City of Lawrence, KS

Community Development Advisory Committee

May 26, 2011 Minutes (City Commission Room)

MEMBERS PRESENT:		Deron Belt, Eric Hethcoat, Brenda Nunez, David Teixeira, Patti Welty, Patrick Wilbur

MEMBERS ABSENT:		Quinn Miller, Julie Mitchell, Vern Norwood, Aimee Polson, Roberta Suenram

STAFF PRESENT:		Danelle Dresslar, Margene Swarts

PUBLIC PRESENT:

In the absence of Chair Mitchell and Vice-Chair Miller, Welty called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm.

1. Introductions

Members and staff introduced themselves.

2. Approval of the April 14, 2011 Minutes.

Belt moved to approve the CDAC meeting minutes from

April 14, 2011. The motion was seconded by Wilbur and passed 6-0.

3. Discuss Summer Timeline and 2012 Application.

Swarts distributed a copy of the 2011 CDBG/HOME application for review. She said that each year the CDAC looks over the previous year’s application and at a September meeting the application is discussed to see if there are any proposed changes. The application format was revised in 2011. Staff will email a copy of the application to the CDAC members.

Swarts said that the committee needs to discuss what their summer meeting schedule will be. She said that if there are meetings scheduled, there needs to be a plan of what needs to be discussed at those meetings.

Belt asked what the precedent was for meeting in the summer months.

Nunez said that the committee usually does not meet in the summer.

Welty said that after the summer months, the next meeting is usually in September and that is when they review the application before it is distributed to the interested parties.

Swarts said in looking at the calendar, September 8 is the second Thursday of the month. If anyone has any comments on the application, they can email staff. The CDAC can discuss the application at the September 8 meeting, and the second public hearing is typically held at the end of September or the beginning of October.

Belt asked if everything is done electronically.

Swarts said that everything is submitted to HUD electronically, but they still need several documents submitted by mail. Staff does everything they can online and through electronic means in order to reduce the paper trail, but some things still need to be printed out. Applicants do electronically submit the document to staff, though, and in turn the applications are filtered to the CDAC through electronic means. Swarts said that staff also directs citizens to the website as much as possible when there are questions about documents or information requests. The department is additionally looking into getting a computer terminal for citizens to be able to come to the office and have everything available online to them.

Belt asked if the application for CDBG/HOME funds can be filled out and submitted electronically on the website.

Swarts said that the closest staff can get at this point is to offer the application in Word format so the agencies and neighborhoods can fill it out and email it along with the attachments to staff. Swarts said at this time that staff does not have the capability to offer online submission.

Welty said that she saw no need for the committee to meet over the summer months regarding their usual business.

Swarts said that a motion could be made to cancel the June, July, and August meetings. She reminded the CDAC that they are the appeals body for the Environmental Code and the Residential Code. If an appeal comes up in the summer they will have to call a meeting. Swarts said that appeals are infrequent. She said that out of the last five years there have only been three. She also said that staff would be available all summer if there any additional discussions that need to be held or any other questions that need to be answered in the meantime.

Belt moved to cancel the regularly scheduled CDAC meetings in June, July, and August. The motion was seconded by Welty and passed 6-0.

Welty asked Swarts how the City Commission meeting went regarding the funding allocation recommendations.

Swarts said that Mitchell attended and made some comments about the allocation process for the 2011 program year. Swarts said that there were several questions from the Commissioners regarding the program history and a background on the past funding allocation recommendations. She said that the only discussion point was the Mayor asked about neighborhood operations funding and if there was equality among the funding for all neighborhood applicants. Swarts said that she explained that it was impossible to say this was the case on a dollar for dollar amount, but the aggregate shows that there are some differences in operating totals in terms of coordinator salaries and hours worked.

Swarts said that staff found out right before the City Commission meeting that the allocation from HUD for the HOME program had decreased from what the final recommendations reflected. Staff used the same formula and the same idea that the CDAC supported for the CDBG cuts and applied them to the HOME funding. There was an equal decrease across the board. Swarts said that she is fairly certain that there will be no additional money available in the 2012 budget for the CDBG and HOME programs, and she would not be surprised to see it be even less.

4. Public Comment

There was no public comment.

5. Adjourn.

Welty moved to adjourn the May 26, 2011 meeting of the CDAC at 6:30 pm. The motion was seconded by Wilbur and passed 7-0.

Attendance Record

Members

Jan 13

Jan 27

Feb 10

Feb 24

Mar 10

Mar 24

Apr 14

Apr 28

May 12

May 26

Jun 9

Jun 23

July 14

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Deron Belt

Quinn Miller

Julie Mitchell

Vern Norwood

Brenda Nunez

Aimee Polson

Roberta Suenram

David Teixeira

Patti Welty

Eric Hethcoat

Patrick Wilbur

E Excused Absence

X Meeting Cancelled – Weather Conditions

- Meeting Cancelled – Committee Vote

* First meeting after appointment