Referred to:  The Economic Development, Tourism, Housing, Planning and Transit Committee (Chairman Cahill and Legislators Archer, Corcoran, Delaune, Litts, Maio, and Uchitelle), and The Ways and Means Committee (Chairman Gavaris and Legislators Archer, Bartels, Haynes, Maio, Parete, Ronk, and Walter)

Chairman of the Economic Development, Tourism, Housing, Planning, and Transit Committee, Brian B. Cahill, and Deputy Chair Herbert Litts, III offer the following:

WHEREAS, this resolution has been submitted at the request of the County Executive on behalf of the Department of Planning; and

WHEREAS, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the New York State Office of Community Renewal have promulgated regulations governing the participation in the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program; and

WHEREAS, the Office of Community Renewal administers the CDBG Program with funding allocated from HUD; and

WHEREAS, the objective of the CDBG Program is to provide decent housing, a suitable living environment, and expanding economic opportunities for people primarily of low and moderate income; and

WHEREAS, the New York State Office of Community Renewal (NYSOCR) has published a Notice of Funding Availability for the New York State CDBG Program with 20 million dollars in CDBG funds available for housing activities including housing rehabilitation, homebuyer down payment assistance, manufactured housing replacement, and tenant-based rental assistance that primarily benefit low- and moderate-income persons for the program year 2021; and

WHEREAS, the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 authorized non-entitlement counties with populations of less than 200,000 to participate in the CDBG Program; and

WHEREAS, Ulster County as a non-entitlement County is eligible to apply for up to $1,500,000 for these housing related activities; and

WHEREAS, the CDBG program for housing rehabilitation is highly flexible, allowing for communities to develop an approach to housing rehabilitation that best suits their needs; and

WHEREAS, Ulster County has sought input on its CDBG application at a public hearing held on October 19, 2021 in accordance with the rules and regulations required by HUD and NYSOCR in connection with applications for HUD CDBG funding; and

WHEREAS, after considering the comments at the public hearing, the County’s understanding of its housing needs, the available funding, other ongoing housing activities, the County of Ulster desires to submit a CDBG application for housing rehabilitation assistance; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the Ulster County Executive or his designee is hereby authorized to submit an application, as well as all necessary understandings, assurances, and additional information as may be required, to the New York State Office of Community Renewal for the purposes of housing rehabilitation for substandard owner-occupied housing on scattered sites consistent with the funding levels, purposes, and other criteria as provided for in the Request for Applications; and

RESOLVED, that upon receipt of the CDBG program funds, the Ulster County Commissioner of Finance is authorized to make the necessary budget amendment to process the cash receipt and correlating distribution, resulting in a net zero dollar ($0) budgetary change,

and move its adoption.

 ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

 AYES:                       NOES:

Passed Committee: Economic Development, Tourism, Housing, Planning and Transit on ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­____________.

Passed Committee: Ways and Means on ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­____________.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

$750,000.00 – ANTICPATED ADDITIONAL FEDERAL REVENUE DOLLARS (PASS THROUGH NYS HOUSING TRUST FUND CORP.)