Cross_cutting

1:09:27 We also have a set-aside that HUD requires for us to set aside for at least two years for community housing development organizations. It's a percentage of our entitlement funds. So this year, for 2026, it will be 318,000. We also have 2024 and 2025 a allotted amount set aside. So this year for 2024, since it will be the second year, we will ask for HUD to release those funds so that we can include it into our entitlement. We also are paying for 340,000 for the Section 108 Loan for our Fourth Plain Commons. And for admin, we also have another percentage that we can set aside that HUD allows us to.

1:10:23 And so that will be $345,171. About 275 of that will be, 275,000 will be for CDBG and then about 70,000 will be for home.

1:10:41 Our proposed outcomes with this funding is that 324 people will receive services through our public service programs. 312 people experiencing homelessness will be assisted through our home ARP funding. 45 households will receive rental assistance. 10 homeowners will receive home repairs through our Home Ownership Home Rehab Program. Five community-based organizations will receive technical assistance and capacity building through that program. And then 176 businesses, microenterprise businesses, will receive technical assistance. As Sam mentioned earlier, we also have an action plan amendment to our 2025 action plan. We received cancellation of a program, our public service program with Friends of the Children.

1:11:39 That was $70,800 of CDBG funds. So we ask that that substantial amendment be accepted and then we will reallocate those funds to our 2026 awards. So next step is this public hearing. We are wanting 2026 annual action plan approval, 2025 substantial amendment approval. We will have open public comment until May 14th. And then I will submit our finalized action plan on May 15th to HUD. And then hopefully on July 1st, our funds will become available. Okay, thank you. - Thank you. All right. Sam, just to kick this off, you talk about the committee

1:12:37 that went through the scoring and selection. Could you tell us who's on that committee? - Yeah, we have about 15 people on our housing advisory committee and we'd be happy to provide you with that list. And then Victor's business assistance committee would also be available. - Yeah, Victor Saldana. And we have eight people on the scoring committee. They're made up of small businesses, providers for small business in the city of Vancouver, as well as individuals working with small businesses within the city of Vancouver. And I can provide that list as well. - Yes, I'm aware. But Sam, let's go back to the advisory. Who selected the advisory for the housing advisory team? - We put out a request, an open request a year ago and took in applications for people who are interested. And then our housing team chose the advisory committee. - Okay, thank you. Yes, all right. Councilors, other comments?

1:13:36 Councilor Perez, go ahead. - Thank you, Sam. I have a couple of questions. I was sad to see Southwest Washington Child Care not funded when they are directly adding 10 new child cares versus the other organizations, which I think are doing great, doesn't seem like they're gonna add new child cares. So that was one question I have for you. Do you have a little more information on what child care outcomes the other, the organizations that are funded compared to the loss of 10 or not having 10 new child cares? - Yes, thank you for that, Council Member Perez, Victor Saldana, Small Business Entrepreneurship Program Manager. Although the other programs

1:14:35 don't list specifically child care, I can discuss previous production. So just an example, the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber over their recent CDBG funding have been able to support 10 child care businesses as well as 20 in the construction trades businesses. So although they might not have specific child care within the name of the program, 'cause it is a microenterprise program and that's what they're serving, they do have that support for those businesses as well, both startup as well as established. - Okay. Is there any way to move the 70K or allocate the 70K that you got returned from the cancellation to support the Southwest Washington Child Care Consortium? - So we knew that this, this is Samantha Whitley, we were aware that the 70,000 was canceled last year and we planned that as part of the awards that we put forward already.

1:15:34 - Okay. I'm just finding it hard to not support the Southwest Washington Child Care Consortium which if you look at slide, what's the slide nine? Is it nine? Yeah, slide nine proposed outcomes from these awards. You could put 10 new child cares in deserts, child care deserts and continue to address that whereas it's not clear in the other ones that are funded. So just wanna understand the logic why the Children's Consortium is not being funded when you can address a real child care crisis with 10 new child care centers. - Sure and I can-- - Oh, sorry, Victor. - And just to add to that, I know your advisory committee, were there any child care providers or somebody with that level of experience and knowledge in that so I wanna add that question too.

1:16:34 - And I appreciate that, Council Member Perez. Victor Saldana, small business and entrepreneurship program manager. We do have individuals on the committee that support organizations that start child care and fund child care but not specifically running child care. So that will answer that question. As far as the reason of picking or having the committee choose the organizations that they chose, they chose the ones that would support a broad range of individuals and businesses to make sure that we were staying true to the consolidated plan that was done but also to make sure that child care as well as construction trades, which is one of the five year economic development strategies that we were working on to allow that within that. So not to say that they're not supporting five or 10 or 15, just like even with Fourth Plain Forward,

1:17:33 who's also on here, has supported six in the previous year with their funding. They just don't have specifically a number in there. They do have a larger number of businesses that they're gonna support, whether it be child care, construction trades, as well as the 20,000 other businesses that we have. - Okay, well I think you know where my preference is to ensure that we support the Southwest Washington Child Care Consortium. Councilor Fox? - Sure. Yeah, I'd sent some comments and questions earlier and I was also focusing on really better understanding the criteria for the scoring of these awards. Since we didn't have the criteria to review before this meeting, that is something that I would like. I will be making a motion on this item. I know we still have the actually open,

1:18:31 do we have anyone for opening the public hearing? But we have a public hearing here but there, I will be recommending to my fellow council members that we need more information on this item and one of them is the criteria and the scoring for evaluation of these applications. I do appreciate that staff got back to me. I know I tend to do all my homework on the weekends and so it doesn't give you much time to prepare for Monday. So I do appreciate that. The information you returned to me was information I'd reviewed. It had been sent to us during a weekend or a weekend update by the city manager. But that wasn't really a way for us to give you any advance feedback before this meeting tonight and when I had read it at that time, I had actually talked to the city manager about it as well and so it isn't that, so I don't think any of those concerns got to you

1:19:28 in advance of tonight beyond me reaching out again on Sunday so that is a hole that needs to be fixed as well as far as our communications through the city manager's office and to staff. But it is, I read through the entire action plan and have some comments throughout it and it's not something that I know we wanna walk through tonight so I'd rather share them with staff but they are things around being more prescriptive and here's the conversation part with staff is as I hear you saying that you're linking it to our strategies, our council strategies for business development in the construction trades and in childcare, I'm not seeing that reflected specifically in the plan. It's very general as to what our focus areas are for funding so that might be a strategy of the application

1:20:26 to the federal government but that part I need more understanding around why you wouldn't be more specific. That would also then be reflected in the criteria and the scoring criteria if you're more specific about those particular activities that we wanna fund and then just focusing in on the plan itself. There's also, this is just one item I'll just raise up so that I'm being specific with my fellow council. You mentioned one of the agencies that you reach out to to help develop the plan and you mentioned the Department of Commerce. I work for the Department of Commerce and I thought it was interesting that it seemed and I can't imagine this can be true that you only reach out to the Broadband Office of Commerce when this plan touches on so many other things and the Department of Commerce has units specifically devoted to housing, homelessness,

1:21:24 business development and so I was wondering if there is a need for some more connections within the Department of Commerce and I can help you make some of those connections as well. So I will wait to make a motion obviously till that timeframe. - Thank you, any other comments? So Tasha, it's May 4th, public comment period doesn't end for another 10 days. Why are we talking about it now?

1:21:58 - I do have, so we leave public comment open so that the public is able to send in any comments that they have even after this to get more kind of information and accessible way through this rather than in addition to reading the 45-page document but HUD does require a 30-day comment period. Along, and then it is due by May 15th, if it goes past May 15th, it could delay our funds or their approval to our application. - If what goes past May 15th? - Our submittal to them. - So we could not submit this at the end of May or May 20th? - We could but it would just, it could potentially delay our funds and their approval for--

1:22:58 - Okay, because I believe in previous times we have and it did seem, but as you know, different administration. Counselor, I understand your concern. I guess part of my concern is the community