BEFORE THE Department of COMMERCE

OF THE STATE OF MONTANA

 

In the matter of the amendment of ARM 8.94.3728 pertaining to the administration of the Federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program – Planning Grants

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NOTICE OF AMENDMENT

 

TO: All Concerned Persons

 

1. On March 26, 2021, the Department of Commerce published MAR Notice No. 8-94-186 pertaining to the public hearing on the proposed amendment of the above-stated rule at page 288 of the 2021 Montana Administrative Register, Issue Number 6.

 

2. The department has thoroughly considered the comments and testimony received. A summary of the comments received and the department's responses are as follows:

 

COMMENT NO. 1: A commenter said that the department should allow jurisdictions to submit and receive funding for more than one project in the jurisdiction.

 

RESPONSE NO. 1: In the interest of serving as many communities as possible across the state with limited planning funding, the Department of Commerce limits each eligible county, city, or town to receiving and to having one open CDBG planning grant per funding cycle.  The department encourages communities to work with their local governments to prioritize planning needs in deciding which projects to propose for CDBG planning funding each cycle and to work with the Community Development Division staff to ensure that CDBG planning grant applications are complete and as competitive as possible when they are submitted.

 

COMMENT NO. 2: A commenter said that the department should reduce or eliminate the required completion or percentage of completion on a project prior to requesting funding for another project.

 

RESPONSE NO. 2: In the interest of serving as many communities as possible across the state with limited planning funding and to ensure the responsible use and equitable distribution of public funding for planning activities, the department limits each eligible county, city, or town to having only one open CDBG planning grant per funding cycle.  

 

3.  The department has amended ARM 8.94.3728 as proposed.

 

/s/ Amy Barnes                                             /s/ Adam Schafer                            

Amy Barnes                                                  Adam Schafer

Rule Reviewer                                              Deputy Director

                                                                      Department of Commerce

 

 

Certified to the Secretary of State May 4, 2021.