April 8, 2010 Minutes (City Commission Room)
|
MEMBERS PRESENT: |
|
Susan Adams, Marci Francisco, Quinn Miller, Julie Mitchell, Vern Norwood, Brenda Nunez, Aimee Polson, Patti Welty |
|
|
|
|
|
MEMBERS ABSENT: |
|
Chris Marshall |
|
|
|
|
|
STAFF PRESENT: |
|
Danelle Dresslar, Margene Swarts
|
|
|
|
|
|
PUBLIC PRESENT: |
|
Robert Baker, HCCI; Deron Belt, East Lawrence Neighborhood Association; Ted Boyle, North Lawrence Improvement Association; Steve Braswell, Pinckney Neighborhood Association |
Chair Norwood called the meeting to order at 5:45 pm.
1. Introductions
Members and staff introduced themselves.
2. Approval of the March 25, 2010 Minutes.
There was one correction noted regarding the March 25, 2010 minutes. Staff will correct the minutes accordingly.
Mitchell moved to approve the CDAC meeting minutes from the
March 25, 2010 meeting with correction. The motion was seconded by Welty and passed 8-0.
As it was 5:50pm and the Public Hearing was not scheduled until 6:00 pm, Chair Norwood moved on to Item Five, Miscellaneous/Calendar.
5. Miscellaneous/Calendar.
Swarts indicated that staff had received a letter from Lawrence Community Shelter (LCS) regarding the CDBG-R funding they had been allocated that was not yet committed. Swarts said that when the City of Lawrence received the CDBG-R funding, the CDAC took applications and allocated funding that was subsequently approved by the City Commission. One of the agencies that had received an allocation was LCS. The allocation they received was for the rehabilitation of potential space at 1300 Massachusetts which was to be used as an overflow shelter upon the closing of the Salvation Army. The proposal for 1300 Massachusetts fell through and the CDAC agreed to reallocate the funding for to the acquisition of the proposed relocation site at Don’s Steakhouse, 2176 E. 23rd Street. At the same time, the CDAC recommended CDBG contingency funds be allocated to LCS for repairs and renovation at the current LCS site at 214 W. 10th Street. Both proposals went before the City Commission, and the City Commission approved the contingency funding request. The request for the CDBG-R funding allocation was deferred by the City Commission as the future of the SUP application for the relocation was not yet determined. That application was subsequently withdrawn. The letter received from LCS is requesting the funds be approved for acquisition of the current proposed site, at 3701 Franklin Park Circle, contingent upon City Commission approval of the SUP.
This item will be scheduled for the April 22, 2010 CDAC meeting. The CDAC will hear from LCS and make their determination for the CDBG-R reallocation. If the CDAC approves the request for reallocation, the recommendation will be heard by the City Commission on May 4, 2010. If the CDAC declines the request, the item does not move forward. The 2010 Action Plan and Investment Summary will be also on the City Commission agenda for that meeting.
Swarts noted that at the May 4 City Commission meeting, the Chair will have the opportunity to speak to the City Commission. Swarts will introduce the Chair and any CDAC members present at the meeting. The Chair will speak on behalf of the body and explain the process for this year’s funding allocations as well as anything additional she would like to add. The City Commission meeting on May 4 will begin at 6:35pm.
Swarts said that staff will be in Wichita at a conference on May 13th, which is the first meeting date in May.
Francisco moved to cancel the May 13, 2010 meeting of the CDAC. The motion was seconded by Adams and passed 8-0.
Swarts informed the CDAC that staff will discuss the planning retreat with the members of the CCH at their meeting on April 13, 2010, and the date that staff is looking at for the retreat will be either Tuesday June 8 or Thursday June 10. Swarts will let the CDAC know at the April 22 meeting which date has been set aside for the retreat, and at the same meeting the CDAC can discuss their summer calendar.
Welty asked about the two vacant Committee positions and if there had been any interest from anyone in the community in serving.
Swarts said that staff was working on outreach and the City Manager’s Office is aware of the vacancies. The positions vacant are both at-large positions, so the Committee members will need to be from the area of Lawrence that is west of Iowa Street.
3. (6:00 p.m.) Recess meeting to conduct Public Hearing.
Chair Norwood opened the Public Hearing at 6:00 pm.
Swarts said that tonight was one of two annual Public Hearings held by the CDAC regarding the Consolidated Planning process. Tonight the CDAC will take public comment on the adoption of the and the Third 2010 Action Plan, which is the third year update of the 2008-2012 Consolidated Plan. The information has been posted on the City of Lawrence website for public review, and a notice for the Public Hearing was published in the Lawrence Journal World on March 31, 2010. The Action Plan is a document that talks in general about community needs that have been identified as a collaborated effort of local agencies and boards. The document addresses how the City of Lawrence is addressing those needs with CDBG and HOME funds. The CDAC has successfully allocated the funding that staff estimated would be available for the 2010 program year. In the time since the March 25 meeting, staff has received notification from HUD that the award total has increased for CDBG in the amount of $65,760, but had decreased in HOME by $3,121. The CDAC will be able to revisit allocation of the funds after the Public Hearing is completed.
Swarts explained that there are several funding caps that need to be considered with these grants. In CDBG, the funding is subject to a 15% cap on public services, and a 20% cap on grant administration. The balance that is available for capital improvements does not have a capped amount. For HOME funding, the grant award is subject to a minimum set aside amount for the CHDO, which is 15%. CHDO operating is capped at 5% and HOME administration is capped at 10%.
Chair Norwood thanked Swarts and called for public comment.
Steve Braswell, President of the Pinckney Neighborhood Association (PNA), noted that they did not receive an allocation of funding from their application for this grant year. He asked the CDAC to reconsider funding PNA’s application. He said that the request was for around $1,800, and he believes that the money is well spent. Braswell said that the newsletter that they provide to the neighborhood is a valuable public service for the residents. He said that he sees PNA as important as it provides neighbors with a place to go with concerns. There are many times that a neighbor has a concern, but is not comfortable going through the channels to address it at the City level, and PNA provides them a place to take these concerns and a person to walk them through the process with the City. He said he also believed that PNA served an important role as an advocate for the neighborhood to voice their concerns to the City. Braswell said that over the past year he has attended several City Commission meetings, as well as other advisory board meetings, to speak on behalf of the neighborhood. The PNA also works to unite the neighborhood with entities like LMH, which is located in the neighborhood, and the City. The funding that PNA is requesting is for the printing and distribution of the neighborhood newsletter. Recently, PNA has seen a strong core group of neighbors that have been attending meetings and have become active in the neighborhood association. The newsletter reaches 1400 homes in Pinckney neighborhood. The newsletter goes out quarterly, and PNA would ask the CDAC to reconsider the funding allocation so that they can continue to provide this important service. The newsletter tells the neighborhood who the PNA is, what the PNA does, what the issues facing the neighborhood are, and what issues may be coming up soon for the neighborhood. Braswell said that he considered the grant request to be for money that is well spent and with the funds in the past PNA has provided a very important community service.
Norwood asked Braswell who was responsible for submitting the quarterly reports to staff.
Braswell said that he was the person who was responsible for this and he acknowledged that he had not been getting done in a timely manner as of late. He said that PNA has been providing a good public service and they have not done a good enough job to show that. There is now new membership and new officers. There was a period of time when meeting attendance dropped off and now there are more people involved and interested and PNA will be able to stay on top of the reporting task from now on.
Norwood told Braswell that the Committee did look at the fact that the City was requiring quarterly reports and PNA did not submit those reports. She asked Braswell if he could submit these reports in a timely fashion going forward.
Braswell said that he could, and he now understands the importance of the reports. He said that he is ready and willing to make a much stronger effort to submit the reports on time.
Welty asked how many members the PNA currently has.
Braswell said that for the last eight months or so they have been having 12-13 people show up at each meeting. The by-laws for PNA say that if you are a resident of the neighborhood then you are a member of PNA. In addition to those who show up at the meetings, there are also some who regularly email him with issues and suggestions. The big issue in the neighborhood right now is Woody Park and the fact that Lawrence Memorial Hospital would like to turn the field into a parking lot for their facility. They held a meeting in which Dave Corliss, City Manager and Gene Meyer, LMH, attended, along with a contingency of City of Lawrence Parks and Recreation representatives. Braswell said that at that meeting there were 35 neighbors that attended. If there is an issue, more neighbors come to the meetings. The last few months have shown a more consistent attendance.
Welty said that the grant application for PNA was approximately $2,900 although Braswell had said it was around $1,800.
Braswell admitted that it had been a while since the application was submitted and that he thought that the newsletters were around $1,800 or so to process. He said that the grant application asked for funding to print and mail the newsletter, along with a little amount for the annual neighborhood picnic.
Welty asked how many newsletters are mailed.
Braswell said that there are four a year, one each quarter. They received the mailing list from the City’s water department. They mail out a little over 1400 newsletters. He said in talking to other neighborhoods that is quite a bit.
Polson said that PNA asks for less than any other neighborhood and does not have any employees paid out of this grant. She said that she is willing to look at adjusting the funding allocations to allow for PNA to continue with their newsletter.
Adams asked Braswell about the difference in $1,000 from the submitted application and what he is saying this evening. She asked him if he reviewed the application prior to the meeting.
Braswell said that he did not have a chance to review the application prior to the meeting, and that what was submitted on the application was the correct amount that they were asking for.
Swarts noted that PNA was allocated $2734 last year, and that the request this year was for $2987.
Norwood said that the CDAC was trying to be consistent with all neighborhoods. Each neighborhood is requesting funding. If the CDAC requires reports and some neighborhoods are complying and some are not then there is a problem in treating them all equally.
Braswell thanked the Committee and said that the reports will be submitted in a timely manner going forward.
Ted Boyle, President of the North Lawrence Improvement Association (NLIA), said that he was here to request the CDAC look at the possibility for an increase in the funding allocation this year. Boyle said that he attended the meeting last year about their submittal of performance reports, and the CDAC said that NLIA should ask for more money in the next year’s application. NLIA did this and the funding allocation is less than it was last year. He thanked the Committee for the $1,000 allocation for the CMP Installation project. He said that their newsletter is published twice a year and they mail out 1200 at a time. NLIA requested funding for their neighborhood clean-up this year and were not funded for it. The clean-up is done once in the spring and once in the fall. It is a viable project that happens in North Lawrence and many neighbors participate. The clean-up helps to keep North Lawrence presentable. The clean-up is a very popular event and they are able to take away everything but lawn chemicals and paint. The clean-up is especially needed in the spring after the winter months, as well as with the detour that has been running through North Lawrence this year. There is a lot of trash and debris this year that needs attended to. The funding request would pay for the tree service to chip up the limbs and brush and then the mulch is available to North Lawrence residents. The tree service makes sure that there is enough mulch for the neighborhood, and if there is not then they donate two or three more loads free of charge.
Boyle stated they also get their newsletter mailing list from the City Water Department, and that they increased their request for their newsletter so they can print it in color and enlarge the document. There are many pictures that they would like to include in the newsletters, and by printing them in color they would be able to better promote the neighborhood. Boyle said that they could do without the neighborhood clean-up in the fall, but he would like the CDAC to reconsider funding the spring clean-up in the amount of $900. Boyle said that NLIA has always tried to do more with less. He thanked the CDAC for what they had allocated to NLIA thus far, and asked them to reconsider some of the funding cuts they had made to the neighborhood.
Welty told Boyle the CDAC came up with the funding allocation amounts by cutting LAN dues in all neighborhoods. She said that the CDAC also cut the fee for the meeting space from the NLIA request. Welty said that the CDAC noted that there should be a place somewhere in the neighborhood that they could meet for free.
Boyle said that the fee for the meeting space was $30 each over eight months. He said that they used to meet at Woodlawn School, but it got to be very difficult in terms of scheduling with the school. There is a possibility that they will have a meeting space soon that would be free, and NLIA is exploring that option. Boyle said that the neighborhood meets from October to May, and the Board meets in the summer months. NLIA usually has an attendance figure of about 25 people at the meetings, and they have about 70-75 members. They do get an attendance of 120 at the picnic each year. Boyle said that they are very honest about the paying members of the neighborhood when submitting their application.
Welty noted that he current meeting location has easy access for elderly and disabled residents.
Boyle added that there are kitchen facilities at the meeting location as well and the residents are very comfortable there. He said that the NLIA coordinator does a great job as well as she is their public relations person and letter writer. Boyle said he attends City Commission meetings, he is on the City Sales Tax Audit Committee, and several other committees as well. Boyle said he makes sure to stay informed so he can relay the messages to the neighborhood. The neighborhood relies on the NLIA to keep them informed and to express their concerns as well. Boyle said that he also met daily with the coordinator, and he helps out many elderly residents as well.
Norwood thanked Boyle for speaking.
Robert Baker, Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc (HCCI), said that he understood the position that the CDAC was in, as he was once a member of the Committee. He said he can definitely appreciate the decision process and what they have to go through to determine funding allocations. Baker said that he wanted to thank the CDAC for their allocation this year and also wanted to speak to the Committee about the service that HCCI provides to the community. Baker said that the strategy of HCCI was to actively pursue community outreach, and they work with a lot of partners in the community. They work with the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority in the HPRP program and teach a class that the participants must enroll in as a condition of any funding that they receive for homelessness prevention or housing stabilization. The class he taught last night for that program had nine families in attendance, and he even provided counseling to someone who had dropped in to talk to him over a break in the session. They have also worked with ECKAN, The Salvation Army, and are currently working with the Douglas County Sheriff’s department in their reentry program. Baker said that HCCI is the only agency in Northeast Kansas that provides tenant-landlord counseling. All of the documents and publications that HCCI uses are available online for free including the tenant and renter handbooks. Baker said that one out of every five calls that HCCI receives is a crisis call. There are also a lot of crisis walk-ins that are referred from ECKAN. HCCI is an information agency as well as an education agency.
Francisco thanked Baker for attending and speaking to the CDAC. She also asked Baker to view the previous minutes and verify that the information that was given was consistent with their operations.
Baker said that he had been following the minutes and that the information has been correct. He said that in terms of the question as to the bankruptcy referral process, if a tenant files bankruptcy, under the Bankruptcy Act, the trustees are required to ensure the client participates in pre-filing and post-filing counseling. If a tenant files bankruptcy, they cannot be immediately evicted. Affordable housing is in a very bad crisis now. There are a lot of units available, but not necessarily affordable units. Baker said that HCCI does provide an e-newsletter as well and if anyone is interested in signing up to email him and he will add the contact information to the list serve.
Deron Belt, President of the East Lawrence Neighborhood Association (ELNA), said that he wanted to thank the CDAC for their service to the community and he was there to support Braswell and Boyle in their requests to the Committee. He said that ELNA was very thankful for their allocation this year and they were pleased with the funding. Belt said that there are a lot of issues facing neighborhoods in Lawrence, including boarding houses and landlord issues, and the CDBG funding helps the neighborhoods to communicate these issues with their residents. Belt noted that Braswell works very hard for his neighborhood and that it would be harmful to PNA if they were not able to keep the communication line open with the quarterly newsletter. He said the same could be said about Boyle and NLIA. He said that the CDBG funding makes their job as neighborhood leaders much easier.
Norwood said that she appreciated Belt’s comments, and that the CDAC faced a dilemma this year in that the funding requests were much higher than the amount that they had to allocate. She asked Belt if ELNA would be willing to take a cut in their funding to increase funding for NLIA or PNA.
Belt said that ultimately, that was not a decision he could make by himself on behalf of the neighborhood, but they could look at doing the same amount with less funding. Belt said that ELNA would offer what they could.
There being no other public comment, Norwood closed the Public Hearing at 6:45 p.m.
4. Discuss Revised CDBG/HOME allocations.
Mitchell left the meeting at 6:45 p.m.
Swarts reminded the CDAC that the additional CDBG funding was in the amount of $65,760. In looking at the cap requirements, this means that there was an additional $9,857 designated for public services, $42,712 for capital improvements, and $13,142 for CDD grant administration. For HOME, the allocation decreased by $,3121. The CDAC would need to look at decreasing the HOME Administration category by $312 and the HOME allocations by $2,809.
Francisco suggested replacing the $450 that the CDAC pulled from the agencies at the last meeting to compensate for the NLIA addition error.
Francisco moved to fund 1a, Brook Creek Neighborhood Association Operating and Coordinator Expenses in the amount of $6,450; 2a, East Lawrence Neighborhood Association Operating and Coordinator Expenses in the amount of $10,240; 3a, North Lawrence Improvement Association Operating and Coordinator Expenses in the amount of $6035; 4a, Oread Neighborhood Association Operating and Coordinator Expenses in the amount of $9,479; 6a, Ballard Community Center Emergency Services Council in the amount of $15,000; 7a Douglas County AIDS Project Emergency Assistance Program in the amount of $4,000, 8a, Housing and Credit Counseling Tenant-Landlord Counseling and Education Programs in the amount of $25,000; 9a, Lawrence Community Shelter Operations in the amount of $33,548; and 10a, The Salvation Army Feeding Program in the amount of $11,871. Nunez seconded the motion.
Norwood suggested that the Committee leave the allocations as they are currently and work from those numbers.
Francisco said that she understood it might be a little confusing, but it made sense to start from where they originally were. There was a little bit taken from each public service. It might be easier to bring the numbers back to their original place and work forward from there.
The motion passed 5-2.
Francisco asked for staff recommendations for the HOME allocation adjustments.
Swarts suggested that with the HOME administration take the $312 out of the CDD administration allocation and to leave the LDCHA funding as it currently is. The CHDO Operating Expenses would also need to be reduced to $34,639 to stay within cap limitations. Swarts also suggested decreasing the First Time Homebuyer Program by $2,809 to compensate for the reduction in HOME funding.
Francisco moved to fund 18f, CDD HOME Program Administration in the amount of $39,278; 17a, Tenants to Homeowners CHDO Operating Funds in the amount of $34,639; and 18c, CDD First Time Homebuyers Program – Lawrence Community Land Trust in the amount of $189,482. Adams seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Francisco moved to fund 18f, CDD CDBG Administration in the amount of $174,706. Adams seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Francisco noted that Pinckney Neighborhood Association did a good job of relaying their neighborhood information to the CDAC.
Francisco moved to fund 5a, Pinckney Neighborhood Association Operating Expenses, including newsletter and mail box rental costs in the amount of $2,862, with the instruction to staff that half be allocated in the beginning of the grant year, and the second half could be allocated when all required reports have been completed and turned in. Nunez seconded the motion.
The motion passed 5-2.
Swarts said that the remaining public service amount available for allocation was $6,545 and the remaining capital improvement allocation was $42,712. Swarts said that the CDAC fully funded the Ballard Center roof replacement project, the Boys and Girls Club building weatherization project, and the Independence, Inc. Accessible Housing Program. The capital improvement projects that were not fully funded were the Public Works sidewalk project as well as the Lighted Pathway Project. If the CDAC chose to, they could fund one agency for more than they requested, or they could fund the Public Works projects with the remaining allocation.
Francisco asked if staff knew what will be happening with LCS and their relocation request, and if it was possible to hold those funds for construction or rehabilitation of the new building upon approval. Francisco said that an option would be for the CDAC to keep the allocations in capital improvements as they are currently and hold the additional funding aside for LCS to see if it can be used on the new shelter site if it is approved.
Swarts said that they could place the remaining $42,712 in Contingency, and then when the shelter relocation has a resolution the CDAC can recommend a Substantial Amendment to allocate those funds to the shelter, if that is what the Committee wants to do.
Miller moved to allocate $42,712 in Contingency. Welty seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Polson moved to fund 2a, Pinckney Neighborhood Association in the amount of $2,987; and 3a, North Lawrence Improvement Association in the amount of $7,514. Francisco offered a friendly amendment to add funding 6a, Ballard Community Center Emergency Services Council for $16,000, 10a, The Salvation Army Feeding Program in the amount of $12,871, and 9a, Lawrence Community Shelter Operations in the amount of $36,489. Polson accepted the amendment to her motion. Adams seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
6. Public Comment.
There was no additional public comment
7. Adjourn.
Polson moved to adjourn the April 8, 2010 meeting of the CDAC at 7:15 pm. The motion was seconded by Nunez and passed unanimously.
Attendance Record
|
Members |
Jan 14 |
Jan 28 |
Feb 11 |
Feb 25 |
Mar 11 |
Mar 25 |
Apr 8 |
Apr 22 |
May 13 |
May 27 |
Jun 10 |
Jun 24 |
July 8 |
July 22 |
Aug 12 |
Aug 26 |
Sept 9 |
Sept 23 |
Oct 14 |
Oct 28 |
Nov 11 |
Nov 25 |
Dec 9 |
Dec 23 |
|
Susan Adams |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
E |
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Marci Francisco |
+ |
|
+ |
+ |
E |
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chris Marshall |
+ |
+ |
E |
+ |
+ |
+ |
E |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quinn Miller |
+ |
|
|
+ |
+ |
E |
+ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Julie Mitchell |
+ |
E |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vern Norwood |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brenda Nunez |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
+ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aimee Polson |
E |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Katherine Pryor |
+ |
+ |
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Roberta Suenram |
+ |
+ |
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Patti Welty |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* Resigned prior to meeting.