Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Leonard Vialpando
Department: Resilient Environment Division: Housing Finance Division
Information
Requested Action
title
A. MOTION TO AUTHORIZE County Administrator to execute grant funding agreements with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD") for the Fiscal Year 2024/2025 Community Development Block Grant ("CDBG") Program in the amount of $3,929,190, HOME Investment Partnerships ("HOME") Program in the amount of $3,880,746, and the Emergency Solutions Grants ("ESG") Program in the amount of $245,888, collectively "Programs," relating to implementation of Broward County's Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Annual Action Plan ("AAP") (October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025), Exhibit 1, approved by HUD and to execute any HUD Waivers; to revise funding allocations and/or project service deliverables under the AAP for various grant Programs in accordance with the Broward County Five-year Consolidated Plan ("CP"); and authorize County Administrator to execute agreements, and/or reinstatements and amendments to existing subrecipient agreements, subject to approval as to legal sufficiency by the Office of the County Attorney, and to take all necessary administrative and budgetary actions for implementation of the various grant Programs, including, but not limited to, the HUD grant agreement(s), amendments to the HUD grant agreements, subrecipient agreements, amendments, reinstatements, project/activity priorities and budgetary changes in accordance with the CP and AAP, and interlocal agreements for funding of the respective grant Programs, including any prior year program income, subject to review and approval as to legal sufficiency by the Office of the County Attorney (Exhibits 1 and 2).
ACTION: (T-11:03 AM) Approved.
VOTE: 8-0. Vice-Mayor Bogen was inaudible during the vote.
B. MOTION TO AUTHORIZE County Administrator to take all necessary administrative and budgetary actions to appropriate and implement unanticipated Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) revenue funds in the amount of $433,855 (which funds were identified in the amended AAP and represents $101,770 from the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2022/2023 and the amended amount of $332,085 from the first through third quarters of Fiscal Year 2023/2024), of which a maximum of 20% may be administrative funds, based on the recommendations, and authorize County Administrator to execute agreements, and/or amendments to existing subrecipient agreements to allocate the funds, subject to approval as to legal sufficiency by the Office of the County Attorney (Exhibit 1).
ACTION: (T-11:03 AM) Approved.
VOTE: 8-0. Vice-Mayor Bogen was inaudible during the vote.
C. MOTION TO AUTHORIZE County Administrator to take all necessary administrative and budgetary actions to appropriate and implement unanticipated Home Investment Partnerships Program Grant (HOME) revenue funds in the amount of $992,336 (which funds were identified in the Amended AAP and represent $80,470 from fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2022/2023 and the amended amount of $911,866 from the first through third quarters of Fiscal Year 2023/2024), of which a maximum of 10% may be administrative funds, based on the recommendations, and authorize County Administrator to execute agreements, and/or amendments to existing subrecipient agreements to allocate the funds, subject to approval as to legal sufficiency by the Office of the County Attorney (Exhibit 1).
ACTION: (T-11:03 AM) Approved.
VOTE: 8-0. Vice-Mayor Bogen was inaudible during the vote.
D. MOTION TO ADOPT budget Resolution within the Community Development Block Grant (“CDBG”) Fund to appropriate unanticipated Program Income Revenue, through the Department of Housing and Community Development (HUD) in the amount of $332,085 and authorizing the County Administrator to take the necessary administrative and budgetary actions to allocate and implement awards (Exhibit 3).
ACTION: (T-11:03 AM) Approved Resolution No. 2024-529.
VOTE: 8-0. Vice-Mayor Bogen was inaudible during the vote.
E. MOTION TO ADOPT budget Resolution within the HOME Investment Partnerships ("HOME") Fund to appropriate unanticipated Program Income Revenue, through the Department of Housing and Community Development (HUD) in the amount of $977,242 and authorizing the County Administrator to take the necessary administrative and budgetary actions to allocate and implement awards (Exhibit 4).
ACTION: (T-11:03 AM) Approved Resolution No. 2024-530.
VOTE: 8-0. Vice-Mayor Bogen was inaudible during the vote.
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Why Action is Necessary
Motions A, B, and C: Board action is required to authorize the County Administrator to execute HUD grant funding agreements for implementation of Broward County's Fiscal Year 2024-2025 AAP (Exhibits 1 and 2) approved by HUD; recognize and appropriate funds and adopt budget Resolutions for implementation of the AAP; revise funding allocations and/or project service deliverables under the AAP for the various grant Programs in accordance with the five-year CP; and take all other administrative and budgetary actions necessary to implement the plans.
Motions D and E: Board action is required to authorize the County Administrator to recognize and appropriate funds and adopt budget Resolutions (Exhibits 3 and 4) for implementation of the AAP; revise funding allocations and/or project service deliverables under the AAP for the various grant Programs in accordance with the CP; and take all other administrative and budgetary actions necessary to implement the plans.
What Action Accomplishes
Motions A, B, and C: Action authorize the County Administrator to execute the HUD grant funding agreements for implementation of Broward County's Fiscal Year 2024/2025 various grant Programs and take all other administrative and budgetary actions necessary to implement the plans (Exhibits 1 and 2).
Motions D and E Action authorizes the County Administrator to recognize and appropriate funds and adopt budget Resolutions for implementation of the AAP; revise funding allocations and/or project deliverables under the AAP for the various grant Programs in accordance with the Broward County five-year CP; and take all other administrative and budgetary actions necessary to implement the plans (Exhibits 3 and 4).
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Previous Action Taken
None taken.
Summary Explanation/Background
THE RESILIENT ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT AND THE HOUSING FINANCE DIVISION RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE ABOVE MOTIONS.
This item supports the Board's value: "Ensuring residents have an affordable place to live by offering sustainable, compatible, innovative, accessible, affordable housing options for all income levels, including integrated, permanent supportive housing and zoning that helps residents build equity.”
MOTIONS A and B: CDBG Program
Broward County will receive CDBG funding in the amount of $3,929,190 on behalf of its unincorporated areas, the Broward County entitlement municipalities of Coconut Creek, Margate, and Weston, which joined the Urban County as participants in Fiscal Year 2021/2022, and the 15 participating cities with populations under 50,000, which include Cooper City, Dania Beach, Hallandale Beach, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Lauderdale Lakes, Lazy Lake, Lighthouse Point, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Parkland, Pembroke Park, Sea Ranch Lakes, Southwest Ranches, West Park, and Wilton Manors. Entitlement municipalities with populations in excess of 50,000 that have not joined the Urban County receive their own direct funding allocations from HUD. Most grant funds received by the County are reallocated back to the 15 participating cities to address their respective priorities. Additionally, the County received a total of $428,460 in program income (PI) derived from the CDBG Program during the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2022/2023 and first through third quarters of Fiscal Year 2023/2024 included in the Annual Action Plan (AAP) (Exhibits 1 and 2).
The total CDBG funding including the program income is $4,363,045. In addition to coordinating with the Broward County participating municipalities that receive a formula-based portion of the CDBG allocation, the County attempts to set aside available CDBG funds for non-profit organizations. If set-aside funds are available, they are announced and disbursed through the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) Request for Proposals process.
MOTIONS A and C: HOME Program
Broward County will receive HOME funding in the amount of $3,880,746 on behalf of Broward County, the HOME Consortium Lead Entity, and the 11 participating HOME Consortium municipalities, which include Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Davie, Deerfield Beach, Lauderhill, Margate, Miramar, Pembroke Pines, Plantation, Sunrise, and Tamarac. The creation of a HOME Consortium is required by HUD for the County and the municipalities to receive HOME funding. Additionally, the County received $992,336 which represents $80,470 from fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2022/2023 and $911,865.83 from the first through third quarters of Fiscal Year 2023/2024 in program income derived from County and HOME Consortium municipalities, for reallocation to municipalities and/or other County eligible HOME Projects and/or activities, to include administrative and direct service costs. The total HOME funding including the estimated program income is $4,873,082 (Exhibits 1 and 2).
The County will also be administering and implementing the Fiscal Year 2024/2025 HOME funds for the City of Coconut Creek, the City of Coral Springs, the City of Margate, the City of Plantation, the City of Sunrise and the Town of Davie.
The HOME Program grant requires that 15% of the HOME funding allocation be set aside for nonprofit Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDO’s). This allocation is also distributed/awarded through the annual Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) process. The municipalities of Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, and Hollywood each receive their own HOME funding allocations directly from HUD.
There were additional HOME PI funds (County and Consortium Members) received in the last quarter of Fiscal Year 2023/2024, which were not yet accrued at the time of the submittal of the AAP, in the amount of $65,000. These funds are not reflected in the AAP, but once amended, will be used for future affordable housing projects to include housing rehabilitation, purchase assistance, new construction, and tenant-based rental assistance (TBRA) projects/activities.
MOTION A: ESG Program, Beneficiaries and Non-formula CDBG, HOME and ESG
Broward County will receive ESG funding in the amount of $245,888 to address homelessness and homeless prevention activities. The HUD required allocation percentage towards rapid-rehousing activities will be implemented in partnership with the Housing Options Solutions & Supports Division (HOSSD), formerly FSAD/FSS. The annual NOFA process is used to distribute the remaining grant funding (Exhibits 1 and 2).
The ESG fund allocation, along with the aforementioned CHDO allocation was part of the NOFA Request for Applications process.
Organizations being recommended for funding under the CDBG, HOME, and ESG Programs were part of the NOFA process. Their applications were evaluated by committees consisting of Housing Finance Division (HFD) staff and municipal staff who are practitioners in the planning, housing, and the community development fields. Individual projects, except for CDBG public service activities, were recommended for full funding based on their evaluation scores, until the available funds were exhausted.
Funding under the ESG Program is recommended in accordance with HUD eligibility category requirements. ESG funding for the emergency shelter and street outreach categories is limited to a maximum of 60% of the grant, and the remaining funds must be allocated to the Rapid Rehousing category. The Continuum of Care Advisory Committee priorities are also taken into consideration when funding recommendations are made.
Motions D and E: Budget Resolutions to Implement AAP and recognize FY 2023/2024 Program Income Funds
These motions authorize the County Administrator to recognize and appropriate funds and adopt budget Resolutions (Exhibits 3 and 4) for implementation of the AAP; revise funding allocations and/or project service deliverables under the AAP for the various grant Programs in accordance with the CP; and take all other administrative and budgetary actions necessary to implement the plans.
The Program Income Funding Amounts have been rounded.
Fiscal Year 2024/2025 Annual Action Plan Projected Beneficiary Summary
The projects in the AAP provide for rehabilitation of a minimum of 15 single family homes (13 CDBG and two HOME); purchase assistance to a minimum of 53 first time home buyers (14 CDBG and 39 HOME); affordable housing acquisition/rehabilitation of 10 units; Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) to approximately 12 households; assistance to 926 beneficiaries in projects related to public services, including, but not limited to housing counseling, senior transportation, youth leadership, and providing supportive services for special needs and; construction of various infrastructure improvements to benefit approximately 11,705 residents, including but not limited to, park improvements, ADA/barrier free improvements, and sewer and drainage improvements in low/moderate income neighborhoods; rapid re-housing services assistance to a minimum of eight homeless residents; and emergency shelter and support services to 830 individuals experiencing homelessness.
The HFD received notice from HUD regarding part of the grant allocations for the Fiscal Year 2024/2025 Annual Action Plan (AAP) preparation and submittal in May and July 2024. The HUD AAP process requires multiple meetings, citizen outreach and public notices/hearings. The HFD was able to successfully complete all HUD requirements, Citizen Participation requirements, and the AAP by the HUD deadline; however, it was not possible to take these items to the Board by June 18, 2024, meeting, the last meeting before the Board’s summer recess. The Board’s first scheduled meeting was on August 22, 2024, after the HUD submission deadline of August 16, 2024. Failure to submit by the August 16, 2024, deadline could have resulted in the automatic loss of all the Fiscal Year 2024/2025 funding or delayed the award of the entitlement yearly HUD grants. For that reason, in order to meet HUD's submittal deadline of August 16, 2024, the County Administrator, pursuant to authority under Section 20.31 of the Broward County Administrative Code, approved the submission to HUD of the Broward County Fiscal Year 2024/2025 AAP (Exhibit 1) during the Board’s 2024 summer recess. The AAP includes the proposed activities for Fiscal Year 2024/2025 for the CDBG, HOME, and ESG Programs and Program Income.
Source of Additional Information
Ralph Stone, Director, Housing Finance Division, 954-357-5320.
Fiscal Impact
Fiscal Impact/Cost Summary
No fiscal impact.