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Pasco staff recommend CDBG and HOME spending plans; Planning Commission backs option that focuses on housing and code enforcement
Summary
City staff presented recommended Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership allocations. Pasco expects roughly $650,000 in CDBG funds and about $263,000 in HOME funds this program year; planning commission recommended the staff option and council will consider final approval later.
City staff presented the annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocation and the HOME Investment Partnership program work plan at the workshop. Haley Mattson, presenting the CDBG item, said the city is eligible for just over $650,000 in CDBG funds this year and staff and the Planning Commission recommended a funding distribution (Planning Commission selected staff’s Option 1). The CDBG program is federally administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and requires the funds be used primarily to benefit low‑ and moderate‑income households.
Mattson said the CDBG application window closed in May and the Planning Commission held a public hearing in July. The recommended allocations included program support, non‑capital services and an allocation to code enforcement that supplements an existing employee’s salary (the presentation identified $70,000 for code enforcement support). Kristen Webb, the CDBG administrator who was online for the meeting, said the allocation would not fund a new position; it supplements a current position and is an eligible use under CDBG rules when applied to low‑ and moderate‑income neighborhoods.
Mattson also presented the annual HOME Consortium allocation; Pasco’s estimated share this year is $263,000. Staff recommended splitting the HOME funds across three activities: down‑payment assistance for first‑time buyers (CHIP), a tenant‑based rental assistance (TBRA) program for rental subsidies, and owner‑occupied rehabilitation. Mattson said Richland serves as the lead agency for the HOME consortium and HUD rules will govern eligible uses.
Council members raised two operational questions. Councilman Peter Harpster asked whether the city would begin any projects before federal appropriations are finalized and was assured staff will not begin CDBG‑funded activities until HUD funding is secured. Harpster also questioned use of grant funds to supplement employee salaries; staff reiterated that historically the city has used grant funds to supplement existing recreation and code enforcement positions rather than hire additional employees, and that is an eligible use when it serves qualifying low‑income areas.
Next steps: staff will return with the required formal action item for council approval after confirming federal funding and completing any required notices. The planning commission’s recommended Option 1 will be the base for the formal allocation unless the council provides different direction at the formal hearing.
