Was unavailable for the 32 Please hre. Johnson here, Joe steered him here maker here. Here, 6 present Commissioner Jalali is excused. so actually have take a motion to bring a few different items under suspension. So going take a motion from council, bring 2 bring items under suspension today for the agenda. So you see suspension item number, the first suspect I think we have to individually sector extent, correct? I that first and that's the only come under suspension. Okay. So seen emotional that All those in favor. Aye. All opposed. Resolution. 25 dash 3 can operate station to designate Atkinson development. think in Indiana Corporation Flaherty and Collins as tentative developer
of Central Station Block Saint Paul, Minnesota, District 17 or 2. All ready. So next Director Newton, thank you so much for being able to come in today to talk about this. All headed over to you. Thank you. Chair Johnson commissioners. Tis item is actually and it received a presentation on last week. And it's just check for your action today. So it's just flirting contest, tentative developer, the central Station Park and staff recommends approval of the idea. Any further questions on the item from council members. We did get a pretty robust update from staff. And actually, I MISS The opportunity to talk about the staff of us who their first time in front of the jury. I know that here today, but genuinely just appreciative of staff who are coming up. Mike, in front of us, I think from
this body for the first Jonathan is actually at the end last So seeing no other further a motion from from Commissioner Kemp. Yes, have no questions. But I did just want to say I spoke exuberantly about this project last week. I will do that in the course of doing that. I completely forgot to recognize our stalwart partners at the Metropolitan Council. Michael Pence is here. And and maybe someone else from council. And suspect. Why did not want to forget a second time? thank you to both of you. I we have had 6 and a half years worth of every other weekly meetings in which at least Michael, I'm sure probably had as Philip me at times. But
we've gotten to this point and I'm really, really grateful for your partnership. And I know the partnership is just continuing after this point. So excited to move approval So commissioner. Maker moves approval of item. All those in favor. Any opposed. 6 in favor. None oppose. The resolution is adopted resolution. 25 dash 309 authorizing the city to enter into execute a co-operative funding agreement for Rice Street and La Printer Avenue. Gateway Alliance Consulting Services with the city of Roseville and the city of Maplewood in accordance with the rice Larkin vision plan. This item has been withdrawn. 2 counts, not just at that. This was city council have nature. It'll just come to
other body. Those were my eact words. So the for that, only being withdrawn because we'll hear that the council, the next item that we have right now is just highlights from the 2025 National Community Development Association. Staff report sr 25 Dash highlights from the 2025 National Community Development Association Conference. Chuck Johnson doesn't yet have get some feedback here just from the with that are coming through. We had a chance myself and deputy Director Green had a chance to just hear a little bit from their experience and their space. I'm excited to see them come in. And speaking of staff members who have I had a chance to present in front of this body and this is Deputy Director Green's first
time doing well. So I'll hand it over to I think you Johnson commissioners again at Deputy director and cfo Nicole Greens with additional staff today to bring some highlights. They just came back from the ncd a conference which is something that that we're a member of and they can tell you more about how that membership benefits us and what they've learned and some some information that back around our federal funding opportunities with that threw the conference. So I'll turn it over to the p Thank director. To Johnson. Commissioners, it's a pleasure to join you today with staff with grants Rick and Jessica Deegan. We are. Fresh freshly returned from my hometown of Washington, D.C., and the National Community Development Association Conference want to
turn it over the and have her get started. It was a good conference. I believe I don't have anything compare it to because my first one. but there definitely is a a little bit of angst in the air. And so just go ahead and get started with our report. Thank you. It afternoon, Commissioner Genson MISTER Chair Genson commissioners. it is but a recovery grants program administrator with planning and economic development. We in pd have been a member of the National Community Development Association probably 2017, give or take a year or 2 it's an organization is a membership organization for cities and counties across the country that receive federal funds through the hut. Programs intended programs
of Cdbg Community Development Block Grant the home investment partnerships, which usually see on your projects listed as home and emergency Solutions Grant, which we currently have a gpa with the county for. That's our homeless assistance Grant. This organization is real vital with pd in managing our federal funds. It gives crucial legislative updates action alerts shortly the conference we actually had one congressperson called one of the members happened to the mta PRESIDENT There was tax on to bill would have changed reporting under our consolidated plan, which would have increased a regulatory compliance. And and our hours
of reporting significantly and that Congress person just happen to call that into members saying, hey, how does this affect you? They immediately got information out to all of the members who could then respond to their Congress. Folks say this is how this affects us and that touchdown was actually removed. It's it's a very effective organization. In addition to these updates and action alerts, they provide technical assistance they will go through the proposed rules. Breaking down for us and to items that actually effect, you know, as groups are cities so that we figure out how to compliance, regulations and policies around these rules provide discounted training opportunities for us cdbg, these federal grant Cdbg,
especially have heavy regulations that surrounds them and they take quite intensive training. Not just in but with our project managers who use them as financing tools. There definite outcomes that we have to achieve national objectives. So most of the funds need to reach low and moderate income folks. So depending upon how we use the funds, if we ever have to use them, I's a particular areas or have actual households and it they these regulations. Tell us specifically how we document these types of outcomes. So it's very hefty
regulatory. So having these discounted trading opportunities is fabulous. We recently brought in a trainer the city for an advanced home place and that 15, 15 of our own folks. Plus jurisdictions are neighboring jurisdictions that folks to get. Get trained as well. It's it's a great resource when we're at these conferences, there's one JANUARY every year in Washington. And then there's also a summer conference. That travels around. We actually hosted it in 2022, anybody? It was it. after getting infected, it just looking at that. I all that winter conference allows us to kind of get a feel for what's coming coming through administration. I will say
this year was little. Nothing conference that we had. Usually we have had staff that attend with us. So we get it. The you know, direction straight from the source right? This year. They pulled out last minute. So organization had to pivot. They still provided some great great content and still on regulations. But it was just more pier to pier that it was from themselves. We did get a couple of folks from the Appropriations Committee out of Congress meant offices to come. Talk to us give us the feeling around the budget and that kind of stuff too. Not the happiest of times right now it a little stressful, but it was nice to commiserate with folks that have the the same. You know, we're dealing with the same issues that we are. So it was it was a good conference. And this
last I was selected to be serve on their board of directors so that we know actually a national committee. So anybody have any Christensen, the organization itself. What are so we are still working currently on continuing resolution. So that for the next 8. Thanks to 2 weeks. And the budget. We'll be waiting to hear fom the feds. Federal agency as what decisions beyond that will be made. We have. Working us let the Fokker and Carol in twin full to continue to strategize. What can we in the meantime? What how how select areas to pivot additional funding that
we need plan for. Should our federal grants be significantly reduced or than the native some of those jurisdictions, including Ramsey County. They publicly announced that they're spending future spending and contracting until Full budget additional decision is made. So that's where we are at the moment. We have not made that announcement and not made that decision yet. And that just a can will speak a little bit more to to some of things that we can do. But as of now, all our spending and all of our projects hurt and they're still in motion. They haven't started. Thank you. Deputy Director Green. I saw a question from commissioner maker thanks Johnson. So that just to be
clear, screen that the fact that the fiscal year 25 budget is still this is the federal budget is still some check to a continuing resolution through MARCH. What does that mean in terms of our? Annual allocation there? 4 million dollars of cdbg in 2025. Is that. Allotted to us or is that a lot of to us pending some different decision in MARCH or Chair Jones and members so the 2025 funding as And called mentioned is and continuing resolution until that time. Budgets that had been in place. Both in the House and the Senate. We're pretty much flat spending with prior years or 24 budget. So we would have made and we are making some statements and are working. Our consolidated plan right now is about presentation not too long ago,
which is a 25 to 29 plan. What we're putting in the 29 plan is here's our funding from last year. This MAY change, but that's kind of where the House and Senate bills where, of course, everything is up in the air and know more after the continuing resolution. In MARCH. But we would normally be submitting our con plan APRIL. We'll have it out for public comment here soon. And once that's up to public comment and comes back, we still don't have a budget in place. We are not allowed to submit that until we have the final numbers last yar was late as well. And we didn't get our allocation until AUGUST. So guests are going to see a pretty late allocation again in the late number. And we don't know. We don't know what will happen when they when they start working on a continuing resolution again.
But we're looking at it would be funding we would see in the summer again. If things do move on. can sure make as a follow-up, thanks Johnson just to follow up and be super crystal clear. So and no, nothing's clear to the extent that we know it, do we? Do we know that we have any cdbg esg year or home money in 2025. And if so, how much do we have? And if not? I say we don't know any amount of that and we will know the the amount of funds we would receive in 2025 until the budget passes. So what will happen is once the top line passes gets than they have. it's 3 or 60 days, 60 days, thank you to do that allocation and give us a number. So it's sort of at a minimum say a budget passes. MARCH 15th looking 60 days after that before we would
even have an actual number. And of course, it's all up in there. So we don't know. And unfortunately, there is your crystal Yes, thanks to Johnson for your. Patients with I 301, question. I noticed you talk about some jurisdictions like Ramsey County are causing coming until all. The budget passes. Are we are you recommending that we do the same? Yeah. You want see it So Benton County has not put out a solicitation for their 2025 funds yet we put our cdbg money through the cip process. So are 25 26 for 24. And 25 funds were already allocated as part of that cip budget. So we can't pass it because we already did it. The only thing is we are contracting with anybody it you know, they're the center part of our adopted capital budget. If we don't get the funds, obviously we won't be able to fund every
and what that that they were a And then as a follow-up just from that piece. Would you be able to share a little bit about what that actually translates to? So if that decision is being made and we whether we have fun and mean, if we get the funding that we need them, this is not an issue. However, there are certain things that that we should be considering when it comes to what happens or what is bing discussed. What's being discussed now about what happens we are able we are able to get the funding. So we get roughly 6 and a half million dollars in cdbg, roughly about 1.8 in home funds and another 570 in evidence 1000 India's chief we would we would not be able to you know, provide the mney to Ramsey County to run those homeless assistance programs. 1.9 million of dollars housing production would not be
available under our home. And then the 6.7 million that we get cdbg roughly about 2 million of that goes to our said recipient partners. The 4.7 is used by the city in various aspects. One pint 4 million of it comes into pd to pay for grant management. As you can imagine, the significant regulatory. Policies around this money, it's it's there's some significant administration to it. That, you know, that equates to roughly, you know, Sic 70's and pd that get paid for anything. But it also a is for half a million dollars of right track. So its are, you know, youth. Programming out of our parks department usually do 2 to 3 parks
projects ayear and yes, I uses the funds for its fake and housing. So if we don't get those funds, we can't run those programs unless we found other source. Thank you. And we are working if this central grants we're talking about that now. So we haven't we're in discussions. We haven't made any, you know, make great headway. We have another meeting, I think tomorrow and on that. And just for clarity. And sounds like then we are currently pause it and those programs that we're doing that are funded through tvg year to yesteryear home. We're not putting a pause right now, operationally at the city on any of these programs. Until we hear back. So anything that was funded with so some of the stuff was funded with 2024 funds because we Our grant JUNE one through MAY 31st. While our budget year is, you JANUARY one
through DECEMBER 31st. So we're little Kitty want this. So everything in the 1st half of the year is still being run off the 2024 grants that we have got late in 2024. So we want to start anything in 2025 that we can't that we have received the money for yet. But that's typical like we didn't sign any recent recipient agreements in 2024 until like SEPTEMBER because we didn't get our funding until AUGUST. It's everything will be pushed back. But it's it's typical on the other thing that would be typical as not getting the full ok? Thank you. I'm hoping Slater slides have some good news coming and appreciate it. Well, I like I said overall that the conference itself was positive. It was from my perspective to have some time
to immerse myself right into learning of National Community Development Association spinning the first couple of days. Here with my leadership team immersed in training hearing from the leaders across the nation and that sense of that networking that talked lot about that in her presentation. Right? And hearing the the tips and hearing the information and with what is happening. A lot of work emergency management and a lot of work emergency housing in general support across the nation. So that information, I think was very helpful for me kind of opened over my awareness. Happening here in Saint Paul and having getting to spend some clothes time with my colleagues here
that we don't always get to do And then the regulatory updates, the detail about the regulatory updates talking We're not that sure. Thanks everyone. So we talked about the other pieces we've done at the conference to the big elephant in the room with what's happening with the budget and the Leadership Institute. But a lot of the reasons we go to these conferences are for the training aspects as well because things are always changing even in normal operations in the regulatory world of these programs and staying on top of it understanding those rules is really important for us. But there are 3 things whirling in the regulatory world for these grants as we're going to this conference and there is a there's a new rule has said
the new final rule for the Home investment partnerships program was issued and it was to be go into effect on FEBRUARY. Second, we all learned at the time when we're at the conference of that got delayed while every regulatory piece that happened in the 60 days prior to the administration came in, got pulled back for that review. So our team and what we do with this type of work when we we know what's going on with rules. Of course, we review them. Cao reviews them a lot of detail. And we learned from my peers and we learn directly from hood off and what the intent behind these regulations are. So that particular rule particularly are shattered getting all the
details of all the technical changes and and streamlining efforts that went into our home pogram. And that's kind of a beast of a housing development program. It's hard money to use. So we've been tracking that rule. But that rule get a delayed and we're still above will work with folks. We change regulatory agreement and we change our programs and policies have as a result of that. So we're tracking that. We were excited about the changes and the community Development Block Grant program had some preliminary propose rules rulemaking last year. So we're anticipating a final rule. They didn't make it to the finish line of that final rule prior to the new administration. And so any further streamlining of the cdbg program rules is is sort of off the table for the time
being. So we are disappointed in that because if there's a program that could use some streamlining its the community Development Block grant program complicated to use. And of course, we will follow the rules, but we like it when the rules get a little easier for all parties involved. So our team will continue to track any further rulemaking on cdbg and implement that as necessary. We are in the process of implementing a new rule right now. We're a final rule that to see if our the code of federal regulations, part 200 is our over omb grants management. These to call it uniform grants guidance various other names. That rule came out last year and was in effect in OCTOBER. So our team, including cao and accounting, have been working really what are all the
changes we need in regulatory agreements policies and procedures. And so on of of all of these real. So those all of those rule pieces are part of these conferences. It's maybe not the most exciting facets of it. But in some respects compliance perspective, it's the most important. We also spend a lot of time at these conferences just pier to pier learning and what other folks in different jurisdictions are doing. We I happened to sit in a lot of homeless assistance type of Sessions. Beth, we did round tables about it and talked with folks across the country about what they're seeing and what they're doing. We talked with folks across the country about things like tenant, protections and rent control. And I will say I just want to give a shout out because we got a shout out where we're at the conference at Saint Paul. Does things right a lot of
these ways our differently than those communities. So people tend to look at Saint Paul, as you guys are. You guys are doing things really well. Who does that to this team? We also learned a lot about disaster response from our peers. Now, of course, we don't have a lot of natural disasters that occur in Minnesota, but we learned from folks in California and we talk to people in North Carolina when there are those disasters, how these federal funds can pivot pretty quickly. We also spent a lot of time talking about technology and the need for grants management software in issues like disaster response, but also in a situation like experiencing with our the threat to the federal pause on
grant a couple weeks ago. We don't have centralized ban system in our city to allowed us to quickly pull together the data that we need to make decisions. So that's something that kinda came up in the conference and we continue to think about so those are some of the trends we we learned about and some of the work we did what we were out tere and for happy take other questions. Commissioner, thank you Thank you so much for the presentation. I'm happy to hear about the the conference going. Wow, I have a question. Seemed like over our conversation was really top heavy aound and public sector, which is really important because a lot of our funding comes from there. I'm out of curiosity. When I think about community development often think about like banks that operate within the
community development sace. Is there any partnerships are, you know, in this place of uncertainty we have explored it looks like with the public, private public sector relationship. Looks like there are was that something that came up during the conference time different. No national long. Agencies that fund different type of community development projects. not to understand the question. Sure that Yeah, I think some of some of the presentations that were Those communities explored. Creative ways to partner private agencies. So, yes, you know, there there are examples of
pull any off the top of my head. But again, importance of the conference was to be able network with those folks. I'm sure we can reach out to and identify specifically what they did. I there at least 3 presentations that come t mind. Where I know that they they moved creatively to be able to increase either volume recovery that they were able to do in the time or the amount of support that they were able to give to the community. At least 3 of them are coming to light. Just don't know the specifics. And this might be just more just like innovative like, you we might not be there. We might have done it before. And this is trying to see just where particularly where the city's role because nowhere the twin cities of the Fortune 500 companies. And there's a lot of resources and a lot of
this is that, you know, have shared shared vision, shared goals, not just wondering if we ever as a as or as a city council like we've subsidized housing. But we have let other private sectors subsidized housing of us wonder and there's ever been in desperation around like partnership. Or the case that we MAY not have the funding from the federal government. So. Yeah, I think that is definitely an interesting direction to go and that they at least 3 organizations, 3 areas that they probably spoken at. We can just revisit that with the Ncba board and bring that information back those details. Back to those presentations. Yes, commissioner, thanks to I just want to thank you for putting this on the agenda and thanks so much to the staff are
taking time to let us know. I think we often have staff go out all over. The country were often approving. Travel for different city staff. And we almost never hear what was learned there. So it means a lot and I think is really good practice to That's the So thank you. Thank Yeah, I appreciate that. Deputy drector of dream even asking are posing the question. If we want to hear about it because I think one of the things that's really relevant in this topic, is there active updates as we heard that just kind of especially in this area? And if you're just looking? I know briefly talked about that the conference lives. But in our presentation dock, we do have like what funding this for and the Breakdown Co. We're talking about millions
of resources that we're a land here at our and our local world to find our housing economic development investments here in our city. And so I am I'm going to be curious and I think it would really love to continue to hear from a city responding even from a lens of just knowing locally this a nationwide discussion. But also what we're hearing locally their efforts to continue to just support on our into. That is something that I really be interested knowing I know there's that the federal government a lot of things that are byond uncertain if their collective efforts that are happening locally to from the state wth other cities and other places that also are probably looking
at. Resources and realizing they also have multiple million dollar things that they're like having a question mark over cdbg dollars over home dollars is really big And so just as we continue to have that been looking forward to. You that the new leadership on the board of directors and this hearing back from what we're hearing now around the pulse of this just because there are things that seem to be taking rather quickly. And so just hearing from you all that that's not that's not a facade. That's reality. When it does change and it's going to be spaces where you're going to conferences and hearing about those updates. Real time. Well, not reassuring. Definitely affirming the nature of just the times that we have right now. What we're looking. Director Newton Johnson, I
just want to at that. We you can sign up for email. That sort of e-mail updates so we can get you the information about that. And often we are members so they're they're sometimes like online training that very inexpensive or free that you might you or your legislative aides or others might want to participate in I it's it's a benefit to resource So we would for you to take advantage of that as much as you would like share that information with you as well. And he's mentioned I think if we need to it and if you're interested in, we want to bring national leadership, you virtually too address any issues or questions or do a session. Thinking want to take advantage of. That's position getting our schedule as well. Thank you. And the other question
before we let but them go. It's a. All righty. Thank you. Thank you. That is the last item that we have on the agenda, so I am happy to give us some time back before council meeting it.