(a) Applicability and adoption of the citizen participation plan. (1) The jurisdiction is required to adopt a citizen participation plan that sets forth the jurisdiction’s policies and procedures for citizen participation. (Where a jurisdiction, before August 17, 2015, adopted a citizen participation plan it, will need to amend the citizen participation plan to comply with provisions of this section.)

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(2) Encouragement of citizen participation. (i) The citizen participation plan must provide for and encourage citizens to participate in the development of the consolidated plan, any substantial amendment to the consolidated plan, and the performance report. These requirements are designed especially to encourage participation by low- and moderate-income persons, particularly those persons living in areas designated by the jurisdiction as a revitalization area or in a slum and blighted area and in areas where CDBG funds are proposed to be used, and by residents of predominantly low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, as defined by the jurisdiction. A jurisdiction must take appropriate actions to encourage the participation of all its citizens, including minorities and non-English speaking persons, as provided in paragraph (a)(4) of this section, as well as persons with disabilities.

(ii) The jurisdiction shall encourage the participation of local and regional institutions, Continuums of Care, and other organizations (including businesses, developers, nonprofit organizations, philanthropic organizations, and community-based and faith-based organizations) in the process of developing and implementing the consolidated plan.

(iii) The jurisdiction shall encourage, in conjunction with consultation with public housing agencies, the participation of residents of public and assisted housing developments (including any resident advisory boards, resident councils, and resident management corporations) in the process of developing and implementing the consolidated plan, along with other low-income residents of targeted revitalization areas in which the developments are located. The jurisdictions shall make an effort to provide information to the PHA about affirmatively furthering fair housing strategy, and consolidated plan activities related to its developments and surrounding communities so that the PHA can make this information available at the annual public hearing(s) required for the PHA Plan.

(iv) The jurisdiction should explore alternative public involvement techniques and quantitative ways to measure efforts that encourage citizen participation in a shared vision for change in communities and neighborhoods, and the review of program performance; e.g., use of focus groups and the Internet.

(3) Citizen comment on the citizen participation plan and amendments. The jurisdiction must provide citizens with a reasonable opportunity to comment on the original citizen participation plan and on substantial amendments to the citizen participation plan, and must make the citizen participation plan public. The citizen participation plan must be in a format accessible to persons with disabilities, upon request.

(4) The citizen participation plan shall describe the jurisdiction’s procedures for assessing its language needs and identify any need for translation of notices and other vital documents. At a minimum, the citizen participation plan shall require that the jurisdiction take reasonable steps to provide language assistance to ensure meaningful access to participation by non-English-speaking residents of the community.

(b) Development of the consolidated plan. The citizen participation plan must include the following minimum requirements for the development of the consolidated plan:

(1)(i) The citizen participation plan must require that at or as soon as feasible after the start of the public participation process the jurisdiction will make the HUD-provided data and any other supplemental information the jurisdiction plans to incorporate into its consolidated plan available to its residents, public agencies, and other interested parties. The jurisdiction may make the HUD-provided data available to the public by cross-referencing to the data on HUD’s website.

(ii) The citizen participation plan must require that, before the jurisdiction adopts a consolidated plan, the jurisdiction will make available to residents, public agencies, and other interested parties information that includes the amount of assistance the jurisdiction expects to receive (including grant funds and program income) and the range of activities that may be undertaken, including the estimated amount that will benefit persons of low- and moderate-income. The citizen participation plan also must set forth the jurisdiction’s plans to minimize displacement of persons and to assist any persons displaced, specifying the types and levels of assistance the jurisdiction will make available (or require others to make available) to persons displaced, even if the jurisdiction expects no displacement to occur.

(iii) The citizen participation plan must state when and how the jurisdiction will make this information available.

(2) The citizen participation plan must require the jurisdiction to publish the proposed consolidated plan in a manner that affords its residents, public agencies, and other interested parties a reasonable opportunity to examine its content and to submit comments. The citizen participation plan must set forth how the jurisdiction will publish the proposed consolidated plan and give reasonable opportunity to examine each document’s content. The requirement for publishing may be met by publishing a summary of each document in one or more newspapers of general circulation, and by making copies of each document available on the internet, on the jurisdiction’s official government website, and as well at libraries, government offices, and public places. The summary must describe the content and purpose of the consolidated plan and must include a list of the locations where copies of the entire proposed document may be examined. In addition, the jurisdiction must provide a reasonable number of free copies of the plan to residents and groups that request it.

(3) The citizen participation plan must provide for at least one public hearing during the development of the consolidated plan. See paragraph (e) of this section for public hearing requirements, generally.

(4) The citizen participation plan must provide a period, not less than 30 calendar days, to receive comments from residents of the community on the consolidated plan.

(5) The citizen participation plan shall require the jurisdiction to consider any comments or views of residents of the community received in writing, or orally at the public hearings, in preparing the final consolidated plan. A summary of these comments or views, and a summary of any comments or views not accepted and the reasons why, shall be attached to the final consolidated plan.

(c) Consolidated plan amendments. (1) The citizen participation plan must specify the criteria the jurisdiction will use for determining what changes in the jurisdiction’s planned or actual activities constitute a substantial amendment to the consolidated plan. (See § 91.505.) The citizen participation plan must include, among the criteria for a substantial amendment, changes in the use of CDBG funds from one eligible activity to another.

(2) The citizen participation plan must provide community residents with reasonable notice and an opportunity to comment on substantial amendments to the consolidated plan. The citizen participation plan must state how reasonable notice and an opportunity to comment will be given. The citizen participation plan must provide a period, of not less than 30 calendar days, to receive comments on the consolidated plan substantial amendment before the consolidated plan substantial amendment is implemented is submitted to HUD for review.

(3) The citizen participation plan shall require the jurisdiction to consider any comments or views of residents of the community received in writing, or orally at public hearings, if any, in preparing the substantial amendment of the consolidated plan. A summary of these comments or views, and a summary of any comments or views not accepted and the reasons why, shall be attached to the substantial amendment of the consolidated plan.

(d) Performance reports. (1) The citizen participation plan must provide citizens with reasonable notice and an opportunity to comment on performance reports. The citizen participation plan must state how reasonable notice and an opportunity to comment will be given. The citizen participation plan must provide a period, not less than 15 days, to receive comments on the performance report that is to be submitted to HUD before its submission.

(2) The citizen participation plan shall require the jurisdiction to consider any comments or views of citizens received in writing, or orally at public hearings in preparing the performance report. A summary of these comments or views shall be attached to the performance report.

(e) Public hearings—(1)(i). Consolidated plan. The citizen participation plan must provide for at least two public hearings per year to obtain residents’ views and to respond to proposals and questions, to be conducted at a minimum of two different stages of the program year. Together, the hearings must address housing and community development needs, development of proposed activities, proposed strategies and actions for affirmatively furthering fair housing, and a review of program performance.

(ii) Minimum number of hearings. To obtain the views of residents of the community on housing and community development needs, including priority nonhousing community development needs and affirmatively furthering fair housing, the citizen participation plan must provide that at least one of these hearings is held before the proposed consolidated plan is published for comment.

(2) The citizen participation plan must state how and when adequate advance notice will be given to citizens of each hearing, with sufficient information published about the subject of the hearing to permit informed comment. (Publishing small print notices in the newspaper a few days before the hearing does not constitute adequate notice. Although HUD is not specifying the length of notice required, it would consider two weeks adequate.)

(3) The citizen participation plan must provide that hearings be held at times and locations convenient to potential and actual beneficiaries, and with accommodation for persons with disabilities. The citizen participation plan must specify how it will meet these requirements.

(4) The citizen participation plan must identify how the needs of non-English speaking residents will be met in the case of public hearings where a significant number of non-English speaking residents can be reasonably expected to participate.

(f) Meetings. The citizen participation plan must provide residents of the community with reasonable and timely access to local meetings, consistent with accessibility and reasonable accommodation requirements, in accordance with section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the regulations at 24 CFR part 8; and the Americans with Disabilities Act and the regulations at 28 CFR parts 35 and 36, as applicable.

(g) Availability to the public. The citizen participation plan must provide that the consolidated plan as adopted, consolidated plan substantial amendments, and the performance report will be available to the public, including the availability of materials in a form accessible to persons with disabilities, upon request. The citizen participation plan must state how these documents will be available to the public.

(h) Access to records. The citizen participation plan must require the jurisdiction to provide residents of the community, public agencies, and other interested parties with reasonable and timely access to information and records relating to the jurisdiction’s consolidated plan and use of assistance under the programs covered by this part during the preceding 5 years.

(i) Technical assistance. The citizen participation plan must provide for technical assistance to groups representative of persons of low- and moderate-income that request such assistance in developing proposals for funding assistance under any of the programs covered by the consolidated plan, with the level and type of assistance determined by the jurisdiction. The assistance need not include the provision of funds to the groups.

(j) Complaints. The citizen participation plan shall describe the jurisdiction’s appropriate and practicable procedures to handle complaints from its residents related to the consolidated plan, amendments, revisions, and the performance report. At a minimum, the citizen participation plan shall require that the jurisdiction must provide a timely, substantive written response to every written resident complaint, within an established period of time (within 15 working days, where practicable, if the jurisdiction is a CDBG grant recipient).

(k) Use of citizen participation plan. The jurisdiction must follow its citizen participation plan.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2506-0117)[60 FR 1896, Jan. 5, 1995; 60 FR 10427, Feb. 24, 1995, as amended at 71 FR 6962, Feb. 9, 2006; 76 FR 75967, Dec. 5, 2011; 80 FR 42360, July 16, 2015; 81 FR 91011, Dec. 16, 2016; 85 FR 47906, Aug. 7, 2020]