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Denison CDBG steering committee plans to hire consultant for five-year consolidated plan
Summary
Staff recommended hiring Karen Dash Consulting to write Denison’s next five-year CDBG consolidated plan, using $27,000 remaining funds and a two-year contract structured to keep the award below the local bid threshold; the committee also set its 2025 meeting dates and approved prior minutes.
Staff presented a proposal to hire Karen Dash Consulting to prepare Denison’s next five-year Community Development Block Grant consolidated plan, related annual action plans and year-end CAPER reports, saying the consultant’s fee would be lower than the previous vendor and that a two-year contract would allow the city to spread payments over future administrative allocations.
The recommendation, introduced by a city staff member, said $27,000 remains available from current program funds and will be applied toward the consultant work. Staff said the consultant agreed to a two-year contract so the city would not have to pay the entire fee upfront and the contract amount is under the local threshold (about $49,000–$50,000) that would require formal council bidding.
Why it matters: HUD requires jurisdictions to submit a five-year consolidated plan for their CDBG programs; the plan shapes eligibility, priorities and the distribution of HUD-funded housing and social service activities. Staff told the committee the new plan will include a housing needs assessment, a social services review and robust community engagement to gather input from neighborhoods and stakeholders.
During discussion, staff said the previous consultant was Wade Trim (based in Michigan) and that peers in neighboring cities recommended Karen Dash Consulting as a more affordable, responsive option. Staff emphasized that the consultant process will have substantial community outreach and that HUD’s eligibility rules require the city to focus engagement on HUD-eligible geographies while still seeking broad input where appropriate.
The committee also approved the minutes from the Aug. 5 meeting and adopted the proposed quarterly meeting schedule for 2025 by voice vote. Staff said the CAPER (year-end) report is due to HUD in December and recommended a special meeting to approve that report (staff proposed Dec. 2).
