Plano staff outline HUD grant allocations, set timeline for 2025–26 action plan

Curtis Howard, neighborhood services program manager for the City of Plano, told the City Council on June 24 that the city will use three funding streams to support housing and social services in fiscal year 2025–26: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) funds and a city-funded Buffington Community Services grant.

Howard said CDBG is the city’s most flexible federal source and noted recent year-over-year increases in award levels. “We had a little over $1,500,000 last year; we got a little over $1,600,000 this year,” he said. He described typical allocations for CDBG as 20% administrative costs, 15% social services and 65% for eligible activities such as housing rehabilitation and public facility improvements. For HOME funds he said roughly 75% is earmarked for eligible housing activities, 15% for CHDO organizations and 10% for administration.

The presentation included proposed program goals drawn from Plano’s five‑year consolidated plan: 68 housing units for rehabilitation/repair/reconstruction; two new affordable housing units; eight low‑income households to receive tenant‑based rental assistance; 350 individuals receiving homelessness‑prevention services; 400 low‑to‑moderate‑income residents receiving public services; assistance for 220 people experiencing homelessness; and five additional emergency shelter beds. Howard described the annual process that follows the five‑year consolidated plan: nonprofit presentations to the Community Relations Commission in April, CRC funding recommendations for CDBG/HOME/Buffington grants, a July public hearing, a grant workshop in August and an Aug. 15 deadline to submit the action plan to HUD, with final budget adoption in September.

Councilmember Levine asked how administrative salary support is calculated; Howard said staff salaries are paid out of the administrative portion of CDBG or HOME funding and that in the neighborhood services administrative allocation “the 20%… 51% is going to the staff salary” of the positions supported by that administrative slice. Howard also said staff applies a preliminary analysis and consultant review when estimating landscaping, advertising and professional fee costs associated with grant‑funded capital projects.

This presentation was informational; council members did not take a binding vote on program allocations at the meeting but were given the CRC recommendations and the timetable for the action plan submission to HUD.

The next steps Howard listed: CRC recommendations will be reviewed by council; the city will hold the public hearing and deliberations in July; a grant workshop and supplemental actions will occur in August; the action plan must be submitted to HUD by Aug. 15; and final budget adoption is scheduled for September.