3A Public Hearing 2008 0915 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Actions Taken to Ensure Compliance with Program and Comprehensive Planning Requirements ♦ Monitoring City staff monitor CDBG, HOME, and public service projects regularly. The Housing Services Division staff regularly monitor CDBG-funded public services projects through review of quarterly progress reports, invoice reimbursements and frequent communications with subrecipient staff, and site visits. Staff also monitor capital improvement projects for the City through review and approval of ongoing reimbursement requests and invoices and constant communications with the Engineering and Transportation Department's staff. Staff ensures that Davis Bacon and Section 3 requirements, where applicable, are followed. In May 2008 the City Housing Services Division expanded its staff by hiring a new Housing Specialist who will oversee CDBG and Consolidated Plan administration. The previous Housing Specialist was promoted to Housing Specialist II. ♦ Managing the Process For CDBG and City public services grants, Housing Division staff coordinated the two-year (FY2006-2008) Request for Proposal (RFP) process with the Recreation and Human Services Department to ensure that agency applicants and Human Services Commissioners were educated about CDBG program requirements before the allocations process. Housing staff provide an overview of the CDBG Program and its requirements with a CDBG fact sheet and guide the HSC through the allocations of CDBG grants, which are provided annually. Staff also make educational presentations to the City Council for approval of the annual Action Plan and CAPER. These City meetings are public, and RFP applicants and the general public are welcome to attend to ask questions about the CDBG Program and RFP process. They City also developed a new RFP process. The CDBG/Housing Manager oversees the CDBG and HOME Programs, while the Housing Specialist administers them to ensure program compliance with HUD rules and regulations. To ensure eligible CDBG activities, the Housing Specialist discusses proposed activities with CDBG-funded agencies about their scope of services and requests proposed scopes of work and budgets prior to a services agreement being approved. The Administrative Assistant monitors and reconciles with the City's Finance Department and IDIS data monthly for accurate CDBG/HOME funding revenue/expenditures, timely expenditures of CDBG funds, and inputs data into IDIS. Desk monitoring includes reviews of progress reports, invoices, back-up documentation of expenses, and regular communications with subrecipients, including the provision of technical assistance about pertinent queries. On-site monitoring visits are scheduled for FY2007-08. Actions Taken to Reduce the Number of Persons Living Below the Poverty Level The City's strategy to reduce the number of households with incomes below the poverty line is to fund programs that assist people to achieve economic independence and to preserve and build Final Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report: FY2007-2008 City of San Leandro Page 25