McKinney staff outline community process for five-year consolidated plan to guide HUD-funded housing and community development

Shalita Best, Community Services administrator for the City of McKinney’s Housing and Community Development Department, briefed the McKinney Community Development Corporation on the city’s five-year consolidated plan and the related annual action plan for federal funding.

Best described the consolidated plan as the framework the city uses to allocate federal Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). She said the department is preparing a consolidated plan to cover the next five years, with the draft expected to be completed in August and the corresponding annual action plan developed from that framework.

The presentation outlined outreach plans: surveys, one-on-one meetings, community forums and targeted engagement with residents who are low- to moderate-income (LMI), persons of color, persons with disabilities, unsheltered residents and neighborhood advocates. Best said the process also accounts for disaster-impact considerations and coordination with departments such as planning and emergency management to determine whether substantial amendments will be required after storms or other disasters.

Best urged CDC board members to help publicize the outreach and to participate. She said the department will supply a community survey and additional materials within days so board members can share them with constituents and stakeholders. The consolidated plan process will inform the city’s annual allocations and the Community Grants Advisory Commission’s recommendations.

What staff said they will do next: complete the consolidated-plan draft in August; collect public input through multiple channels; return to council and the public in December with an annual report on how HUD and local community development funds were used.

Speakers and context: the item was presented by Shalita Best; board members asked no substantive follow-up questions on the record. The presentation emphasized inclusion of language access for non-English speakers and outreach to entities such as hospitals and public-housing providers as part of the participation strategy.