REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
April 6, 2021
FROM
GARY HALLEN, Director, Department of Community Development and Housing
SUBJECT
Title
Proposed Substantial Amendment to the Program Year 2019-20 Annual U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Action Plan
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Conduct a public hearing to obtain citizen comments on the proposed substantial amendment to the 2019-20 Annual Action Plan to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development:
a. Adjust the current Community Development Block Grant - Coronavirus-1 budget to fund new activities, adjust existing budgets, or delete budgets of certain existing Community Development Block Grant - Coronavirus-1 activities;
b. Approve the proposed use of the Community Development Block Grant Participating Cities’ portion of the Community Development Block Grant - Coronavirus-3 funding to support a variety of public service and construction activities that will prevent, prepare for, or respond to the coronavirus.
2. Direct the Chief Executive Officer or the Director of Community Development and Housing to transmit all documents and amendments related to the Program Year 2019-20 Annual Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Gary Hallen, Director, 387-4411)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote the Countywide Vision.
Ensure Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of any Discretionary General Funding (Net County Costs). The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued a Community Development Block Grant - Coronavirus-1 (CDBG-CV1) and Community Development Block Grant - Coronavirus-3 (CDBG-CV3) through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stimulus (CARES) Act for a total amount of $8,906,464.
At the May 19, 2020 (Item No. 109) and January 26, 2021 (Item No. 73) Board of Supervisors (Board) meetings, the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector was given the authority to post necessary budget adjustments (CDBG-CV1 - $4,368,305 / CDBG-CV3 - $4,538,160) to SAP Cost Center 6210002481 to authorize expenditures against this account. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Community Development and Housing Department’s 2020-21 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Under the San Bernardino County’s (County) current HUD Citizen Participation Plan, a Substantial Amendment to the County’s HUD Annual Action Plan is required when significant revisions to a currently or previously approved document occur. From time to time, it may be necessary for the County to process a “substantial amendment” to change the use of federal funds from one eligible activity to another (e.g. new activity, significant budget adjustments and/or activity cancellation).
This Substantial Amendment to the Action Plan will:
• Adjust the current CDBG-CV1 budget to fund a new activity such as the City of Big Bear Lake COVID-19 Electronic Monument Sign, and adjust or delete budgets of certain existing CDBG-CV1 activities which are listed in Attachment A; and
• Identify and list the CDBG-CV3 activities recommended by the thirteen (13) participating cities (Adelanto, Barstow, Big Bear Lake, Colton, Grand Terrace, Highland, Loma Linda, Montclair, Needles, Redlands, Twentynine Palms, Yucaipa, and Yucca Valley) to address the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic listed in Attachment B.
Budget Adjustments to Existing Use of CDBG-CV1 Funds
On May 19, 2020 (Item No. 109), the Board authorized revisions to the County’s Program Year (PY) 2019-2020 Annual Action Plan that allowed the County to accept and utilize $4,368,305 in CDBG-CV1 federal funding from HUD to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the past 10 months, the CDBG Participating Cities have had an opportunity to assess the success of their COVID-19 activities to determine which activities are of higher demand by their residents. For this reason, two of the Participating Cities (Big Bear Lake and Highland) have proposed certain adjustments to their CDBG-CV1 activities to meet public demand. A specific description of the proposed budget adjustments is in Attachment A.
Participating Cities Distribution of CDBG-CV3 Funds
On January 26, 2021 (Item No. 73), the Board authorized revisions to the County’s PY 2019-2020 Annual Action Plan that allowed the County to accept and utilize $4,538,160 in CDBG-CV3 federal funding from HUD to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
At this meeting, it was announced that staff would return to the Board to allocate the Participating Cities’ portion ($2,107,778) of the CDBG-CV3 funding. The attached Substantial Amendment to the PY 2019-2020 Annual Action Plan lists the eligible projects and activities recommended by the thirteen (13) Participating Cities to address the COVID-19 pandemic (Attachment B).
Citizen Participation
Any proposed amendment that is considered a “Substantial Amendment” is subject to the full Citizen Participation process, requires formal action by the Board, and approval from HUD. Typically, the County must conduct a thirty (30) day public comment period and public hearing, receive formal action by the Board of Supervisors, and approval from HUD. However, due to the declared state of emergency associated with COVID-19, the required thirty (30) day public notice requirement was decreased to five (5) days to provide the public an opportunity to review and comment on proposed Substantial Amendments; the public notice must be published using communication outlets accessible to the public.
To meet these requirements, the County published a public notice in the following publications: Big Bear Grizzly, Daily Press, HI-Desert Star, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, La Prensa Hispana, and The Sun. The County also posted notices and any applicable supporting documentation on the County’s website at <http://sbcountycdha.com/community-development-and-housing-department/hud-plans-reports/> for no less than 5 days, as authorized under the CARES Act. The public comment period began on April 1, 2021 and will conclude once all comments are received at the April 6, 2021 Board meeting. Any comments received during the public hearing will be considered and included in the County’s Substantial Amendment submittal to HUD.
PROCUREMENT
Not Applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Suzanne Bryant, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on February 25, 2021; Finance (Kathleen Gonzalez, Administrative Analyst, 387-5412) on March 10, 2021; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on March 19, 2021.