Title
Approving an interlocal agreement with the City of Austin, City of Round Rock, Williamson County, Travis County and the Housing Authorities of Austin, Georgetown, Round Rock, Taylor and Travis County for the procurement of consulting services for an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) and authorizing the City Manager to execute the same.
Summary
This item has been included on the agenda to discuss authorizing the City Manager to execute an interlocal agreement with the City of Austin, City of Round Rock, Williamson County, Travis County and the Housing Authorities of Austin, Georgetown, Round Rock, Taylor and Travis County for the procurement of consulting services for an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH).
From its inception, the Fair Housing Act and subsequent laws reaffirming its principles not only prohibited discrimination but also imposed a duty to affirmatively further fair housing on participants in the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and administrators of the federal public housing and/or Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. The requirements to affirmatively further fair housing are found at 24 CFR §§5.150 through 5.180 of federal statutes and direct program participants to submit an Assessment of Fair Housing to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This assessment takes approximately a year to complete and is due to HUD prior to the submittal of the City’s next Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program Consolidated Plan in 2019.
The assessment is intended to inform and guide participants’ goal setting, priorities and strategies unique to each jurisdiction to fulfill their duty of affirmatively furthering fair housing policies. The assessment is also intended to encourage joint and regional collaborations in identifying and addressing cross-jurisdictional housing challenges. The assessment will provide information necessary for all parties to establish individual goals related to better provide the services and activities which each entity is authorized to provide. Additionally, the interlocal also allows for the participating agencies to combine their purchasing efforts in order to achieve greater efficiency and cost-savings to all entities; to minimize duplication and maximize efficiency by coordinating their efforts; and to eliminate multiple government solicitations and reduce related expenses.
Status
The Planning and Legal Departments for the City of Pflugerville and all participating parties have reviewed and approved the language in the interlocal agreement.
Deadline for City Council Action
The deadline for action on this item is August 8, 2017 in order to meet mandatory deadlines for submittal of the AFH to HUD.
Fiscal Impact
The City of Pflugerville will utilize administrative grant dollars from the CDBG program to pay for the City of Pflugerville's portion of the cost of the AFH. The expenditure from grant dollars will not exceed $25,000. The allocation of the cost of the AFH among the listed governmental entities is attached to this agenda item.
Staff Recommendation
This item has been been prepared for discussion and direction to staff as appropriate.
Drafter
Emily M. Barron, AICP
Planning Director