O.E.C.D. - PARTICIPATION PLAN

LINDA AEBLI
Executive Director

OFFICE HOURS: M – F, 8:00 to 4:30
PHONE: (570) 348-4216
FAX: (570) 348-4123

Background

The City of Scranton (the “City”) participates, as an entitlement community, in three of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (“HUD’s”) formula grant programs; these programs are:

• Community Development Block Grants (“CDBG”)
• HOME Investment Partnerships (“HOME”)
• Emergency Shelter Grants (“ESG”)

The City has developed a process to promote and encourage citizen participation in these programs and other similar programs, which are administered by the Office of Economic and Community Development (“OECD”); this Citizen Participation Plan (the “Plan”) provides information about that process.

Purpose

The Plan is designed to encourage citizens to participate in the development of the City’s Consolidated Plan , any substantial amendments to the Consolidated Plan (see below), and the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (“CAPER”). The Plan reaches out to low- and moderate-income persons, particularly those living in slums and blighted areas, and to residents of predominantly low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. It also makes efforts to encourage participation of residents of public and assisted housing developments, in conjunction with the Scranton Housing Authority. The Plan identifies how the City will provide non-English speaking persons and persons with disabilities full access to participation.

Criteria for Substantial Amendments

OECD may propose, as needs arise, amendments to the Consolidated Plan. When a substantial amendment is proposed, OECD will publish notice in The Scranton Times and The Tribune to give citizens an opportunity to comment on the change. Legislation to authorize the amendment will be introduced to City Council in these instances; in no case will City Council approve such legislation before thirty days have elapsed, to ensure that citizens have an adequate opportunity to comment.

A proposed change constitutes a substantial amendment when:

• An activity is added to or deleted from the Consolidated Plan
• The location of an approved activity is changed
• An approved activity’s intended beneficiaries have changed
• Funding for an approved activity is increased or decreased by more than 25% of that activity’s original allocation
• An activity’s purpose and/or the scope of the activity has changed in a manner that alters the activity’s eligibility

In some cases, an approved activity accomplishes a different National Objective (listed at 24 CFR 570.208) than that which
had been anticipated at the time the activity was included in the Consolidated Plan; this difference does not constitute a substantial amendment.

Means of Citizen Participation

OECD regularly conducts frequent public meetings on such matters as:

• Assessing the City’s housing and non-housing community development needs
• Developing the Consolidated Plan
• Developing annual Action Plans
• Amending the Consolidated Plan and annual Action Plans
• Implementing the activities contained in the Consolidated Plan and annual Action Plans
• Developing the CAPER
• Completing Environmental Review procedures

OECD publishes notice of the times and places of these hearings in The Scranton Times (evening daily paper) and The Tribune (morning daily paper) and offers to provide translator/interpreter services, on request, to non-English speaking persons and persons with disabilities.

OECD’s administrative staff persons make themselves available to discuss its programs and to answer citizens’ questions about these programs during the normal course of its operation. OECD also offers technical assistance to interested persons, including program applicants.

During the development of the City’s Consolidated Plan, OECD offers additional means of participation by reaching out to nonprofit organizations that provide services to low- and moderate-income City residents, neighborhood groups, and faith-based community groups through a survey designed to help in the determination of priority to be assigned to various types of housing and non-housing community development needs. OECD also conducts four public meetings, in addition to the regular meetings referred to in the preceding paragraph, in four different areas to gain input of the residents of these neighborhoods.

The Consolidated Plan Advisory Committee (the “Committee”), which is established concurrent with the development of the Consolidated Plan and which is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the activities included in the Annual Action Plans, allows for further citizen participation. The Committee, which is comprised of individuals who represent other governments, the local business community, local nonprofit organizations that serve low- and moderate-income persons, and faith-based community groups, offers input from unique and varied perspectives. These individuals are chosen to be members of the Committee because they are in position to communicate those views and opinions, as they relate to housing and non-housing community development, that are widely held by their peers and their clientele.

Citizen Comment

A draft of the Consolidated Plan, upon completion, is published and made available to the public. OECD publishes notice that summarizes the contents of the plan and states that a copy of the entire plan is available for review at several locations throughout the City, including:

• The Office of Economic and Community Development, 538 Spruce Street, Suite 812
• The Office of the Mayor, the Municipal Building, 340 N. Washington Avenue
• The Office of City Council, the Municipal Building
• The Scranton Housing Authority, 408 Adams Avenue
• The Albright Memorial Library, Vine Street and N. Washington Avenue
• The Lackawanna County Regional Planning Commission, Court House Annex, Linden Street and N. Washington Avenue
• Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance, 1151 Oak Street, Pittston Township, PA, 18640-3795
• Neighborhood Associations (maintained by these associations’ presidents)

At this time, legislation is introduced by City Council to authorize the City to submit the Consolidated Plan to HUD. Before it votes on this legislation, City Council conducts a public hearing to obtain citizens comment on the Consolidated Plan. OECD also accepts citizen comments on the Consolidated Plan in writing. Once these comments have been considered , but no less than thirty days from the date of publication and distribution, City Council will vote on the legislation.

Citizens may submit comments and complaints, relevant to the Consolidated Plan and the subsequent administration of the formula grant programs, to OECD throughout the year. These comments and complaints should be submitted to OECD in writing. Every reasonable effort will be made to provide a written response to all comments and complaints submitted in this manner (where warranted) within 30 days.

Citizens may also submit comments and complaints, relevant to the Consolidated Plan and the subsequent administration of the formula grant programs, to HUD throughout the year. HUD will consider how the comment or complaint relates to one of these issues:

• The description of needs and objectives covered in the Consolidated Plan are inconsistent with available facts and data
• The activities to be undertaken with the formula grant funds are not appropriate to the needs of the City
• The Consolidated Plan is not in compliance with Federal regulations
• Indicated activities are not eligible under the Federal guidelines

The appropriate address for submission of such comments and complaints is:

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office of Community Planning and Development
The Wanamaker Building
100 Penn Square East - 12th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3380

Access to Program Information and Records

Citizens can review program information, including the Consolidated Plan, as adopted, and any subsequent amendments, and the CAPER at OECD. Every reasonable effort will be undertaken to provide interested citizens with timely access to records relating to the Consolidated Plan and the subsequent use of formula grant funds

The Consolidated Plan is the City’s application to participate in the formula grant programs and its strategic plan for these programs’ funds. Neighborhood boundaries are set by the City; a determination of which neig.borhoods are predominantly low- and moderate-income is based upon data provided by the United States Census Bureau. Before adopting a Consolidated Plan, the OECD conducts a public hearing to disseminate information about the programs, including: the amounts of assistance that are expected to be received; the amounts that are to be allocated to activities that benefit low- and moderate-income persons; and plans to minimize the displacement of persons and a result of the activities to be undertaken. At a minimum, OECD will conduct two public hearings at two different stages of the program year to obtain citizens’ views and to respond to proposals and questions; the places and times of these hearings will be published in The Scranton Times and The Tribune at least fifteen days in advance. When the CAPER has been completed, OECD will publish notice in The Scranton Times and The Tribune that it is available for review by citizens, who may then provide comment; it will be submitted to HUD after consideration of any comments, but not before fifteen days from the date of public notice have elapsed (a summary of any comments will be included in the final version of the CAPER). A summary of citizen comments, received during the Consolidated Planning process and the reasons for nonacceptance of any of these comments, is included in the final version of the Consolidated Plan.