43for housing counseling activities. And

53:46so,

53:47really what this involves is having an

53:50agency who has a housing counselor who

53:53has passed the HUD housing counseling

53:55certification exam or will pass it by

53:58the time FY '28 starts. Um

54:02and these housing counselors will work

54:05one-on-one or in groups of, you know,

54:08low-income Lackawanna County residents

54:10to provide homeownership education,

54:13foreclosure prevention, financial

54:15literacy, credit repair, education

54:17around affordable housing,

54:19sustainability. So, really just working

54:21with people so that they have the

54:23information and knowledge and and know

54:25about the services that will um

54:28hopefully help them to be in a better

54:29position with their housing planning

54:31more safe and secure and stable housing.

54:35Um similarly, so the schedule is the

54:38same. You'll be rating these alongside

54:40the other applications. And similarly to

54:43the CDBG, you only have a portion of

54:48the score that you'll be responsible

54:50for. So, you'll see the whole

54:53um

54:53application.

54:56And you'll be able to read through it. I

54:59would suggest reading it it through to

55:01just have a good sense of what the

55:02specific program is. But in terms of

55:05your rating, you will just rate the

55:07community impact assessment for 10

55:10points.

55:11Um

55:12and so, you know, 10% of this score will

55:15be based on how you see this program

55:18having a broader impact on the

55:21community.

55:26That's it.

55:27So, now we've gotten to our final

55:29community partnerships program, the one

55:31that you have 100% control over deciding

55:34what you want to rate, score,

55:36prioritize. And so,

55:38um

55:39again, you can see this timeline over

55:41here, that is going to be the same for

55:42all of them, which is nice, keeps it

55:44easy for you. You just have a few

55:45separate dates to remember, and they'll

55:47be the same for each one. And in years

55:49past, they've been a little different

55:50sometimes, and so, this makes it easy

55:52for you.

55:53Um

55:53and so, there's, you know, a million

55:55dollars available for local community

55:58you know, funds for the community

55:59partnerships program. Um and again,

56:01those categories are community service,

56:03which includes neighborhood

56:05revitalization, poverty reduction, and

56:07economic strength, and intervention and

56:09prevention activities, and then also

56:11homeless continuum of care service

56:13activities. So, homeless continuum of

56:15care service activities is going to be

56:16case management, things of that sort, uh

56:18or individuals experiencing

56:20homelessness, families experiencing

56:21homelessness. Some requirements for the

56:23agencies there would be, you know, they

56:25participate in annual point-in-time

56:26count, they're a member of our, you

56:29know, homeless coalition in the

56:30community, and are involved in the

56:32connected group of services that are

56:34also delivering assistance.

56:36Um

56:37our FY28 grant year is also same dates,

56:41going to run from July 1st, 2027 through

56:43June 30th, 2028.

56:45Uh applications for this program were

56:47released at the same time, and the

56:49applications will be due on the 20th,

56:51and then you are responsible for scoring

56:54uh up to 100 points

56:56uh of these applications. Again, we

56:58review them for eligibility, and then

57:01you all will rate and score them. So,

57:03we're not going to waste your time

57:04sending you any that you have to kind of

57:06look through for eligibility purposes,

57:08or spend time on that. Anything that

57:10comes across your desk, so to speak,

57:11will be an eligible application for

57:13review.

57:16And these are going to be your rating

57:18criteria as well. You get a more kind of

57:20specific scoring matrix, but rating

57:23criteria is financial ability is going

57:26to be 30 points. So, that's considering

57:28things like cost per program

57:30participant, diverse funding sources,

57:32use of the budget,

57:34things like that.

57:35Community involvement and collaboration

57:37is going to be 15 points. And so, this

57:39is documented community collaborations

57:41and our community impact assessment. So,

57:44one thing to kind of keep in mind for

57:45the year returning,

57:48in years past, the community impact

57:50assessment has been an attachment where

57:53you've, you know, agencies have

57:54completed that and then you've reviewed

57:56that in addition. This year, to

57:57hopefully make everyone a fly a little

58:00more simple with agencies doing

58:01applications and you all doing reviews

58:03in the process, that's actually been

58:05baked into the application here. So,

58:06it's still very clear and obvious what

58:08questions are related to community

58:10impact, but we basically took some of

58:12those previous community impact

58:14questions, some of our other application

58:16questions, and kind of rolled it all up

58:18into one section

58:19to make that easier for you.

58:21So, and then outcomes and performance,

58:23that's going to be 45 points. And so,

58:25that's, you know, looking at things in

58:27that modeling section, benefit of the

58:30program, abilities to strategic, excuse

58:32me, to achieve strategic plan goals. So,

58:35that's obviously a really big section.

58:37And then organization and staff ability

58:40is 10 points. And so, that's operations

58:42capacity, program experience, things of

58:44that sort.

58:50Okay.

58:52Here's the what's next. Any, before we

58:54jump into this, this kind of calendar of

58:56dates, I think this is our, hopefully,

58:58next to last slide. Are there any

58:59questions about scoring, ranking, things

59:02of that sort before we

59:04move forward into kind of the next

59:05portion of the meeting?

59:08You might ask yourself, Marcy Hayes, do

59:10you have any questions?

59:13Perfect.

59:14>> Did we mention the

59:15>> something about everything you do is on

59:17the record?

59:18>> Yes.

59:18>> So, if you don't want it to be on the

59:20record, make sure we get that. So,

59:22be nice in your comments.

59:24>> We got

59:25And again, like I said earlier, any

59:26comments you leave are still

59:28confidential to your name, so you won't

59:30be tied. If I tell an agency, "So-and-so

59:33had to say this about your application."

59:34your name won't be mentioned, but still

59:35your statement. Try to keep it to

59:37helpful feedback, as we're going to say.

59:39>> Unless it's requested as an open record.

59:42So, if you have a 21 certain district

59:43request for feedback, the one that they

59:45would probably extend this.

59:46>> Yes.

59:47>> If that's an open records request, we

59:48have to read it.

59:49>> Sorry. Yes, thank you for the

59:50clarification.

59:53All right. So, the ongoing, obviously,

59:55like I said earlier, you're going to be

59:56wanting to check your email at ACCG.net.

59:58Keep an eye on that. If you want to set

1:00:00it up to get forwarded to your personal

1:00:01email, however you need to do it to make

1:00:03sure that you don't miss anything, just

1:00:05please keep an eye on that. Keep all

1:00:06communications with our department

1:00:09through that email address. And so,

1:00:11we're going to be sending you stuff out,

1:00:13so be on the lookout for the beginning

1:00:15of that Zoom Grants training video, any

1:00:17updates on BAC ordinances.

1:00:19I'll probably send out some follow-up

1:00:21materials for today, like these slides,

1:00:23consolidated plans, strategic plan, all

1:00:25that stuff for you for review.

1:00:28December 14th, as we've touched on a

1:00:30couple of times, is going to be when

1:00:32applications are going to you for

1:00:34review. January 29th, so that

1:00:36application that application review

1:00:38period is done. All things have to

1:00:40begin. Again, please don't wait until

1:00:42the last minute. I'll say this year

1:00:45is the most applications we've ever got

1:00:46or sorry, we've got we require folks to

1:00:49do what's called a notice of intent,

1:00:50which is required. It's essentially

1:00:51you're putting in something saying that

1:00:52you want to do an application.

1:00:55And this is the most that we've ever

1:00:56gotten. So, if everyone applies,

1:00:58you're going to be busy. So, get started

1:01:00on this as soon as possible.

1:01:02And then that February 17th meeting

1:01:04where we review and score these

1:01:05applications is going to be from 9:00 to

1:01:0712:00. That'll also be

1:01:09here at the courthouse building. Might

1:01:11be in the first floor conference room.

1:01:13Might also be up here. Just kind of

1:01:15once it is available.

1:01:16Uh and then just so you can see looking

1:01:18forward once those recommendations are

1:01:19made, uh the Mayor and Commission work

1:01:21session to present those, which HPD

1:01:23staff takes care of on your behalf, but

1:01:26that's going to be on April 13th. April

1:01:2920th is the Mayor and Commission agenda

1:01:31setting session, and then May 4th is the

1:01:33voting session where you will then,

1:01:34you know, vote yes or no on the

1:01:36recommendations that we've been putting

1:01:38together in the staff work. So, uh

1:01:41once that happens, then we start to talk

1:01:43about the consolidation season to kind

1:01:44of get the ball rolling on doing the

1:01:45actual work that you've been

1:01:48working on making for the school. So,

1:01:50any questions about what's upcoming?

1:01:54Perfect.

1:01:55Well, thank you all. Uh as I mentioned

1:01:57earlier, but myself and Alejandra, our

1:02:00assistant director, are your HPD staff

1:02:02liaisons. So, that's our contact

1:02:04information. If you do need anything,

1:02:06please don't hesitate to give us a call

1:02:07or send an email. We'd love to hear from

1:02:09y'all. We'd love to chat with you.

1:02:11Um

1:02:12and so that concludes the presentation

1:02:13portion.

1:02:14And I know we jumped around a little bit

1:02:16with some things that we've already

1:02:18discussed, item D, and then all the

1:02:20other items under C. So, which that

1:02:22brings us to D, selection of officers.

1:02:25So, want to welcome Allison Hollis, who

1:02:28is our a returning committee member and

1:02:30also our vice chair. So, you're good,

1:02:33and then I'll hand it over to you for

1:02:34the discussion about selecting our new

1:02:36secretary and chair.

1:02:38And rest of that part.

1:02:41>> Good morning. I'm Allison Hollis.

1:02:42Uh I

1:02:44apologize for being late.

1:02:46Because I did not forward my email, uh

1:02:49it's in my personal, I missed all of

1:02:52that and got forwarded to my personal

1:02:53email. So, just

1:02:55as a friendly reminder, if you need to

1:02:57contact both of us, check that email

1:02:58frequently or it's not forwarded. Um

1:03:01I am currently the vice chair of this.

1:03:03Uh I am happy to allow people to take

1:03:06that mantle if they would like to for

1:03:09the next year. Uh so, we have chair,

1:03:12vice chair, and secretary for the three

1:03:14roles of this committee.

1:03:17Um this committee, I think maybe this

1:03:19was discussed, came to be an official

1:03:21PAC last year.

1:03:23So, now we have to have official people

1:03:26in charge of this

1:03:27and that is serving us.

1:03:29The chair is in charge of making sure we

1:03:32run meetings without well being seen

1:03:35on the matters of the school's

1:03:37order for meetings. Vice chair, as you

1:03:40can see right now, is essentially a

1:03:42backup for said chair and just making

1:03:44sure that the students are being

1:03:46facilitated and then the secretary who

1:03:48will be in charge of taking meeting

1:03:49notes. Because we have our meetings so

1:03:51often,

1:03:52those meeting notes if we can are

1:03:55usually reviewed at the end as we will

1:03:57do today just for the sake of

1:03:59efficiency. We know we're all

1:04:01volunteers. We want to make sure that

1:04:02everybody has the time

1:04:05to do all of this work and not end up

1:04:07being overburdened with extra asks. So,

1:04:10all of that to say, do any of you have

1:04:13any questions about PAC's roles with our

1:04:16PAC?

1:04:20Uh

1:04:22You have How many of us are here? Three?

1:04:24Four?

1:04:25Yeah, that's

1:04:26eight.

1:04:28I lost count. You got three of us here.

1:04:30Okay. That's fine. Are there other

1:04:32people here?

1:04:33Uh

1:04:38She said

1:04:42That's all.

1:04:43Uh

1:04:45Is anybody willing to step in the role

1:04:48of chair?

1:04:50It would be asked of you that you for

1:04:52all of this year be at all of our

1:04:54meetings which is not a lot in the grand

1:04:56scheme of things

1:04:57and that you make sure that they run

1:05:01That's it and only for the year

1:05:03committee. We're not asking you to

1:05:04commit to the next

1:05:06cycle of this committee.

1:05:17>> You know, someone will come up with

1:05:18something.

1:05:18>> Oh,

1:05:20sir, I apologize. I do not know your

1:05:21name.

1:05:22What is your name?

1:05:23>> Michael McClean.

1:05:28>> Okay.

1:05:28>> And I'll be looking for somebody that I

1:05:30can challenge for this office.

1:05:34>> Mr. McClean has offered himself as a

1:05:36potential chair. Is there anybody else

1:05:38who wants to throw their name in the

1:05:39hat?

1:05:40>> Yes, I would like to.

1:05:41>> Can you just give a little bit more

1:05:43insight as to like what more

1:05:45specifically I guess?

1:05:46>> Yeah.

1:05:47>> Like I mean like like what you

1:05:48>> Sure.

1:05:50Uh so, if I was seeing as she had uh our

1:05:53chair,

1:05:54um

1:05:55I believe this will all work

1:05:58see what we're going to do with this

1:05:59long hair.

1:06:01What you see during this is exactly what

1:06:02I'm doing.

1:06:04Call to order a meeting. Call to order.

1:06:06Uh ask for votes on a meeting minutes.

1:06:09Um

1:06:10and ask for votes on decisions. So, when

1:06:13we are in specifically when it comes to

1:06:16CPT, um the city meeting funding we were

1:06:19effectively offered some insights those

1:06:22those opportunities lead up where we

1:06:24need to vote on which else we can just

1:06:25have a discussion. Um the city media is

1:06:28our role to do that and I believe the

1:06:31chair is in charge of

1:06:32can we get votes on moving this forward?

1:06:35Um so, it's just being the overseer of

1:06:38all of it and make sure that one, we're

1:06:40moving it along and two, that when

1:06:42people are ready to make votes on um

1:06:45decisions of the ranking of those

1:06:47dollars that are being rolled out, that

1:06:49they are the ones who's um

1:06:51physically taking that.

1:06:53>> All right, so you

1:06:53>> Does that make sense?

1:06:54>> Yes, you're it's like a meeting.

1:06:56>> Yes. And if we need I will say we need

1:06:58to lean very heavily on Corey and

1:07:00Alejandra and everybody else in the TV

1:07:02project team. So, if there's ever

1:07:04anything video or hey, no idea what I'm

1:07:06doing, you can ask them.

1:07:08>> Okay.

1:07:09>> I'm from Poland.

1:07:10>> That's a great story.

1:07:12>> You want to

1:07:12>> You can ask to nominate him for vice

1:07:14chair.

1:07:15>> I'd like to nominate him for vice

1:07:17chair.

1:07:17>> What is your name again, sir?

1:07:18>> Roman.

1:07:20>> What's your last name?

1:07:20>> Pomcyk. P O M C Y K.

1:07:25>> Okay.

1:07:26>> thank you.

1:07:27Okay, so we have two people up for

1:07:28running potential officers. Does anybody

1:07:30else want to throw their name in the hat

1:07:32for chair, vice chair, or

1:07:34secretary? It's the note-taker.

1:07:37Um I am comfortable if the group can

1:07:39decide and enjoy by reporting and then

1:07:43have it translate notes. You can take

1:07:45notes. The notes don't have to be super

1:07:47extensive, but specifically for our

1:07:50meeting with

1:07:52um in the future for meetings if you do

1:07:54have to record what our decisions are.

1:07:57Um I've had a couple of conversations

1:07:58with

1:07:59them. So, if you're willing to be

1:08:01said note-taker,

1:08:03um

1:08:05is that

1:08:18>> Excuse me, what

1:08:19>> the strategic

1:08:20>> Do you want to be

1:08:23chair or

1:08:24Do you want to

1:08:25Yeah.

1:08:27We got to take a note.

1:08:28So, what are the house

1:08:33the most here?

1:08:35They have at least two

1:08:36chair purposes.

1:08:41So,

1:08:43I mean

1:08:44kind of shut

1:08:50I'm holding that for the specific roles

1:08:52for the note-taker.

1:08:54Um

1:08:55I think chair is

1:08:57I think it's nice. Okay, maybe chair.

1:09:00Okay. Who did the last time? Uh no, I

1:09:03was the chair. I was the vice chair. I

1:09:05think the secretary

1:09:06Thank you, Sally. Thank you. I'm going

1:09:08to pick you, Lauren.

1:09:11I'm up.

1:09:12>> Is there a

1:09:14big spot for somebody to be the chair?

1:09:17I think

1:09:18I think I've asked for it before.

1:09:21Just

1:09:22I think somebody finding it is wise.

1:09:25Mhm. Has it been a situation where you

1:09:28know, somebody's had to leave the

1:09:31the maybe or the division committee and

1:09:33had been able to fulfill their

1:09:36responsibilities?

1:09:37>> As a As a

1:09:38>> As a member of the division

1:09:39>> As a member or as a

1:09:41>> As a officer.

1:09:42>> Officer. As of yet, no. Mostly as people

1:09:45only get officers when they

1:09:49We were

1:09:50not officially and like we we never

1:09:54uh but because we didn't have somebody

1:09:56to be it was a little bit of a different

1:09:57role. Uh so things are a little last

1:09:59year to be and that happened.

1:10:00>> I mean I'm I'm willing to serve but I

1:10:02found out that I was not a member of the

1:10:04board because I

1:10:05like actually that was kind of a

1:10:06problem.

1:10:08>> Sure.

1:10:10>> Being

1:10:11officer or a member of the board is one

1:10:12I understand now.

1:10:14>> Sure.

1:10:16>> And Alice, you gave great summaries but

1:10:17if it's helpful in any way I can read

1:10:19Article 3 from our bylaws that has the

1:10:22descriptions for the It's very quickly

1:10:23just for all of you.

1:10:25Uh the chair will be the chief

1:10:26administrative officer of the division

1:10:28committee, preside or you know, is

1:10:30responsible for general supervision of

1:10:32the policies and activities of the

1:10:33division committee, preside over all

1:10:35division committee meetings, and conduct

1:10:37all meetings in accordance to Robert's

1:10:38Rules of Order, uh

1:10:40and have authority to determine the need

1:10:42to call for roll call vote when a voice

1:10:44vote is not inclusive. So that you don't

1:10:46have to you know

1:10:47Alice described kind of the

1:10:49running meeting and make sure everything

1:10:50is done neatly. The vice chair should

1:10:52perform such duties that are generally

1:10:54performed by the vice chair and in the

1:10:56event of vacancy of the chair or their

1:10:58request, direction of the division

1:10:59committee, they'll have the authority to

1:11:01perform the same duties as the chair or

1:11:02secretary.

1:11:03And then the secretary should keep the

1:11:05minutes of the division committee, have

1:11:06charge of the minute records, and be

1:11:08responsible for all correspondence of

1:11:10the division committee, authenticating

1:11:11any documents, records, anything like

1:11:13that. So the secretary shall cause

1:11:15copies of the minutes, records, and

1:11:17correspondence to be deposited with the

1:11:18clerk.

1:11:25>> Where should you be chair and vice

1:11:27chair, would any of you be willing to be

1:11:30secretary if you are not voted into our

1:11:32executive board?

1:11:34Six.

1:11:35If not, is there someone else who is

1:11:37willing to be a secretary? Again, I

1:11:40don't care if he uses AI and have a

1:11:42report and it takes a month and a half

1:11:44to do the ACC guidelines and student

1:11:46handbook, but if you want to do it, I

1:11:47can honestly do this.

1:11:49>> As long as the notes are accurate and

1:11:51they get voted in, I don't think it

1:11:53matters if you

1:11:56>> Just for the record, they get recorded

1:11:58correctly, voted on, and posted in the

1:12:00proper channels, so we will go over the

1:12:02next steps.

1:12:14>> We want to make it clear that we vote to

1:12:16discuss a vote for chair and then

1:12:22Seven is enough. [laughter]

1:12:24Excuse me, I have a question. Does this

1:12:25count as a vote for

1:12:25>> As long as it's a valid vote.

1:12:29>> Excuse me, can we talk about the

1:12:31executive

1:12:34I'll explain that.

1:12:35Thank you.

1:12:38Now, we only need billing once a year,

1:12:39so

1:12:40you may or may not be able to do the

1:12:42same thing.

1:12:43>> [laughter]

1:12:43>> All right, so we have Michael, Brian,

1:12:45and Rebecca Love all in the running for

1:12:48these two roles.

1:12:50I would say for

1:12:53Michael, would people like to vote We

1:12:55can do this anonymously if you would

1:12:57like. You can

1:12:58write down your ranking and then hand it

1:13:00to me, but that may be more helpful.

1:13:06>> Yeah, go for it, Michael.

1:13:07>> the motion to vote for Rebecca Love as

1:13:09chair. Vote for

1:13:10>> Yes.

1:13:13>> Uh I second.

1:13:14Yes.

1:13:18>> Yes.

1:13:19>> How

1:13:20do you feel about it? Vote in favor, say

1:13:23I.

1:13:24>> I abstain.

1:13:25>> Any nays?

1:13:27All right.

1:13:28Vote for your vice chair.

1:13:31Uh we have Brian and Michael as vice

1:13:33motion for a vice chair?

1:13:37>> I could be the vice chair first year.

1:13:43>> I'm happy to volunteer for the board.

1:14:05>> Motion to leave it to the Ryan and

1:14:06motion to leave it to Mike.

1:14:09>> I second.

1:14:13>> All those in favor say aye.

1:14:15>> Aye.

1:14:16>> Any opposed say nay.

1:14:19All right,

1:14:20you're our vice chair.

1:14:22>> Congratulations.

1:14:23>> Mike, did you have any interest in being

1:14:25secretary?

1:14:25>> No.

1:14:26>> Okay.

1:14:28We We really appreciate your willingness

1:14:30to make that

1:14:31clear. So, thank you.

1:14:33We as a state made you a very active

1:14:36member if you were only willing to step

1:14:37up. So,

1:14:39knowing that that being the case, your

1:14:40chances of you being a strong

1:14:43secretary

1:14:44We still have this.

1:14:48You can make a recommendation for other

1:14:50people. You don't have to nominate

1:14:51yourself if you have a suggestion.

1:14:58>> I nominate Chris for the last two years.

1:15:13>> Matt has been handling secretary duties

1:15:14for the past She's been passing the

1:15:16mantle.

1:15:24Are you willing to accept that

1:15:26nomination?

1:15:27>> I am.

1:15:27>> I second.

1:15:33All right.

1:15:34Do I have a

1:15:35I have a second?

1:15:36I have a motion

1:15:39for that. All right.

1:15:41All right, second.

1:15:45All those in favor say

1:15:47>> I do.

1:15:48>> All those opposed?

1:15:51All right, we have our three officers.

1:15:53Thank you guys so much.

1:16:01>> [laughter]

1:16:02>> Uh

1:16:04So, now

1:16:06um our next meeting is in February, but

1:16:07we do have notes from today.

1:16:11Um we can send those along with put them

1:16:13up there and have everybody read through

1:16:15them and then we can vote on them. Uh I

1:16:17will relinquish my responsibility now

1:16:19and have this as you because you have

1:16:21been voted in.

1:16:26>> Um Corey, my Wi-Fi decided to connect

1:16:28after we left, so I can do that.

1:16:31>> Perfect.

1:16:31>> Well, you seems me.

1:16:33>> Yes.

1:16:35>> So, you're in that situation.

1:16:40>> I was going to say that we could read

1:16:41them aloud if we needed to, but I think

1:16:42that's great that you're doing that.

1:16:47>> Mark, you're the last house, right?

1:16:49>> Yes.

1:16:51Now, I did you remember I you were the

1:16:53one who did it.

1:16:55Yes, I did.

1:16:56So, that's where it gets

1:17:15Also, are you going to take this down or

1:17:18I just like this.

1:17:24We're so close. Come on.

1:17:27Uh

1:17:28we'll make it through the year.

1:17:33Sweet.

1:17:42You guys see it better?

1:17:51I'm going to go as fast as I can without

1:17:53offending

1:17:54>> All is good.

1:18:02>> Yeah.

1:18:03Scroll up.

1:18:04I mean the whole meeting time.

1:18:06Yeah, I did.

1:18:07It would be one of the things that I

1:18:08would have to do right now. Yeah, it's

1:18:10like two minutes. So, that's why

1:18:14Let me know if I'm scrolling too

1:18:16quickly.

1:18:39Let me know when you're

1:19:16>> Motion approved in the October 28th

1:19:19minutes.

1:19:19>> Yeah,

1:19:20that makes sense.

1:19:28I watched the last meeting.

1:19:30Yeah, it was fun. What was that last one

1:19:32you said?

1:19:36Uh

1:19:38Oh, that's good.

1:19:38>> Oh, that's good.

1:19:40>> I'm good to go to the next one.

1:19:44Almost.

1:19:54All right.

1:19:5910.9. Great match, guys. We'll see you

1:20:02all February 13th.

1:20:04Here at the possibility of ice.

1:20:07Oh yes, the greatest guy around.

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