Staff briefs Dallas Community Development Commission on $300,000 council reallocation from 'drivers of poverty' to violence-interruption program

At its June 5 meeting, the Dallas Community Development Commission was briefed on a City Council amendment that transferred $300,000 from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) "drivers of poverty" funding bucket to a new violence-interruption program and on related schedule changes for the FY2025–26 HUD Consolidated Plan budget.

Shannell Williams, assistant director in Budget and Management Services, Grants Division, told the commission the city received final HUD numbers in May and that council approved one amendment to the draft plan. Williams said the amendment moved $300,000 from the drivers-of-poverty category to a violence-interruption program and that the departmental review produced a net change of $7,000 across the Consolidated Plan grants; CDBG was reduced, HOME and HOPWA increased, and ESG decreased. Williams also said the council approved the amendment by a straw vote and that the public hearing on the plan was extended to the planned final adoption on June 11.

The briefing prompted questions and concern from commissioners about impacts on childcare and after-school services. Williams noted the Consolidated Plan packet shows a specific line item of $650,000 for child care and after-school programs and said there remains funding in the drivers-of-poverty bucket after the amendment; she reported to the commission that approximately $308,000 remained in that category after the $300,000 transfer. Commissioners emphasized that they had received substantial public input about childcare needs and asked whether subrecipients or likely beneficiaries had been directly notified of the amendment beyond the public notice placed in the paper of record. Williams said the city posts council memos and the amendment was included in the May 16 briefing memo and the May 21 council briefing materials, and that staff had not otherwise notified subrecipients directly.

A commissioner moved that at least $300,000 remaining in the drivers-of-poverty bucket be recommended for childcare; the city attorney, Marissa Hines, told the commission, "Unfortunately, this item was posted as a briefing so y'all can provide recommendations, but there cannot be an official vote." The commission then treated the proposal as a recommendation opportunity rather than a formal action. Commissioners asked staff to prepare a memo that quantifies how the amendment will affect current after-school and childcare programs and to identify any other programs affected by the change; staff agreed to return with information at the commission's August meeting.

Williams also told the commission that the city ran a new public notice in the paper of record on May 25 to inform the public of the proposed amendment and final numbers, and that council extended the public hearing on May 28 to allow additional feedback through the June 11 final adoption. The commission did not take formal action at the June 5 briefing.

The discussion on June 5 covered budget mechanics (changes to CDBG, HOME, ESG, HOPWA), the council-level amendment moving $300,000 to violence interruption programming, concerns about possible reductions to childcare capacity, procedural questions about notifications to applicants/subrecipients, and a request that staff supply written impact analysis before the commission's August meeting.

Looking ahead, the Consolidated Plan final adoption was scheduled for the June 11 City Council meeting; the commission requested a staff memo on programmatic impacts and asked staff to report back in August with details on which programs and service levels may be affected.