City of Great Falls, Montana
Citizen Participation Plan
for the
Consolidated Plan or the Annual Action Plan
January 2008
PURPOSE OF CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN DEVELOPING THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN:
A key component in creating the HUD required Consolidated Plan is citizen participation in all steps of the planning development process. To ensure citizens in Great Falls have the opportunity to take part in creating the Consolidated or the Annual Action Plan, the City of Great Falls has developed and commits to follow these elements of the Citizen Participation Plan.
THE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PLAN:
PARTICIPATION: The City of Great Falls will provide for, and encourage, citizen participation emphasizing the involvement of low, very low, and poverty income residents in areas where housing and community development funds may be spent. The City of Great Falls will also inform and offer opportunities for comment to residents of low, very low and poverty income neighborhoods. The City of Great Falls will encourage the participation of the Great Falls Housing Authority and public and assisted housing residents of the Great Falls Housing Authority, and of Opportunities, Inc., and their assisted housing residents in Great Falls. The City will provide Consolidated Plan or Annual Action Plan development information to the Great Falls Housing Authority that will be available at the public hearing required for the Public Housing Agency Plan.
The City of Great Falls will make reasonable efforts to consult with other public, private, and non-profit agencies that provide housing, health services, and social services (including those focusing on services to children, elderly persons, persons with disabilities - including physical, mental and developmental disabilities as well as other persons in need of services). When preparing the portion of the Consolidated Plan or Annual Action Plan concerning lead-based paint hazards, the City of Great Falls will consult with the City/County Health Department in order to examine data identifying the addresses of housing units with children as containing lead. The City of Great Falls will encourage input and solicit information from each of the nine neighborhood councils, notify of all of the public hearings and the Consolidated Plan or the Annual Action Plan development process, and solicit comments.
The City Commission appoints ten citizens who reside within Great Falls to a voluntary advisory board that reviews public service and public facility projects submitted for CDBG funding. This advisory board, the Community Development Council, recommends project funding to the City Commission under the public service and public facility portions of the CDBG funding. The encouragement of lower income, minority, and disabled citizens or their representatives to apply for Community Development Council positions occurs annually; through advance notice of board openings and application information with have adequate time to apply.
ACCESS TO MEETINGS: The City of Great Falls will afford adequate, timely notification of meetings so all citizens can attend the public hearings. This will include, as appropriate, legal notices, advertisements, press releases, public service announcements, letters or other means of notifying interested parties. The City of Great Falls will also provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities to all public hearings, and local meetings. Reasonable accommodations include but are not limited to holding meetings in handicapped accessible buildings, providing for sign language interpreters, and language interpreters, etc. when requested.
ACCESS TO INFORMATION: The City of Great Falls will provide citizens, public agencies, and other interested parties with reasonable and timely access to information and records relating to the Consolidated Plan or annual Action Plan and all of its components and the City's planned use of financial assistance received under the relevant federal programs during the next year. The public will have the opportunity to receive information, review and submit comments on any proposed submission including the Consolidated Plan adoption by the City of Great Falls City Commissioners and any Plan amendments and its performance reports. The required 30-day comment period on any proposed submission, adoption of the Consolidated Plan or Annual Action Plan submission, and any plan amendments is available as occurring. Information will also be available on the range of programs, the amount of assistance the City expects to receive, the amount of funds available and the estimated amount proposed to benefit low, very low and poverty income residents. These groups will also have access to the City's plans to minimize displacement of residents and businesses and assist those displaced because of these activities. Information and public records will be available during regular business hours in the City Community Development Department. Special arrangements are available to accommodate access to information for persons with disabilities.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: The City of Great Falls will provide appropriate technical assistance to all groups that request assistance in developing proposals for financial assistance under any of the programs covered by the Consolidated Plan.
PUBLIC HEARINGS: To obtain citizens views the City holds at least two public hearings conducted at a minimum of two different stages of the program. The City of Great Falls program year begins July 1 and ends June 30. These public hearings will address and respond to proposals and comments on:
- Housing and community development needs
- Development of proposed activities
- Review of proposed uses for funds
- Review of program performance
The City of Great Falls attempts to provide public meetings conveniently timed for people who might or will benefit from program funds, accessible to people with disabilities and adequately publicized with sufficient information about the subject of the hearing to permit informed comment. The public hearings occur on a weekday evening in the Civic Center Building, which is centrally located, easily accessible with adequate parking, and handicap accessible.
Throughout the year, citizens may attend the City Commission meetings and public hearings to provide input as to the distribution of federal funds into the City. There will be two public hearings conducted by the City Commission annually. The first public hearing will give citizens the opportunity to comment and provide input on the following:
- Any housing and non-housing community development needs that they have identified and wish addressed
- How funding proposals may meet community development needs in Great Falls
- Performance of the City in administering and distributing federal funds
- Every five years, or anytime the Citizen Participation Plan has substantial revisions or re-written, citizens may comment on the adoption of the Citizens Participation Plan. Prior to adopting the plan, the City distributes the plan for review and comment for a full 15 days.
The second public hearing will offer the opportunity for the citizens to comment on the following:
- Adoption of the Consolidated or Annual Action Plan
- Use of federal funds
- Performance of the administration and implementation of funded projects
TIMELY RESPONSE: The City of Great Falls will consider any comments or views of citizens, agencies, units of general local government, or other interested parties concerning the Consolidated Plan or Annual Action Plan, any amendments to the Plan and all performance reports. The Community Development Department will address any complaints with written responses to written complaints within 15 working days, where practical. Depending on the nature of the complaint, staff may refer the issue to the City Manager or the City Commission if the response from staff is unsatisfactory to the complainant. As appropriate, an attachment of summary of comments and responses to complaints to the final submission of the Consolidated Plan, the Consolidated Plan Amendments, or the Annual Performance Report will take place.
NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING RESIDENTS: In the event that a significant number of non-English speaking residents can reasonably be expected to participate, the City will provide accommodations for non-English speaking residents in the case of public hearings, if such accommodations are available.
SUBSTANTIAL AMENDMENTS: Substantial changes in the City's planned or actual activities will require an amendment to the Consolidated Plan or Annual Action Plan. The following criterion determines substantial change and governs Consolidated Plan or Annual Action Plan amendments:
- If a new project that has not previously received funding, is being created with unprogrammed funds, or created from financial changes from other funded projects.
- If there is a change in the project site location, or the project affects an area, an amendment will be required if the project location changes to a different census tract.
- If there is a change in project purpose or beneficiaries, such as a project eliminates or reduces by over 50% the proposed impact on the original beneficiaries, and/or if less than 51% of the beneficiaries are determined to be low, very low, or poverty income an amendment will be required. The CDBG administrator will determine on a case-by-case basis if an Amendment is required when the beneficiaries change from one targeted group to another.
- If the project changes in scope the activity from the original proposal.
- If a project budget increases by twice the total allocation and the increase exceeds 10% of the City's total current Block Grant allocation.
The City will advertise a notice in the Great Falls Tribune and make available any amendments to the Consolidated Plan for citizen comment for a 30-day period.
ANNUAL PERFORMANCE EVALUATION REPORT
The Annual Performance Report is available to all citizens at the Public Library and the City Community Development Office through a notice in the daily newspaper notifying the public of the availability of this report for review and comment for a minimum of 15 days. Any comments received regarding the Annual Performance Report are considered and a summary of all comments is attached to the performance report.
SOLICITATION OF CITIZEN COMMENTS ON THE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PLAN:
Prior to its adoption and approval by the Great Falls City Commission, the City of Great Falls will publish a legal notice in the Great Falls Tribune and Consumer's Press. The notices of the plan and/or any amendments to this plan are available for a 15-day comment listing the sites that a citizen may obtain a copy of the plan. The plan and any amendments to this plan are available to citizens at the Great Falls Public Library, the Great Falls city web page (www.ci.great-falls.mt.us) and the City Community Development Office in the Civic Center.
SOLICITATION OF CITIZEN COMMENTS IN PREPARING THE CONSOLIDATED OR THE ANNUAL ACTION PLAN:
- The City of Great Falls will contact local agencies, the housing authority, the local neighborhood revitalization agency, and the neighborhood councils to obtain information and comments to make citizens aware of the Consolidated or Annual Action Plan process.
- The proposed Consolidated Plan or Annual Action Plan is available to all citizens at the Public Library, the City Community Development Office, the City's web page (www.great-falls.mt.us) and the Housing Authority. To inform the citizens of the proposed Consolidated Plan or Annual Action Plan, a notice published in the daily newspaper, the free weekly publication, and distributed to various agencies describes the availability of this plan and the 30-day period to receive public comment.
- City Commission will conduct two public hearings requesting input from the citizens and representatives of low, very low and poverty level people as to the needs of the community, including but not limited to housing, community development, infrastructure, economic development and homeless assistance. A second public hearing conducted to receive citizen comments on the proposed Consolidated Plan or Annual Action Plan occurs after completion of the Plan.
The City will provide a reasonable number of free copies of the Consolidated Plan or Annual action Plan to citizens and groups upon request.