By MARISSA DECHANT
Staff writer
Franklin City Council has approved a number of updates and resolutions to the city’s Community Development Block Grant program.
The group of seven plans and resolutions was presented at Monday’s council meeting by city community development coordinator Sheila Boughner as an update required every five years by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
“These are all required plans for CDBG for federal funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It’s all routine,” Boughner said.
“A lot of the things we’re required to do are more applicable to big urban areas than to our local rural county, but the same rules apply to everybody,” said Boughner.
The annual Fair Housing Resolution states that the city prohibits housing discrimination and will take various actions to promote fair housing, including establishing a complaint procedure and naming a fair housing officer. The city’s fair housing officer is code enforcement officer Chuck Gibbons.
An update to the Excessive Force Policy prohibits the use of excessive force by local law enforcement within the city against any individuals engaging in nonviolent civil rights demonstrations. Other ruling states that it is policy for Franklin to enforce applicable state and local laws against physically barring entrance to or exit from a facility or location that is the subject of nonviolent civil rights demonstrations within its jurisdiction.
The Residential Anti-Displacement and Relocation Assistance Plan was updated to indicate that the city will replace any occupiable low-to-moderate income dwelling units it demolishes or converts to other uses with HUD funds. All replacement housing will be provided within three years of the commencement of the demolition or rehabilitation relating to conversion.
The Section 3 Plan update promotes the opportunity for full participation by low and very low-income persons and businesses and sets Section 3 employment goals for both the city and contractors for CDBG contracts over $100,000.
The new Program Income Policy and Reuse Plan sets forth policy and procedures the city will follow if any of its CDBG-funded activities should generate additional funds, such as the income received from revolving loans. While the city does not currently have any CDBG programs that are generating program income, it is required to have a plan in place as to how it would handle such funds.
Lastly, the Citizen Participation Plan, updated with new language assistance procedures, is in place if the need ever arises for the translation and publishing of CDBG documents and notices into a language other than English.
With six city residents out of 6,191 having limited English proficiency, according to the most recent data, Franklin is not required to complete a language access plan at this time.
