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Hall County adopts CDBG procurement standards, fair-housing and LEP plan tied to Hornady expansion
Summary
The board approved CDBG-specific procurement standards, a fair-housing action and a language-assistance plan (LEP) as conditions of a Department of Economic Development award to support Hornady Manufacturing's expansion; the measures satisfy HUD/DED special-conditions and passed 6-0.
Lori Ferguson of the South Central Economic Development District told the Hall County board the county received a notice of approval from the Department of Economic Development and an executed memorandum of understanding for Community Development Block Grant funds to support Hornady Manufacturing's business expansion. "We did receive a notice of approval from the Department of Economic Development," Ferguson said.
Ferguson explained the county is now in a special-conditions phase that requires adopting procurement procedures and a code of conduct specific to CDBG projects; the board voted to adopt the procurement standards and code of conduct (6 yes). She also introduced a simple fair-housing action: publishing two notices in the Grand Island Independent during the project and tracking circulation numbers as proof of outreach; the board adopted that action as well (6 yes).
County staff and Sarah Carstensen (consulting counsel) presented a language-assistance plan intended to ensure compliance with LEP requirements tied to HUD funding. Carstensen noted many county offices already provide language-line services and bilingual staff, but recommended a simple tracking ledger and annual review so the county could demonstrate compliance during monitoring. "This document ensures once again that you are in compliance with everything related to the community development block grant program," Ferguson said.
All three measures passed unanimously in the meeting. The next steps include completing MOU-required publications and administrative steps so Hornady can draw CDBG funds when its project expenses are eligible.
The board took no separate financial action beyond adopting these policies; the underlying grant documents and the MOU were noted in the record (notice of approval Sept. 16; MOU dated Oct. 2).
