HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 09-02-2003-7aORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: September 2, 2003
Action Agen
Item No. -
SUBJECT: Orange County Housing Rehabilitation CDBG Pro ram
DEPARTMENT: Housing/Comm. Development PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) Yes
ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tara L. Fikes, ext 2490
TELEPHONE NUMBERS:
Hillsborough 732-8181
Chapel Hill 968-4501
Durham 688-7331
Mebane 336-227-2031
PURPOSE: To receive comments from the public concerning the FY 2004 Housing
Rehabilitation Program for Orange County.
BACKGROUND: The County was recently notified by the N.C. Department of Commerce -
Division of Community Assistance of the award of $400,000 in Scattered Site Housing
Rehabilitation funds under the FY 2004 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
Program. These grants are no longer competitive, and each interested county in North Carolina
is scheduled to receive an allocation every three years to provide housing rehabilitation funds
for the county and the municipalities within the county. Orange County received $400,000 in
housing rehabilitation funds in 2001 and is designated to receive funds in 2004. These grant
funds must be used to repair substandard housing occupied by low-income families in the
Towns of Carrboro and Hillsborough as well as the unincorporated areas of Orange County.
These funds may not be used in the Town of Chapel Hill since it receives Community
Development Block Grant funding directly from HUD.
Families with incomes at or below 50% of area median income that own and occupy
deteriorated housing are eligible to participate in the program. For the purpose of this program,
deteriorated housing are dwelling units that that have existing housing code violations including
houses that lack indoor plumbing.
In order to receive this funding, the County must conduct two public hearings. The first hearing
provides an opportunity to obtain citizen comments prior to developing an application for these
funds and another hearing after the application is completed but prior to submission to the N.C.
Department of Commerce.
After initial public comment is received, an application document will be prepared with input
from the Carrboro and Hillsborough members of the HOME Program Review Committee. A
second public hearing will be planned for October 15, 2003 for additional citizen comment and
the BOCC will be asked to approve submission of the application before October 24, 2003.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: Application for these funds represents an additional $400,000 available
for affordable housing initiatives in the County.
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board receive the comments as
information and authorize the staff to proceed with application development.