Chapter Managing the Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan

							Chapter 1                          Managing the Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan Processes

ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAMS

The City of Champaign Neighborhood Services Department will be the lead entity in the planning and
implementation of the majority of programs carried out with federal funds. The City has and will
continue to create partnerships with non-profit developers, Community Housing Development
Organizations (CHDOs), social service providers, and other units of local government to expand the City’s
ability to provide affordable housing and community development programs. For the projects to be
undertaken in year one of this plan, the lead entity is identified in the CPMP Project Summary Tables.

PLAN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AND COLLABORATION WITH OTHER ENTITIES

The City undertook a comprehensive process of data collection and citizen input to develop the 2005-
2009 Consolidated Plan and FY 2005/06 Action Plan. Champaign staff worked with staff from the City of
Urbana to hold series of focus groups with social service agencies, non-profits, and other public and
private entities to collect information in the following housing and community development areas:

 •   Youth issues                    •   Senior housing and services   •   Affordable housing
 •   Housing and services for        •   Housing for persons with      •   Homelessness (Continuum
     disabled persons                    HIV/AIDS                          of Care)

A comprehensive listing of focus group participants and other plan contributors is included in Appendix A.
In addition to focus groups, the City also collected a considerable amount of data and citizen input
through the development of the Neighborhood Wellness Plan. The Wellness Plan Analysis Report update
process was conducted concurrently with the preparation of the Consolidated Plan. The Wellness Plan
assesses the physical and social conditions of each of the City’s neighborhoods. Data is collected and
analyzed in the following areas: housing conditions, real estate market trends, property maintenance,
population and demographic characteristics, civic involvement, household economic conditions,
infrastructure, and public safety. This data collection and analysis process was completed in the fall of
2004. Once the data analysis was completed, City staff then held a series of meetings to solicit input
from residents regarding the information collected for their neighborhoods.

The information collected through this intensive citizen participation process, when combined with data
from other sources such as the U.S. Census and Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, allowed the City of
Champaign to set its affordable housing and community development goals and strategies for the next
five years. The Neighborhood Services Advisory Board and City Council then reviewed these strategies
and determined which of these should be addressed in this first program year, based on the priority
needs and the available resources. Some new initiatives, although high in priority, will have to be
addressed in future years, when additional funding can be identified. Other initiatives, such as the
residential TIF, will take some time to research and are not likely to be implemented within the first year.

COORDINATION AMONG AGENCIES/INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE

The City will continue to coordinate efforts with the other agencies that were involved in this document
preparation process throughout the five-year duration of the plan. Staff members from the City of
Champaign participate in committees that discuss issues related to non-profit agency funding, the
homeless continuum of care, low/moderate income mortgage lending, health care needs of the low-
income population, lead-based paint hazards, and public housing. During meetings that were held
specifically to collect data for the Consolidated Plan, many groups found that the opportunity to network
and discuss the coordination of services was very helpful. Prior to the Consolidated Plan meetings, no
framework had been established to allow agencies that served the same clientele to collaborate or share
critical information. This created gaps in the delivery of services to some populations and overlap or



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duplication in programming for others. Several of the focus groups expressed an interest in continuing to
meet on a regular basis, including the affordable housing non-profits and the agencies involved in
providing housing for the elderly. This City will help to facilitate these networking opportunities and will
stay involved in discussions of service coordination.

The City of Champaign Neighborhood Services staff work closely with adjacent units of local government
and other quasi-governmental agencies including the City of Urbana, Champaign County, the Champaign
Park District, the Housing Authority of Champaign County, and the local public health district. Staff
regularly attend or monitor meetings of these entities’ boards and commissions. The City and the
Housing Authority are working together to complete the redevelopment of the Burch Village public
housing complex. This joint endeavor has strengthened the City’s ties to the agency and will allow for
continuing cooperation on future projects.

Because many of the clients served through Champaign Neighborhood Services programs are also
assisted by other social service agencies and the local utility companies, the City maintains a good
network of communication and referral with these other entities. Frequently, an individual who is
receiving utility assistance from the Urban League of Champaign County, for example, might also benefit
from accessibility modifications to his home. Urban League is aware of the City’s programs and can make
a referral to our office to fill that individual’s need.

Because the City of Champaign receives HOME funding through a consortium arrangement with the City
of Urbana and Champaign County, staffs from these agencies meet monthly to share information and
keep informed about HOME related issues. Champaign staff also continues to host and participate in the
monthly Community Reinvestment Group meetings to discuss how to increase low/moderate income
home buying opportunities and how to reduce the barriers to homeownership, particularly for minority
and lower income households.

Institutional Structure – City and Housing Authority [24 CFR 91.215(i)]

The City of Champaign and the Housing Authority of Champaign County operate as separate entities
under state law. The Cities of Champaign and Urbana each have two appointments to the HACC Board of
Commissioners. A fifth position serves as a “floating” appointment that rotates between the two cities. A
sixth commissioner is appointed by the Champaign County Board, while the seventh commissioner is a
resident appointment. Although the City of Champaign has offered assistance to the HACC for recent
staff appointments and the Executive Director recruitment and hiring process, there is no formal
agreement between the two entities. When practical, efficient, or cost-saving, the City of Champaign and
the HACC can cooperate on the purchase of supplies, employee benefits, etc. This arrangement would
be treated the same as other government partners wishing to do business with the City of Champaign.

During the Annual Agency Plan public comment period, the City of Champaign receives a copy prior to
certifying that the Plan is consistent with the City’s adopted Consolidated Plan. This review process
includes reviewing any upcoming demolition or disposition cases, proposed capital improvement projects,
and overall policy changes. The City of Champaign and the HACC have enjoyed a much more
cooperative arrangement since the late 1990’s due to the redevelopment activities at Taylor Thomas
Subdivision, Oakwood Trace Townhomes, and Burch Village/ Douglass Square. For the general public,
the HACC makes copies of its plans and reports available at the Champaign and Urbana public libraries.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PROCESS

As noted in the prior section, the development of the plan included an extensive citizen participation
process. A copy of the Champaign’s Citizen Participation Plan is included in the Appendix to the
document in its entirety. The Citizen Participation Plan was developed by the Neighborhood Services
Advisory Board in consultation with local residents. As new technology has become available, such as the

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City’s website and cable access channel, the Citizen Participation Plan has been expanded to include
these additional methods of outreach. To summarize, the City’s Citizen Participation Plan provides a
process for the open and equitable access to Consolidated Plan information by all citizens. Because the
City understands that all residents do not access information in the same manner, staff makes additional
efforts to reach out to persons that cannot be reached through conventional means. Methods used to
provide information and obtain input include advertisements in the newspaper of general circulation,
notices on the City’s cable access channel and website, airtime on the local radio station devoted to
minority concerns, postings in the libraries, direct postcard mailings to target area residents (when
funding allows), notices to public housing residents via the Housing Authority, and the distribution of
materials (in both English and Spanish) at neighborhood events and agency meetings.

The City held three public hearings in preparation of this plan. Two were held during Neighborhood
Services Advisory Board meetings and the final one during a City Council meeting. Notification of the 30-
day comment period for the draft plan was posted in all City government facilities, the libraries, and the
Housing Authority, as well as the newspaper of general circulation, City website, and cable access
channel. All public meetings involving the Consolidated Plan are held in facilities accessible to the
physically disabled. If special or non-routine accommodations or translation services are required for a
disabled or non-English speaking person who wishes to attend, the City will do its best to provide those
services with 24-hour prior notice. The University of Illinois Office of International Student Affairs can
provide translation services in up to 22 different languages and dialects, with prior notice.

The City’s website was recently expanded to allow more program information to be shared with computer
users. Because of the increase in the City’s Hispanic population, more of the City’s program brochures
and announcements are being printed in Spanish. The City’s cable access channel will also offer more
Spanish programming. In the upcoming year, staff will continue to look for creative methods to reach its
target audiences.

Comments received during the preparation of the plan and the 30-day public comment period are
included in Appendix G. Suggestions made by individuals have now been incorporated into this
document. Comments regarding additional leveraging will be enacted as possible over the next five
years. The City intends to expand its resources through public/private partnerships currently being
developed.

MONITORING

The Champaign Neighborhood Services Department has responsibility for the preparation of the
Consolidated Plan and all annual updates. The department oversees programs implemented with CDBG
and HOME funding and, as such, is subject to all regulations pertaining to the grant sources.

Properties rehabilitated through the City’s housing programs are subject to local building codes. The
City’s Building Safety Division enforces compliance with local codes. All properties undergo a complete
code inspection prior to the walkthrough conducted by rehab staff. A rehab staff member trained and
certified in risk assessment techniques also assesses each property for potential lead-based paint
hazards. Once rehab projects are underway, rehab staff conducts periodic inspections. No payments are
issued to contractors until the rehab staff has approved the quality of the work. The final payment is not
made to the contractor until such time as the Building Safety Division certifies that all work has been
done in compliance with code standards. The property must also be tested to ensure it is cleared of
lead-based paint hazards.

The Neighborhood Services Department is also responsible for the monitoring of all CDBG and HOME
subrecipients. These include both housing development agencies and non-profit public service providers.
A thorough consultation is conducted with the subrecipient prior to the execution of any contract
documents. All contracts are prepared in compliance with HUD requirements. The City’s Legal



Managing the Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan Processes                                         3
Department also reviews documents prior to execution. Once the program is underway, periodic
monitoring visits are conducted to ensure compliance with all HUD and local requirements. All agencies
receiving grant funding from the City are required to provide written quarterly reports outlining activities
undertaken during the quarter.

HUD staff conducted a monitoring visit in September 2002 primarily to review the City’s process for
monitoring its subrecipient agencies. The HUD staff offered several suggestions for improving the
process, including the addition of a post-grant monitoring visit to assess overall performance.
Neighborhood Services staff has revised its monitoring checklists and adding an end-of-the-year visit to
its subrecipient process. City staff is also working with other local funding agencies, including the United
Way, the City of Urbana, and the Mental Health Board, to determining whether the entities can combine
monitoring and performance assessment efforts. These meetings will continue into FY 2005/06.

The City undergoes a comprehensive annual financial audit conducted by an independent auditing firm.
The auditors thoroughly review all expenditures and financial processes related to the City’s block grant
programs. The auditors have stated no concerns with the financial status of any of the programs. In
addition, the City meets HUD requirements for timely expenditure of funds. In general, each year’s
entitlement is spent or obligated within 6 months of the end of the fiscal year.

All program activities and expenditures under CDBG and HOME are documented in the Consolidated
Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). All documents, including the CAPER and
Consolidated Plan, are made available for public review for the HUD-determined duration of time.

PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT

In accordance with CPD Notice 2003-09, the City is developing a set of performance measurement tools
for each program or activity funded through the use of HUD dollars. The City recently acquired a
tracking software program which allows staff to keep large amounts of data on all rehab projects as well
as homebuyer assistance activities. This data, coupled with field data gathered during the update of the
Neighborhood Wellness plan, will allow the City to gauge how effective the rehab and homebuyer
programs are at achieving neighborhood stability – one of the most significant outcomes anticipated for
these programs. These data sets are just being developed and staff will continue to refine the
measurement tools and processes over the next year.

All agencies that will be receiving CDBG or HOME funding through a subrecipient arrangement with the
City were asked to provide information on how they will measure the effectiveness of each funded
activity. In the grant proposals, agencies were asked to identify the goals of the program or activity, the
staffing and resource inputs, the outputs expected, and the outcomes they hope to achieve. Staff also
asked each agency to set up a system for measuring outcomes that staff could then review as part of the
on-going monitoring process. As expected, some agencies found it difficult to quantify program success,
although each agency agreed to develop a system by the start of the program year. Staff will continue to
work with these agencies to create tools that are useful both to the City and to the agency.

Some of the anticipated outcomes from these programs may take years to achieve. Although one of the
main goals of a housing rehab program may be to improve or stabilize property values in a
neighborhood, the results may not be perceptible or quantifiable for many years. The same is true of
many social service programs funded by the City. One anticipated outcome of an after-school program
may be to improve participants’ grade point averages. However, this is not likely to happen within one
semester but may occur gradually over a student’s four-year span in high school. Also, because many of
the problems being tackled through programs funded under CDBG and HOME are sociologically complex
and deep-rooted in our culture, the lack of favorable outcomes may not indicate that programs are
failing. The impact may only be felt by a few families; but for those few, the benefits could be life-
changing.

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