Referred to: The Economic Development, Planning, Education, Employment, Arts and Agriculture Committee (Chairwoman Sperry and Legislators Clinton, Corcoran, Hewitt, Litts, Stewart and Walls)

Chairwoman of the Economic Development, Planning, Education, Employment, Arts and Agriculture Committee, Megan Sperry, and Deputy Chair Herbert Litts, III offer the following:

WHEREAS, the New York State Homes and Community Renewal (NYSHCR) issues an annual Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the following programs: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), RESTORE, Affordable Homeownership Development Program (AHODP), Access to Home, and Access to Home for Medicaid Recipients Program as well as periodic special notices for additional programs; and

WHEREAS, the New York State Community Development Block Grant Program (NYS CDBG) is a federally funded program administered by the Housing Trust Fund Corporation’s (HTFC) Office of Community Renewal (OCR); and

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Entrepreneur Employment Grant Program (UCEEGP) will be funded by the Stand-alone Business Assistance and Microenterprise Development programs included in the NYS CDBG program which will provide resources to non-entitlement communities for the purpose of assisting for-profit businesses that create or retain permanent jobs that are principally held by or made available to Low-Moderate Income (LMI) persons; and

WHEREAS, Ulster County would like to submit an application under the NYS CDBG Stand-alone Business Assistance and Microenterprise Grant Program for $300,000.00 to benefit qualifying Ulster County businesses to foster the development or expansion of microenterprises or by providing grants in conjunction with capacity building and entrepreneurial assistance; and

WHEREAS, For the purposes of the UCEEGP, a microenterprise is defined as a business with five (5) or fewer employees including the owner, at the time of application; and   

WHEREAS, the CDBG Program requires an initial public hearing prior to submission of the full grant application: now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that said Public Hearing will be held on June 18, 2024 at 7:05 PM in the Legislative Chambers, Ulster County Office Building, 244 Fair Street, Kingston, New York, and/or via videoconference to the extent allowable pursuant to existing New York State legislation, or order and the Rules of the Ulster County Legislature; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the Clerk of the Ulster County Legislature shall cause notice of said hearing to be posted on bulletin boards in County Buildings and published in official publications; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the Clerk of the Ulster County Legislature shall provide copies of the hearing notice to all chief elected officials of municipalities within Ulster County,

and move its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES:                    NOES:      

Passed Committee: Economic Development, Planning, Education, Employment, Arts and Agriculture on __________.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

$300.00 – APPROXIMATE ADVERTISING COSTS