Staff recommends the City Council approve submitting a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Planning Grant to provide funding for the development and update of the West Billings Plan and authorize the Planning Division to submit the grant application due August 1, 2022. Staff further recommends City Council approve appointing City Administrator Chris Kukulski as the Environmental Certifying Official for CDBG grant purposes.

The City of Billings is seeking CDBG planning grant funding for the development of a neighborhood plan. CDBG Planning grants are available in amounts up to $50,000 and applicants must provide financial match on a 1:3 basis; in other words, an applicant must provide a minimum of 25% of the amount of CDBG Planning grant funds requested. The City will apply for the full $50,000 award and provide $12,500 in matching funds. The CDBG Planning grant awarded through the current grant cycle may be used for the creation or update of plans, studies, training or research. The City of Billings Planning Division intends to use these funds to complete an update to the West Billings Neighborhood Plan. This plan was adopted in 2001 and has not been updated since. The City Council, City Administration and the Planning Division have recognized for quite some time that neighborhood planning is important. Planning Division staff is hard-pressed to find capacity internally to complete complex plans such as this, so grant opportunities are critical in being able to move neighborhood planning forward in a timely manner.  

Additionally, to complete the grant application, the city must designate an Environmental Certifying Official. It has been past practice to appoint the City Administrator. Attached to this report is a letter for the Mayor to sign designating the City Administrator to this role. This letter will accompany the grant application at the time of submittal. 

City Council may:

• Approve the submittal of a CDBG Planning Grant for the West Billings Plan Update, or;
• Disapprove the submittal of a CDBG Planning Grant for the West Billings Plan Update. 

There is no disadvantage to the City in submitting this grant application. If the grant is not awarded, staff will continue to look for other options to fund neighborhood planning efforts. 

The City of Billings will apply for $50,000. Twenty-five percent of the total project cost must be provided as match. The City of Billings Planning Division will provide cash match of $12,500. The match funds are available as part of the Division's FY23 adopted budget.