CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PLAN

Participation Policy	Opportunities to Participate	General Information
Citizen Participation Plan Citizen Participation Policy Complaint Procedure	Public Hearings Participating Cities and Towns Advisory Committee	Program Documents RFP Process CDBG Timeline 2006-2007

Citizen Participation Plan

The Spokane County Housing and Community Development Department has adopted a Citizen Participation Plan to provide for and encourage citizen participation in the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME).

The primary goal of the Citizen Participation Plan is to provide all citizens of our community with adequate opportunities to participate in an advisory role in the planning, implementation, and assessment of the County’s CDBG and HOME programs. The Plan identifies policies and procedures which are designed to maximize the opportunity for citizen participation in the community development process and minimize the displacement of persons. Special emphasis has been placed on encouraging participation by persons of low and moderate incomes, special needs populations, and residents of areas where community development funds are utilized.

Citizens are encouraged to participate in all phases of the CDBG and HOME programs and will be provided full access to program information. However, final responsibility and authority for the development and implementation of the programs will lie with Spokane County.

The CDBG and HOME programs are intended to address housing, public facility, economic development, public service, and other eligible needs of Spokane County’s unincorporated area and participating city residents.  The cities of Airway Heights, Cheney, Deer Park, Fairfield, Latah, Liberty Lake, Medical Lake, Millwood, Rockford, Spangle, Spokane Valley and Waverly have chosen to participate in the Spokane County Community Development Entitlement Program.

The CDBG and HOME programs are funded by a grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to Spokane County.  The legislation which authorizes these Federal programs identifies their primary objective as funding activities which will benefit low and moderate income persons. 

For the purposes of the CDBG and HOME programs, a low and moderate income person is defined as an individual whose gross household income is less than 80% of the median annual income in Spokane County adjusted by household size. A low and moderate income neighborhood is an area in which 51% or more of the residents meet the definition of a low and moderate income person.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION POLICY

It is Spokane County Housing and Community Development Department’s intention to provide Spokane County residents with the opportunity to be involved in the County’s Community Development programs.  Residents are asked to be involved in developing program objectives, reviewing and commenting on projects recommended for funding, and reviewing program performance.

It is the policy of the Spokane County Housing and Community Development Department that residents will have ongoing access to CDBG and HOME information and timely notification of program activities and identification of projects which could result in the displacement of area residences or businesses, and the actions that would be undertaken if such displacement were necessary.

The Housing and Community Development Department will provide opportunities for residents to access CDBG and HOME  program information through:

     Newspaper notices of the availability of the department’s annual planning, reporting and performance, and policy documents.

   Public meetings and Public Hearings to discuss housing and community development needs, activities for which funding is proposed, and program performance.

     Mailing of program information to the organizations and individuals on the department’s mailing lists.

     Advertisement of  CDBG and HOME funded services to Spokane County residents.  Specific marketing methods vary according to the type of service and client group.  All services are affirmatively marketed to low income persons, minority persons, and individuals with disabilities.

     Newspaper notices containing the times, location, and dates of meetings of the Housing and Community Development Advisory Committee.

     Publication of Community Development Block Grant business items which require official adoption, execution or other action on the Meeting Agenda for the Board of County Commissioners.

    World Wide Web Site.

OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE

PUBLIC HEARINGS

The Housing and Community Development Department conducts hearings during the year for the purpose of providing information about the Community Development Programs to County residents and to receive comments from citizens regarding program activities.  The number of hearings conducted during the year depends in part on the needs of County residents and the nature of the proposed activities.  At a minimum, hearings are conducted for the following purposes:

To obtain citizens views on community development needs, prior to developing funding policies.

To receive citizen’s comments on proposed activities, prior to final funding decisions being made.

To review program performance, at least annually.

Hearings may be conducted at locations other than the County Courthouse complex, to make them more convenient to residents of areas which have a significant number of low and moderate income residents or for which community development activities are proposed.  Hearings are generally held in the evenings to encourage greater public attendance.

Public Hearings are advertised at least one week in advance in the legal section of local newspapers and are open to the public.  Notices of hearings are provided to persons and organizations requesting program information from the Department. The Spokane County Housing and Community Development Department encourages written comments from persons who are unable to attend hearings.  A statement to this effect is included in all hearing announcements. 

Persons who have physical, mental or developmental disabilities making it difficult for them to participate in public hearings and non-English speaking residents, may obtain program information by contacting the Housing and Community Development Department.  Organizations representing persons who have special needs are notified of Community Development Program hearings.  Hearing notices state that signing, translation or other services needed by persons with disabilities will be available if requested in advance.  Hearings are held in locations accessible to persons with limited mobility.  

Applicant workshop topics include:  
Federal and County program objectives.
  Eligible and ineligible activities.
  Eligible and ineligible applicants.
  Completing proposal forms. 
  Proposal evaluation criteria for each project category.
   Project selection process.

Each workshop participant receives a copy of the annual Request for Proposals, Proposal Forms and Instructions, and the County’s CDBG and /or HOME Funding Policies.

All organizations which have previously submitted a proposal to Spokane County for CDBG funding or whose names are included in the department’s mailing list are notified of the workshops.  A notice of the workshops is published in a local newspaper the week prior to the date of the first scheduled workshop.

Applicants who apply for funds during the Request for Proposal Process may request a meeting with department staff, to discuss their proposal. Meetings of this nature will not be scheduled between the deadline for receiving proposals and the HCDAC’s publication of preliminary program year funding recommendation.

CONTINGENCY FUND APPLICATION

Technical assistance is also provided to those organizations, agencies, or government bodies seeking funds for eligible activities through the CDBG Contingency Fund.  Special interim funding guidelines have been established for this fund and those interested in receiving technical assistance or information on the fund may contact the department for further information.

SUBRECIPIENTS

Technical assistance is also provided to subrecipients (organizations which receive CDBG and/or HOME funding) throughout the program year by department staff.  A separate document, the Subrecipient Management Plan, describes the assistance that department staff provides to organizations receiving funds.

Subrecipient workshops are conducted after the award of funds to provide information to subrecipients regarding performance standards, reporting requirements, benefit documentation, financial management standards, methods to comply with labor, environmental, procurement, affirmative action, and other standards related to implementation of CDBG and HOME funded activities.

HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
ADVISORY COMMITTEE (HCDAC)
 

The Housing and Community Development Advisory Committee serves as an advisory committee to the Housing and Community Development Department, and through the Department, to the Board of County Commissioners.

The purpose of the committee is to provide citizen representatives of Spokane County with the opportunity to participate in, comment on, and review the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Home Investment Partnership (HOME) Programs.

The Housing and Community Development Advisory Committee is made up of  17 citizen representatives from throughout Spokane County.  Each of the eleven participating cities and towns in the Urban County Consortium is represented on the Committee by a local resident, mayor, councilperson, or employee.  The remaining  "at large" positions are made up of citizens from the remaining unincorporated areas of the County.

Incorporated area representatives are nominated by their local elected official (Mayor) and receive formal approval and appointment through the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC).  Unincorporated area representatives are regularly recruited through the Commissioner's office as positions become open.  

In making Committee appointments, the County Commissioners give special consideration to geographic representation, professional skills, community interest, and representation of the low and moderate-income target populations, including:

Elderly
Minorities
Unemployed Persons
Disabled Person
Single Heads of Household
Youth

Spokane County
Housing and Community Development Department
312 W. 8th Avenue, Fourth Floor
Spokane, WA  99204
(509) 477-2521 Fax:  (509) 477-2561

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