2014 STATE OF MISSISSIPPI CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PLAN

INTRODUCTION

All citizen participation requirements must be met by the applicant community prior to submittal of an application for CDBG funds through Mississippi's Community Development Block Grant Program. It will be the applicant's responsibility to provide evidence to the State during the site visit and subsequent site visits, if funded, that each of the elements required by the State's Community Development Block Grant Citizen Participation Plan has been carried out.

The State will award a CDBG grant to successful applicants only if the applicant certifies that all requirements of the State's CDBG Citizen Participation Plan have been met. The requirements are:

The applicant must conduct public hearings, one at least seven (7) days prior to application submittal, and, if funded, one during the life of the project for each CDBG application submitted except for Emergency Public Facilities applications, which will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The hearings are to be conducted in order to obtain citizens' views and to respond to proposals and questions at all stages of the program;

The applicant must provide for and encourage citizen participation, particularly by persons of low to moderate income who are residents of the area(s) in which CDBG funds are to be expended;

The applicant must provide citizens with reasonable and timely access to local meetings, information, and records relating to the applicant's proposed use of funds, as required by regulations of the Secretary and relating to the actual use of funds under this title;

The applicant must provide technical assistance to groups representative of persons of low to moderate income that request such assistance in developing proposals, with the type and level of assistance to be determined by the applicant;

The meetings shall be conducted after adequate notice and at times and locations convenient to potential or actual beneficiaries, with accommodations for the handicapped;

CITZNPAR.PLN

Page 1

2014

The applicant must provide for a timely written answer to written complaints and grievances within seven (7) working days where practicable; and

The applicant must identify how the needs of non-English speaking residents will be met in the case of public hearings where a significant number of non-English speaking residents can be reasonably expected to participate.

The Initial Public Hearing

An initial public hearing must be conducted in the proposed project area to inform the local citizens of the applicant's intention to apply for funds and to obtain local citizens' input. The public hearing must be conducted in an area that is accessible to the handicapped.

The applicant must publish a notice of the initial public hearing not less than 14 nor more than 20 days prior to the date of the meeting in the legal or non-legal section of a newspaper of general circulation. This notice must specify the actual activities proposed to be undertaken should the project be funded. Applicants are encouraged to use additional methods of informing the public of the hearing, especially the citizenry residing in low to moderate income neighborhoods.

During the public hearing, the applicant must furnish information to the citizens concerning amounts of funds available statewide for proposed community development activities, the types of eligible activities that may be undertaken, amount of CDBG funds expected to benefit low to moderate income persons, the proposed CDBG activities likely to result in displacement, and the applicant's plans to minimize displacement of persons and to assist displaced persons.

The applicant must inform citizens that written comments will be accepted regarding the proposed use of funds and areas to be targeted for assistance and must provide a reasonable time period and location for submittal of written comments. Technical assistance must be provided to representatives of persons of low to moderate income as appropriate in developing program input.

The applicant must ensure that local files contain documentary evidence that the hearing was held, including the actual notice, original proof of publication of the notice, the attendance roster and detailed minutes of the meeting. Copies of these must be submitted to the State with the application. The applicant must also retain the attendance roster and minutes of the meeting in the file for public review. All pertinent records, including written citizens' comments must be maintained and made available for review by the State. Further, should the applicant receive an on-site visit, this information must be available for review. The Chief Executive Officer of the applicant must sign the written minutes of the meeting.

In determining the proposed project location and needs to be addressed by the proposed project, the applicant must consider both citizen input that was received during the public meeting and the written comments that were received within the designated time frame after the public hearing.

The Second Public Hearing

After notification of funding award, a second public hearing must be conducted during the life of the project to provide a review of program performance. The hearing shall be conducted in the area of the community where the project is located and must be accessible to the handicapped.

The same method of notifying the public of the meeting that was used for the initial public meeting must be used. Recipients are encouraged to use additional methods to notify persons in the area where the project is on-going.

Records of the meeting must be retained in the local files. These records must include a copy of the actual notice, the attendance roster, and a copy of the minutes of the meeting that bear the signature of the recipient's Chief Executive Officer.

The State encourages the establishment of a local task force composed of residents from the project area. In the event that local interest is not sufficient to establish a task force, the recipient must still conduct a public meeting during the project's implementation.

The recipient must document its citizen participation process. Such documentation should describe the method used to obtain citizen input throughout its project and include records of all public meetings.

(SAMPLE) PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

FOR INITIAL HEARING

The (city or county of) ______, Mississippi, is considering applying to the Mississippi Development Authority for a Small Cities Community Development Block Grant of up to $ ______for ______. The State of Mississippi has been allocated approximately ______that will be made available to cities and counties on a competitive basis to undertake eligible community development activities. These funds must be used for one of the following purposes:

1.to benefit low- and moderate-income persons;

2.to aid in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight; or

3.to meet other community development needs having a particular urgency because existing conditions pose a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community where other financial resources are not available to meet such needs.

The activities for which these funds may be used are in the areas of public facilities and economic development. More specific details regarding eligible activities, program requirements, and the rating system will be provided at a public hearing which will be held at ______(place/address) on ______(date) at ______(time). The purpose of this hearing will be to obtain citizen input into the development of the application.

FAIRHOUSING

Page 1

2014