Draft city of Columbia Community Development Department 1225 Lady Street, Suite 102 Columbia, South Carolina 29201 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

AP-12 Participation – 91.105, 91.200(c)

1. Summary of citizen participation process/Efforts made to broaden citizen participation

Summarize citizen participation process and how it impacted goal-setting

The Mayor and City Council of the City of Columbia wish to provide for maximum citizen participation in the development and implementation of the Annual Action Plan in accordance with the objectives of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974.

The public notice was posted in the “State Newspaper” on April 8, 2016; the comment period began on April 10, 2016 and ended on May 11, 2016. In addition, the Annual Action Plan draft and Community Development and Fair Housing Needs Assessment Surveys were available on the City’s website and at the Community Development Office, at 1225 Lady Street.
The City of Columbia has a Citizen Participation Plan in place that encourages participation of all residents, especially the low and moderate-income population. Formal and in formal approaches are used each year in the assessment process to provide adequate opportunities for citizens to participate in the development of the Consolidated Plan and the Annual Action Plans. These actions include placing advertisements in the local newspapers, meetings with stakeholders, community forums, appointment of citizens to the Citizens Advisory Committee for Community Development, and public hearings at televised city council meetings.
The Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), appointed by City Council, consists of seven (7) members, with at least one member from each of the four (4) City Council Districts. The CAC was formally established by City Council through the adoption of a resolution on August 6, 1975, which outlined the Committee’s responsibilities.

The Citizens Advisory Committee meets on the third Thursday of each month to review and evaluate the effectiveness of the Citizen Participation Plan. Their responsibilities include an annual review of performance of federal programs, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership Program, and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA). These meetings are advertised to the public via postings at City buildings with high traffic and on the City’s webpage. All meetings are held in accessible locations.

The City of Columbia has a genuine, dedicated grassroots involvement with its neighborhoods. The Columbia Council of Neighborhoods has grown into a large umbrella organization with over one hundred and sixteen (116) neighborhoods. The Community Development Department stresses the integral nature of these neighborhoods by assigning three staff as Community Liaisons, to assist with the dissemination of information regarding city services, addressing neighborhood and community priorities needs within the four (4) City Council Districts.

The following schedule of public meetings was held to solicit community input and comments to broaden public participation in the development of the Annual Action Plan:

• 
  Comment period April 10, 2016 – May 11, 2016
  
• 
  On-line Survey April 19, 2016 – May 11, 2016
  
• 
  Citizens Advisory Committee Meetings March 8, 2016, April 12,2016
  
• 
  Public Hearings April 21, 2016, May 3, 2016
  
• 
  C Review of Action Plan April 25, 2016 – May 2, 2016
  
• 
  Public Hearing and City Council Review May 3, 2016
  

Notice of these meetings was published in The State newspaper, distributed by email to Columbia Council of Neighborhood members, posted on the City website www.columbiasc.net and on the city’s building at 1225 Lady Street, Columbia, SC. In addition, a Fair Housing assessment survey was posted on the City’s website to invite citizens throughout the City to comment on needs in their community and results are listed below. All public comments received are submitted to HUD as a part to the Annual Action Plan.

Citizen Participation Outreach

Sort Order	Mode of Outreach	Target of Outreach	Summary of  response/attendance	Summary of  comments received	Summary of comments not accepted and reasons	URL (If applicable)
	Community Engagement Forum – Oct. 1, 2016 6:00pm	Neighborhood Citizens/Businesses Council Districts 1 & 2 represented	Services Needed in community – Housing, Com. Dev., Public Services 4 participants & Staff	Community Assessment Needs for Community Development, Housing and Economic Development Needs	All comments accepted
	Community Engagement Forum – Oct. 20, 2016 6:00pm	Neighborhoods Citizens/Businesses	Council District 3 No participants & staff	No comments received	No comments received
	Community Engagement & Columbia Council of Neighborhoods Meeting – Oct 22, 2016	Neighborhood Citizens	CCN Neighborhood Presidents & Residents # attended
	Stakeholders Activities Discussion Meeting – Feb. 4, 2016	City Departments/ Community Partners Stakeholders & Continuum of Care	Total of 10 departments and agencies attended meeting.	Community Assessment of Unmet Needs as result of 2015 Flood Disaster	All comments accepted
	Press Conference For CD Week – April 4, 2016	City Departments/ Community Stakeholders/Partners All Citizens	City Staff, HUD, Community Partners,
	Community Pop-up Stations during Com. Development Week – April 4-8, 2016	All Citizens – Businesses	Approximately 250 Citizens from 3 pop-up stations and 1 cookout received information and provided input on Columbia’s needs	Public Service Needs Healthcare Housing Needs
	Columbia Channel 2 – City Talk – April 14, 2016	All Citizens – promo to attend April 21st Public Hearing
	Social Media – Eventbrite. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram	All Citizens – draft annual action plan and CD Needs Assessment & Fair Housing Survey
	Public Hearing – April 21, 2016	All Citizens – Draft Annual Action Plan, CD Needs Assessment & Fair Housing Survey	35 neighborhood, faith-based, service agencies, city staff & elected officials were present.	Needs assessment for affordable housing, infrastructure, living environments neighborhood sustainability and economic development	All comments were accepted. Please see attachment. Also posted to our website.
	Public Hearing – May 3, 2016	All Citizens – Draft Annual Action Plan

Table – Citizen Participation Outreach