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RESOLUTION TO REVISE THE SEDGWICK COUNTY GRANT APPLICATION AND AWARD POLICY.
Presented by: Justin M. Waggoner, Assistant County Counselor.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Take the action deemed appropriate by the Board of County Commissioners.
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Sedgwick County adopted a Grant Application and Award Policy in 2008, which has since been amended in 2012 and 2013. The Grant Application and Award Policy establishes procedures and requirements for grants that the County applies for and accepts. Furthermore, within the Grant Application and Award Policy, the Board of County Commissioners authorizes the County Manager to apply for and accept grants within specified parameters.
The key substantive change that is proposed would be the addition of subsection IV. G. Subsection IV. G. would prevent the County from applying for or entering into any grant agreements with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) that require an Assessment of Fair Housing. In 2015, HUD promulgated the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Final Rule ("AFFH") (24 C.F.R. Parts 5, 91, 92, et al. and 24 C.F.R. § 5.150 et seq.). The AFFH regulations are based upon a provision within the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3608) that has been in place since 1968, which requires federal agencies and grant recipients to further the purposes of the Fair Housing Act.
The AFFH requires grant applicants and recipients to complete an Assessment of Fair Housing for the following programs: (1) Community Development Block Grants; (2) HOME Investment Partnerships; (3) Emergency Solutions Grants; (4) Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS; (5) Section 8 housing assistance grants; and (6) Section 9 housing assistance grants.
Of the above-referenced grant programs, the only program that Sedgwick County currently participates in is Section 8 housing. Section 8 housing is a voucher program in which recipients receive a housing subsidy for a portion or all of the recipient's rent a...
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