2020-24 RESOLUTION - Adopting Lee County Community Development Block Grant 2020-2021 Program Funding Years 11-16-2020

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5.1 Public Hearing Times and Locations All public hearings will be held at times and locations which will be accessible to all citizens, especially persons of low and moderate incomes, and residents of blighted neighborhoods and CDBG project areas. Public hearings will be scheduled for convenient times as determined by the COUNTY. Public hearings may be held at any site which, in the opinion of the COUNTY, provides adequate access for citizen participation. Hearings will normally be held at the LOCATION/BUILDING NAME. This site is centrally located and generally accessible to all citizens. This building is also accessible to persons with disabilities. Hearings may, however, at the option of the COUNTY, be held at an alternate location to be specified in the public hearing notice(s). 5.2 Application Public Hearing At least one public hearing shall be held during any CDBG program fiscal year prior to the submission of an application to the state funding agency for CDBG assistance'. The primary purposes of the public hearing shall be to assess community needs and problems in an effort to determine the most critical needs to be addressed by the CDBG program; and also to present for public comment and review the program activities which have been selected by the COUNTY to resolve the identified needs. An application public hearing will be held during the initial stage of program development to discuss items regarding local community development and housing needs, the overall CDBG program requirements and eligible activities, and the application process. The objective of citizen participation at this stage is to provide meaningful, community-wide citizen input into the decision-making process during the assessment of community needs and the consideration of priorities and options associated with the development and submission of a CDBG application. Local officials will also entertain proposals and comments from citizens concerning community development activities at this hearing. This hearing will normally serve to discuss and review the information appropriate for all applications submitted by the COUNTY during any fiscal year. Additional changes in community development or housing needs in the community as determined by local officials can be addressed by a community meeting where citizens can share their comments prior to the submission of other CDBG applications late in the fiscal year. Citizens will be provided with information concerning the CDBG program at this public hearing. Such information shall include, but not necessarily be limited to: the goals and objectives of the CDBG program; the total amount of CDBG funds available for the fiscal year and for the funding round; the role of citizens in program planning, implementation, and assessment; the range of activities which may be undertaken; the process to be followed in developing a CDBG application; a statement that 100 percent of the CDBG funds will be used to benefit low-to- moderate income people; the schedule of meetings and hearings; location where the application can be reviewed; activities previously funded in the COUNTY through the CDBG program; and, an identification of projects which could result in the relocation of area residences or businesses; and the actions that would be undertaken if such relocation were necessary; provide citizens with contact information such as address, telephone number, and dates for submitting complaints or grievances. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the Citizen Participation Plan in allowing citizen participation in the community development process and potential changes and/or amendments to the Plan shall also be discussed at this meeting. The COUNTY may, at the option of local officials, review multiple CDBG project applications at one hearing when more than one application is to be submitted during the same fiscal year. Each such hearing shall be held prior to, and in preparation for, the application's approval by the COUNTY. A second objective of citizen participation during this stage is to inform citizens of the proposed project activities to be included in a CDBG application(s)and to solicit comments from citizens concerning these activities. Citizens attending this hearing will be provided with information concerning the CDBG project(s) proposed including, but not necessarily limited to: the project application(s) to be submitted and the applicable CDBG fund; specific project activities to be included; the location of the project activities; the approximate cost estimate for the proposed activities; the estimate of local match required; the impact of the project on low and moderate income persons; and, the approximate application submittal date. ' Programs administered by REDD require two (2)public hearings prior to submitting and application to the State, while DWI only requires one (1) detailed public hearing prior to application submittal. 3