With HUD’s approval of action plan amendment 8, we recommend that the Director of the Office of Block Grant Assistance require the Texas GLO to provide its plan to ensure that the City will comply with the Texas GLO’s program guidelines and required onsite technical assistance and supportive services. This plan would include (1) precise instructions and deadlines for submitting or resubmitting program and implementation guidelines, (2) terms…

Revise its methodology to identify slow spenders, including appropriate baselines and the definition of slow spenders.

Update its policies and procedures for tracking expenditures related to slow-spending grantees, including steps for assisting the grantees to expedite spending (including the grantee’s steps or actions to address slow spending), identifying the reasons for the delays with the grant, and documenting the outcome of its efforts. Corrective Action Taken CPD updated guidance addressing grantee slow spending through technical…

Establish a reasonable timeframe for grantees to resolve DRGR flags or at a minimum, if a flag cannot be resolved within the established timeframe, have the grantee provide a remediating comment explaining why the flag could not be resolved and a proposed timeline for resolution.

Resolve or remediate outstanding flags for grants B-12-MT-01-0001, B-13-MS-36-0002, B-16-MH-48-0001, and B-16-DL-12-0001 in DRGR.

Require updated projections for grants B-12-MT-01-0001, B-13-MS-36-0002, and B-16-DL-12-0001 and provide assistance to the grantees to ensure that the expenditure deadlines will be met.

Update its policies and procedures to require grantees to identify the reason for variances between the actual and projected expenditures to enhance CPD’s oversight.

Update monitoring exhibit 6-1 to include (1) reasons for differences between actual and estimated projections and (2) a question to determine whether the grantee is meeting the timelines established and if the timelines are not met, providing reasons.

Update policies and procedures to require CPD staff to sufficiently document its basis for conclusions to meet the monitoring handbook and QPR checklist requirements and intentions.

Consider suggestions made by grantees to assist with the progress of spending funds and provide support for the guidance it plans to share with grantees based on these suggestions. (See bullets under Grantees Generally Considered CPD’s Assistance With the Progress of Their Grants Helpful.)

Develop and implement written policies and procedures and controls for the FHA refund process to address the deficiencies identified in the audit report. These should include (1) controls to ensure that the website for the public listing of all unpaid refunds is complete, (2) controls to ensure that refund applications are sent only to the homeowners who requested them, (3) controls to ensure that refund applications are sent to all homeowners…

Develop and implement written policies and procedures (1) for locating homeowners who have unpaid refunds (for both existing and new refunds), (2) to establish a standard timeframe for mailing refund applications to homeowners after they are requested, and (3) to establish requirements for verifying the termination date based on supporting documents provided by homeowners.

Research, develop, and implement policies and procedures to reduce the number of refunds that have remained unclaimed for an extended period, including consideration of a statute of limitations.

Develop and implement written policies and procedures regarding the designation of legal representation for applicants.

Obtain the required approvals under the Paperwork Reduction Act for the insert document mailed with the refund application and the Tracer Found Case form.

Work with the Authority to determine whether the buildings represent an imminent threat to public safety from physical deterioration and whether activities to control the situation would be exempt under the Part 58 environmental review process or excluded under the Part 50 environmental review process. If it qualifies, require the Authority to immediately take actions necessary to control the imminent threat to public safety before the full…

Determine whether it would be beneficial for HUD to conduct a Part 50 environmental review of the development or if the Authority should conduct a Part 58 environmental review, and implement the decision to ensure that the environmental review is conducted as soon as possible as required under the action plan.

Continue to provide training and technical assistance to ensure that the Authority understands relevant requirements for the various asset repositioning options, including milestone and disposition requirements.

Provide certifications and supporting documentation to show that it has identified and addressed urgent health and safety issues at the development, such as flooded stairwells, accessible crawlspaces, and unsecured windows and doors.

Develop and implement a plan to routinely identify and address recurring urgent health and safety issues such as flooded stairwells, accessible crawlspaces, and unsecured windows and doors while the property remains vacant and throughout future asset repositioning efforts.