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HUD's FY 99 Budget
Congressional Justfications
Community Planning and Development

Salaries and Expenses

The consolidated discussion for the appropriation "Salaries and Expenses, HUD" is shown in Part 2 of the Justification. All data are presented on a comparable basis for the 3 fiscal years: 1997, 1998, and 1999.

SCOPE OF ACTIVITY

The mission of the Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) is the development of viable urban communities by promoting integrated approaches that provide decent housing, a suitable living environment, and expanded economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income persons. Consistent with this objective, CPD has developed a set of underlying principles that are used in carrying out its mission. The following principles seek to empower local citizens and communities, restore people's faith in government, and make government more responsive, more flexible, and more accountable to local citizens:

  1. Community building begins with job creation, employment and economic empowerment, especially in the context of the new drive to reform the welfare system;

  2. Planning and execution of community development initiatives must be bottom up and community-driven;

  3. Complex urban problems require coordinated, comprehensive and sustainable solutions;

  4. Government must be streamlined to be made more efficient and effective; and

  5. Access to and communication with Government at all levels and the people it serves must be increased.

The primary means toward this end is the development of partnerships among all levels of Government and the private sector, including for-profit and non-profit organizations. As part of the restructuring of HUD, CPD has undertaken the reinvention of both its relationship with other government agencies as well as with citizens and a wide array of communities, businesses, and non-profit organizations.

CPD staff across the country are primarily focused on HUD's Public Trust mission to protect taxpayers and restore the public's trust by demanding performance and productivity over process and perpetuation. As Public Trust Officers, CPD staff will safeguard the public's trust in every community across America and will have no tolerance for waste, fraud and abuse. Our mission is to ensure that Federal funds are used appropriately and in compliance with laws and regulations.

CPD seeks to encourage the empowerment of local residents by helping to give them a choice in the future of their neighborhoods; stimulate the creation of community-based organizations; and enhance the management skills of existing organizations so they can achieve greater production capacity. Housing and community development are not viewed as separate programs, but are among the myriad elements that make up a comprehensive vision of community development. Local residents are at the heart of a bottom-up housing and community development strategy that empowers people to make the most of their own lives.

CPD staff carry out their responsibilities under the following five broad functions:

    • Facilitating coordination and strategic planning through the Consolidated Planning and Grants Management System process;

    • Reviewing performance and ensuring compliance through the Consolidated Planning and Grants Management System process;

    • Setting standards and issuing regulations;

    • Allocating and disbursing funds; and

    • Providing technical assistance through contracts, consultation with grantees, on-site visits and other mechanisms.

As HUD moves from transformation to full implementation of our now clear missions and objectives, CPD will continue to develop and implement programs that:

    • combine planning and reports into a single process;

    • use comprehensive planning software that allows applicants to display proposed projects and maps and submit data electronically;

    • upgrade information systems in coordination with the Community 2020 system;

    • continue implementation of the Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS), an automated reporting system showing "real time" achievements; and

    • refine the Grants Management System (GMS), which includes an annual comparative review of all Entitlement grantees, showing a full spectrum of "best practices" to high-risk projects and cities in need of technical assistance and monitoring.

WORKLOAD

CPD administers grant programs that help communities plan and finance their growth and development, increase their capacity to meet local housing, community and economic development needs; and provide shelter and services for homeless persons, families, persons with special needs, and persons with HIV/AIDS and their families. In 1999, CPD will continue its commitment to work with customers to ensure effective utilization of program funds by promoting only what works and recognizing the best of local performance.

1. HEADQUARTERS

    Headquarters CPD staff have traditionally been responsible for providing overall supervision and direction for the implementation of all CPD programs and initiatives; for administering existing CPD programs and activities; and for assuring uniform administration and efficient management of certain Federal assistance dollars and activities. One of the few structural changes in CPD resulting from HUD 2020 Reform is the establishment of the Economic Development and Empowerment Service. This new office will be the focal point within the Department for all economic development and related self-sufficiency programs, including Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities and the Economic Development Initiative/Community Empowerment Fund Initiative.

2. FIELD

    CPD Field staff are endeavoring to be viewed as partners by grantees. This partnership will help grantees implement programs to meet their identified needs. For this relationship to fully develop, it must be continuous and systematic throughout the year.

    CPD Field staff will continue to have the flexibility to manage and assist grantees implement national objectives in relation to local situations. Field staff will also continue to assess and evaluate local use of CPD products and actions, identifying and providing technical assistance needed to provide decent housing, a suitable living environment, and expanded economic opportunities for intended beneficiaries.

    As Public Trust Officers, CPD Field staff will continue to carry out the ongoing process of assessing and evaluating, awarding funds, providing technical assistance and oversight, and achieving results. Field staff perform a number of key functions, including:

    • Identifying and documenting "best practices;"

    • Using "place-based" principles in working with CPD clients;

    • Assisting grantees in implementing programs through the Grants Management System;

    • Helping communities implement national initiatives in a local context; and

    • Providing feedback to Headquarters on national policy/issues.

TRAVEL

CPD's request for travel funds in 1999 is $779,000, the same level as available in 1998. The bulk of these funds will be reserved for CPD Field staff to carry out their responsibilities, discussed previously, in assisting grantees use their Federal housing, community and economic development dollars in the most effective and efficient manner.

Travel funds will be required to implement HUD 2020 and other reform initiatives and to continue building the partnerships with communities that are the cornerstone of more effective service delivery. The implementation of the Department's Management Reform Plan will necessitate significant increases in consultation and coordination between Field staff and the communities they serve. Field travel is needed so that staff can provide assistance to communities in developing their local objectives, implementing and understanding how to better access Federal information and funding, and for monitoring to ensure that national goals are appropriately addressed.

Ongoing needs include on-site monitoring, the need to share technical specialists (relocation, environmental, rehabilitation, financial) between offices, and to enable Field staff to carry out their heightened responsibilities in the areas of training and partnership with communities and non-profit organizations. On-site monitoring is a particular priority as the Department seeks to restore the public's trust in HUD's ability to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse in its programs. These efforts also attempt to address Office of the Inspector General semi-annual reports to Congress that have highlighted the need for more on-site monitoring of grantees.

Headquarters travel will enable staff to continue to provide outreach efforts to grantees, public interest groups, non-profit organizations and elected officials, to enlist their ideas and conduct consultations as well as to provide support to HUD Field staff.

Section 805 of the 1992 Housing and Community Development Act mandated that the Secretary transfer $545,000 in program funds to implement an ongoing training program for HUD officers and employees, especially Field staff, responsible for administering Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) assistance and economic development projects. Some of these funds are used for travel to enable Headquarters and Field staff to participate in relevant training opportunities. At the end of 1997, $223,500 of the total had been used, leaving the remainder available for obligation in 1998 and future years.

CONTRACTS

The principal categories in this object class are contracts for technical services, data and statistical services, public information services and other contracted support services. Funding of $1.15 million is requested in 1999, level with 1998, to enable CPD to procure the information, technical services and other support necessary for the implementation of our housing and community and economic development programs.

Technical Services funds are used to procure coding services to record data from grantee performance reports for all CPD programs, and for advisory services contracts to provide assistance, research, and analysis to the Assistant Secretary and senior management staff in the implementation of program, budget, and legislative changes. A significant portion of these funds are used to ongoing implementation of the Grants Management System and related requirements.

In 1998 and 1999, $1 million will be transferred into the Salaries and Expenses account from the Section 108 Community Development Loan Guarantees program (Section 108) account as compensation for administrative expenses. While the majority of this amount will be used for staff salaries and related expenses, approximately $300,000 will be used to contract for certain credit extension functions. Financial and legal services are required to handle the increased volume of projects and the increasing complexity of structuring loan arrangements, particularly security requirements, in order to provide financing of loans under approved commitments. In addition, administrative funds are needed to pay for costs associated with underwriting, loan documentation, and structuring of pooling arrangements. Third party services will also be required to monitor compliance by Section 108 recipients with security arrangements.

Data and Statistical Services cover the purchase of data from the Bureau of the Census. This demographic information is required to run the CDBG formula each year, as well as for other community and economic development programs and initiatives.

Public Information Services are required to support community outreach efforts to provide information to promote CPD programs and other Departmental initiatives. These outreach efforts or programs like the National Rebuilding Initiative and Empowerment Zones provide an opportunity to build partnerships between Federal, State, and local governments and non-profit groups, and to work together to develop comprehensive, coordinated approaches to dealing with community problems.

Finally, miscellaneous support services are required to fund requirements for visual art needs, training (not provided through the HUD Training Academy), temporary clerical support, and other administrative services.

Content Archived: January 20, 2009

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