[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6521143,"mediaKeyId","5113948-ef16d6f4f035def4c0852cb0b3047fab","parentId",5113948,"title","San Marcos staff propose ARPA reallocation to home‑repair nonprofits, eviction prevention and rental assistance; council asks for more data before finalizing","audioSeconds",3261,"startMs",4237000,"endMs",7498000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5113948-ef16d6f4f035def4c0852cb0b3047fab&start=4237&end=7498","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5113948-ef16d6f4f035def4c0852cb0b3047fab/thumbnail_4237000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6521143/San-Marcos-City/Hays-County/Texas/San-Marcos-staff-propose-ARPA-reallocation-to-homerepair-nonprofits-eviction-prevention-and-rental-assistance-council-asks-for-more-data-before-finalizing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6521143-1374eebc79aab8a39b300902a26f89dd/orig.mp4?Expires=1776570879&Signature=IL7qG6~II2jNBKPs7ehjqACQEh2KSqO-Cj01IbUSxurCEff-OTEOnVoD3b7kaK81kyOnwpDEM04rMJghuRowvXfXFYojs8D9EnSX3lqwDcyy2hDg6VXP55DHG2PbPGFFb0aDSvvHHME1u2Rk4e9TPXWDBqszvWleDXvSdithY8VHrNoFMxCFCToypQNlhyeHc6Y6xgMmpSOhkUpKd-X3Z~yvv1onGCb5W38EBFnVT7bsJX1O1EOrbR3HTlCg2xkTSFzzJ~fZ0OhX3FUyP2zqQfcDnCJg1cWr3JqvcCPm0o1Xn-7GtR9h4B9HBAe-tln0EveElc95ZMccupjDo6oaiw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","San Marcos","date","2025-07-01T14:59:00Z","article","At the July 1 work session, staff presented an update on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) spending and proposed reallocations for a balance of roughly $320,000 in available funds.

Hayden Mingle, director of administrative services, told council the city has obligated 100% of ARPA funds and that remaining available funds may be shifted to already‑obligated projects. He said staff identified approximately $320,000 in funds available for reallocation and emphasized that any additional funding must be applied to projects with existing contracts: “we cannot engage in contracts with people that we don't currently have contracts already existing with.”

Why it matters: staff framed the reallocation to prioritize programs that move funds into direct services before the ARPA spending deadline (all ARPA funds must be spent by Dec. 31, 2026). The proposed uses included additional funding for two local home‑repair programs, eviction prevention and rental/utility assistance, and one year of continued access to a grant‑seeking database hosted by the San Marcos Public Library.

Staff proposed specific allocations including: about $100,000 to Operation Triage, $100,000 to Mission ABLE (both community home‑repair partners), and additional funding for BR3T’s rental and utility assistance and for eviction prevention services delivered by Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA). Mingle said Mission ABLE spent about $250,000 and served 79 households and that the mission‑focused work relied heavily on volunteer labor and donated materials.

Speakers from the community described program impact. Monica Followell of Mission ABLE (program coordinator) and Daniel Vargas, founder of Operation Triage, described the organizations’ work to repair roofs, plumbing, foundations and other major deficiencies for low‑income San Marcos homeowners. Vargas said Operation Triage has largely volunteer staffing and uses donated materials and estimated an additional $100,000 would cover roughly 10 homes: “for us, it'd be about 10 homes. A $100,000 more would be about 10 homes,” he said.

Council discussion focused on tradeoffs between investing ARPA funds in owner‑occupied home repair (generational wealth preservation) and expanding renter supports such as eviction prevention and direct rental assistance. Councilmember Amanda Garza (last name used in transcript) and others pressed for more data showing how additional funds would translate into outcomes and asked how many clients are served, whether contracts could be expanded, and whether spending could better address renters—who are the majority in San Marcos.

Council direction and near‑term outcome: council asked staff to bring a formal resolution for the proposed near‑term reallocations (a roughly $77,000 allocation to BR3T and funding for the library’s grant directory) for the August regular meeting. Staff also agreed to gather more refined quarterly data and to return with a fuller recommendation and updated numbers on the remaining roughly $240,000 in available funds for Mission ABLE, Operation Triage and other eligible projects.

Relevant figures and constraints stated on the record: staff said the city received $18,000,000 in ARPA funding and had “spent and encumbered 100%” of it; staff also reported that CRF spending freed up about $2,600,000 in general fund for other uses. Mingle cautioned that reallocations must use funds for already‑obligated projects and that staff will continue documentation with consultants to ensure compliance.

Next steps: staff will place a resolution on an upcoming council meeting (August 5) to reallocate the immediate amounts for BR3T and the grant directory; return in a month or two with quarter‑end data and formal recommendations for the remaining available ARPA/CDBG funds; and confirm which additional existing contracts can accept augmented funding before Dec. 31, 2026.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","San Marcos - City Council on 2025-07-01 3:00 PM - 630 E. Hopkins St. - Work Session This will be an in-person and online meeting. To view the meeting please go to http://sanmarcostx.gov/421/City-Council-Videos-Archives or watch on Grande channel 16 or Spectrum channel - Jul 01, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At the July 1 work session, staff presented an update on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) spending and proposed reallocations for a balance of roughly $320,000 in available funds.","taxTitle","San Marcos City, Hays County, Texas","taxId",9292,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6521147,"San Marcos council clears HSAB spring schedule, defers decision on automatic CDBG allotments for CASA and HCWC",2010,161000,2171000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5113948-ef16d6f4f035def4c0852cb0b3047fab&start=161&end=2171","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5113948-ef16d6f4f035def4c0852cb0b3047fab/thumbnail_161000.jpg","/articles/6521147/San-Marcos-City/Hays-County/Texas/San-Marcos-council-clears-HSAB-spring-schedule-defers-decision-on-automatic-CDBG-allotments-for-CASA-and-HCWC","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6521147-c068dbea51f53e6e98250f30357dd853/orig.mp4?Expires=1776570879&Signature=k8XtNo9FiaElBGkXxallxanuORMHfdYmU0fAhB0M4uNR-ODgTKVQuggmQ6gEEmZ8ii5s0nIg-wv-kQU-4I9LSrxWjkJu4XPKHRi7~PZug9jRtLomWK-oQKMX0Qr7HOSVH5iwQVpJdieB7Ork3tjGYiGrNTSODv3447zAcLNVhVD69iv02NByhoIITn0XmN6Ij~IL9aTezZywznKH6NeGArSHikFW2bJpg-BKW6HT5wkOM2yfKaNfU9sCd68tjRjPD21Htq6f-nP5k9WpERROdvxwnZn1pF9Jt--UJncI2UFRPsGTrfrh80kJW~4RRzMi09RhnsjOdT8t7TszM6pxZg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Carol Griffith, the city’s housing and community development manager, presented an update on Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) spending and a set of proposed changes to the Human Services Advisory Board (HSAB) process at the San Marcos City Council work session on July 1.

Griffith said the city receives $750,000 a year in CDBG funding and that “from August 2023 to July 2025, the city will have spent 2,400,000.0 in CDBG funding.” She told council the HSAB application review would move to spring in 2026, with applications due in March, board review in April and May, a board recommendation in June, and council consideration in July (CDBG allocations would be decided in August and HSAB recommendations in September under the proposed schedule).

Why it matters: the timing change is intended to reduce overlap and confusion for nonprofit applicants. Griffith said staff reviewed whether HSAB could also review CDBG public‑services applications and concluded the CDBG public‑input timeline would be pushed into late fall/holidays—“not the best time for public involvement”—so staff recommended separate application reviews but with HSAB receiving CDBG recommendations before making its own funding recommendations.

Councilmembers voiced support for the schedule as presented. Councilmember Lydia Rodriguez said she appreciated staff’s effort to avoid scheduling that “made it hurt people from actually participating.” The mayor and a majority of councilmembers indicated they were comfortable moving forward with the spring timeline.

The meeting included a substantive policy proposal from staff to designate two longtime local grantees—Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and Hays Caldwell Women’s Center (HCWC)—to each automatically receive half of the annual CDBG public‑services allocation going forward, with any additional funding still available through the HSAB competitive process. Griffith explained the idea by noting that “these two have consistently...when you add CDBG and HSAB, they’re always over a 100,000,” and suggested making the annual CDBG portion predictable for those agencies while leaving HSAB to allocate supplemental funding.

Council reaction was mixed. Some members supported trying the change for a limited period, while others raised concerns about locking future councils into funding designations and about excluding other repeat grantees such as the Hays County Food Bank. Councilmember [first name not specified] Mendoza said he favored designating the two agencies for at least two years; Councilmember Sal Gonzales and others suggested revisiting the idea after one or two years. Several councilmembers asked staff to return with a formal resolution if council wanted to proceed; the mayor and multiple councilmembers asked that the topic be “asked again in January 2026” before any change would apply to the next application cycle.

On application administration, council gave staff direction on several HSAB application changes proposed by the board: approve moving from quarterly reporting to annual reporting and remove the word “quarterly” from payment language in the HSAB ordinance; delete one council‑priority scoring question about whether HSAB funding would create an increase in services (the board recommended shifting the 10 points into other scoring categories); and change the council‑priority question about having an office in San Marcos to a narrative outreach question. Griffith confirmed agencies would still be required to meet federal CDBG contract and reporting requirements even if designated for funding.

Norma Blackwell, who identified herself during public comment, described CASA’s funding sources: “We do receive funds through United Way, corporations, individual donors...federal funds, state funds through the attorney general’s office,” and noted CASA has fundraising efforts and events.

What council directed staff to do: (1) implement the HSAB spring schedule for 2026 as presented; (2) prepare ordinance updates to change reporting to annual reports and remove “quarterly” payment wording; (3) adopt the HSAB/ council‑priority scoring changes requested by the board, including deleting the increase‑in‑services points but adding a reporting question to the required annual report about whether applicants expanded services and how many San Marcos residents were served; (4) replace the “office in San Marcos” yes/no scoring prompt with a descriptive outreach question—“In what ways does your agency actively conduct outreach to engage San Marcos residents in its programs and services”—for scoring; and (5) return to council with a draft resolution if council wants to formally designate CASA and HCWC for CDBG public‑services funding (council majority opted to defer that resolution and revisit in January 2026).

Council and staff emphasized that any designated award would still require a contract and compliance with HUD/CDBG requirements. Griffith said staff will continue to notify agencies about application and reporting requirements and will forward quarterly (or annual) reports to council as requested.

Looking ahead: staff will bring ordinance language and any required resolutions back to council for formal action, and the HSAB timeline changes will be implemented for the spring 2026 application cycle unless council directs otherwise in January 2026.","City staff proposed moving Human Services Advisory Board (HSAB) application review to spring; council gave general support for the schedule and several application-scoring changes but deferred a proposal to automatically allocate half of annual CDBG public‑services funding to CASA and Hays Caldwell Women’s Center until January 2026.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

San Marcos staff propose ARPA reallocation to home‑repair nonprofits, eviction prevention and rental assistance; council asks for more data before finalizing

San Marcos council clears HSAB spring schedule, defers decision on automatic CDBG allotments for CASA and HCWC