PUBLIC NOTICE

REQUEST FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS

CITY OF BROWNSVILLE

2021-2025 Consolidated Plan 

Comment Period: July 12, 2021 – July 16, 2021

PUBLIC NOTICE: THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS INVITED TO REVIEW AND COMMENT ON DOCUMENT "2021-2025 Consolidated Plan" AND MAKE SUGGESTIONS REGARDING THE USE AND ALLOCATION OF FEDERAL FUNDS RECEIVED BY BROWNSVILLE. YOUR SUGGESTIONS AND COMMENTS MAY BE DELIVERED BETWEEN July 12, 2021 AND NO LATER THAN July 16, 2021. For more information about this notice, please call (956) 548-6167. 

Notice is hereby given that the City of Brownsville has prepared its 2021 - 2025 Consolidated Plan for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program, and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program. The purpose of this notice is to obtain comments on the City of Brownsville’s proposed 2021 -2025 Consolidated Plan.

 Consolidated Plan:  The Consolidated Plan is designed to help states and local jurisdictions to assess their affordable housing and community development needs and market conditions, and to make data-driven, place-based investment decisions. The Consolidated planning process serves as the framework for a community-wide dialogue to identify the housing and community development priorities that align and focus funding from the CPD formula block grant programs: CDBG, ESG, and HOME programs.   The Consolidated Plan ( Con Plan) is a five-year strategic plan developed to determine the objectives that will be met over the next five years within the City of Brownsville using its CDBG, HOME, and ESG entitlement grant funds. The 2021-2025 Con Plan strategizes anticipated funding, objectives, and outcome goals for the 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 Program Years. Each program year of the Con Plan coincides with the City’s fiscal year, which is October 1 through September 30 of each calendar year.

Annual Action Plan: Each year, the City of Brownsville receives a formula- based allocation of the CDBG, HOME, and ESG entitlement grant from funds. The principal purpose of the Annual Action Plan is to show how these allocations will be expended during the coming year in a way that addresses the needs, priorities, and objectives contained in the City’s Con Plan. The 2021 Annual Action Plan implements the first program year of the 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan and is developed at the same time. The City’s 2021 CDBG Allocation is expected to be $2,731,110.00, the expected 2021 HOME allocation is $917,366.00, and the expected 2021 ESG allocation is $ 231,622.00.

Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice: While not subject to HUD’s requirement for a public comment period, the City expects to have the City’s Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing (AI) document ready for public viewing at some point during the Con Plan and Action Plan posting period. The draft AI will be posted at the same location as the Con Plan and Action Plan when ready to view. The AI focuses on actions, omissions, and decisions made because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, and familial status, or national origin, which restrict, or have the effect of restricting, housing choices or the availability of housing choices in the City of Brownsville. 

        A full description of the 2021-2025 Con Plan will be made available to any interested party throughout the 5-day comment period. The 2021-2025 Con Plan may be viewed online at https://www.brownsvilletx.gov/2227/Public-Notices. Interested parties are encouraged to submit written comments on the proposed 2021-2025 Con Plan for a 5-day period beginning Monday, July 12, 2021 and ending at 5:00p.m. Friday, July 16, 2021. The public may submit their electronic comment using the following Survey Monkey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BrownsvilleCONPLAN . Any interested party may also submit their written comments to Mr. Efren Trujillo Jr., Assistant Director of Office of Strategic Initiatives, RE: Consolidated Plan Input, 1150 E. Adams Street, 3rd Floor, Brownsville, TX 78520; Phone: (956) 548-6167; e-mail: [email protected] ; fax: (956) 548-6161. HUD has issued a memorandum of waivers for certain regulatory requirements associated with several CPD grant programs to facilitate assistance to eligible communities and households impacted  by the 2021 Texas Severe Winter Weather. The 30-day minimum for the required public comment is waived, provided that no fewer than 5 days are provided for public comments.

Public Hearings

In addition to the 5-day comment period, two (2) Virtual Public Hearings on the proposed 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan will take place:

   First Meeting:  Residents of Brownsville may log in via Webex with the following link: 

   https://brownsville.webex.com/brownsville/j.php?MTID=m25aa6d7d5e6b9a0dc55b6fdfb8efb7b9 or call 1-408-418- 9388, access code 146 653 6342, for virtual hearing, Tuesday, July 13, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

 Second Meeting:  Residents of Brownsville may log in via Webex with the following link: https://brownsville.webex.com/brownsville/j.php?MTID=m51aefff4f6eda112f05e5137b3448a48 or call 1-408-418-9388, access code 146 410 7825, for virtual hearing, Wednesday, July 14, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  

The City of Brownsville does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the admission of, access to, treatment of, or employment in its programs, activities, or public meetings. If language assistance is needed for Non-English speaking individuals, please contact (956) 548-6167. Any individual with a disability in need of an accommodation is encouraged to contact the ADA Coordinator at (956) 548-6037. For telephone access for people with speech or hearing loss, please call 1-800-RELAY-TX. Please provide 2-3 days’ notice so that proper accommodations can be provided.