Urban County Policy Board reviews draft 2025 consolidated plan, affirms five goal buckets

Elizabeth McNaney of Resource Consultants reviewed the draft 2025 consolidated plan for Clark County at the Urban County Policy Board meeting on April 8, 2025, laying out needs, goals and the projects that would feed the program-year annual action plans.

McNaney said the consolidated plan frames five broad goals — housing, public facilities and neighborhood improvements, economic and asset development, public services and administration — and that the annual action plan will break those goals into projects and activities for each year. She told the board the plan focuses on the HUD objectives of providing decent housing, creating a suitable living environment and expanding opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents. McNaney also outlined program funding constraints and typical caps: approximately $1.5 million in CDBG for the prior year, a 20% planning and administration cap on CDBG, a 15% public service cap on CDBG, and a roughly $500,000 HOME award with a 10% administration cap.

Board members and staff discussed how the consolidated plan sets high-level priorities while the Urban County Policy Board will set annual priorities and project targets during the solicitation and request-for-applications process. Michael Torres and Rebecca Royce emphasized that the plan’s five-year buckets are intended to be flexible and that more specific guidance on allocations and priorities happens annually; staff said the board will have opportunities for input in June and September before finalizing solicitations for 2026. Torres noted activities already approved for 2025 are included in the plan’s annual action plan, and McNaney said HUD requires numerical estimates in the plan but those are treated as low-side estimates and can be adjusted year to year.

McNaney and staff said community engagement has informed the needs assessment: stakeholders cited a high demand for a full continuum of housing options, more shelter and services for those fleeing domestic violence, shortage of affordable and accessible childcare for low- and moderate-income households, and repeated requests for better behavioral-health services and low-barrier health care. She noted about 44% of renters and 23% of homeowners in Clark County are cost-burdened (paying more than 30% of income on housing) or severely cost-burdened (paying more than 50%).

Next steps described in the meeting: staff will incorporate any board feedback, the county council will consider the consolidated plan on May 6, 2025, and submission to HUD will follow once HUD finalizes entitlement funding levels (staff said HUD award notices are expected by mid-May). Board members were invited to send written feedback before council adoption. The board signaled informal agreement with the five project buckets and requested a more detailed June work session to set targets and guidance for the next round of solicitations.