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Home My WebLink AboutPR 18637: CITY MANAGER TO COMPLETE THE APPLICATION PROCESS FOR HUD PROMIS E ZONE MEMORANDUM CITY of PORT ARTHUR TO: Mayor and Council FROM: John A. Comeaux, P.E., Interim City Manager DATE: October 7, 2014 RE: Proposed Resolution 18637 Recommendation I recommend that the City Council approve Proposed Resolution No. 18637 authorizing the City Manager to apply for designation of the City of Port Arthur as a "Promise Zone" for the purpose of partnering with the Federal Government to possibly create jobs, leverage private investment, increase economic activity, expand educational activities and reduce crime. Background The President of the United States has implemented an initiative to designate a number of urban, rural and tribal communities as Promise Zones (Exhibit A) where the federal government will partner with and create opportunities for all facets of city life. Cities will be allowed to compete for grants and partner with other entities for ongoing grant proposals benefitting communities. Budget/Fiscal Effort None at this time Summary I recommend the City Council to approve P.R. No. 18637 P.R. No. 18637 10/07/2014 1w Page 1 RESOLUTION NO. A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO COMPLETE THE APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR TO BE DESIGNATED AS A HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (HUD) PROMISE ZONE FOR THE PURPOSE OF PARTNERING WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO CREATE JOBS, LEVERAGE PRIVATE INVESTMENT, INCREASE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, EXPAND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES, AND REDUCE CRIME WHEREAS, the President of the United States has established an initiative to designate a number of high priority communities as Promise Zones, as delineated Exhibit "A"; and WHEREAS, the Federal Government will partner with and invest in communities to create jobs, leverage private investment, increase economic activity, expand educational activities, and reduce crime; and WHEREAS, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) intends to designate six urban communities and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) intends to designate at least one rural and at least one tribal community; and WHEREAS, competitions for the remaining round of designations will commence in calendar year 2015. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR: THAT, the City Manager of the City of Port Arthur is hereby authorized to complete the application process for the City of Port Arthur to be designated as a HUD "Promise Zone". THAT, a copy of the caption of this Resolution be spread upon the minutes and the City Council. READ, ADOPTED, AND APPROVED this the day of October, 2014 A.D., at meeting of the City of Port Arthur, Texas by the following vote: P.R. ; 18637 10/07/2014 1w Page 2 AYES: Mayor: Council members: NOES: Deloris Prince, Mayor ATTEST: Sherri Bellard, City Secretary APPROVED AS 0 FORM: / ffor Val Tizeno, City Attornne APPROVED FOR ADMINISTRATION: John A. Comeaux, P.E., Interim City Manager Promise Zones �.. -. -ter '�`.' :. �. ti . I . Y . Sk is a .• r A�— j III �. .. - , l L. ..,..L . i , f♦ ,'. ,,, r I Arklij i .I.,- , F iii . L , i ---, .. ... .. „,...- / . ...,.....,,, ,, , ,..,,.. . 7 Ai 1 - -... „i, i A child's zip code should never determine her destiny; but today, the community she grows up in impacts her odds of graduating high school, her health outcomes, and her lifetime economic opportunities. For kids who don't get an equal start in life, the President is committed to partnering with local leaders to give them proven tools to rebuild and put people back to work. It will take a collaborative effort between private business and federal, state, and local officials; faith based and non-profit organizations; and striving kids and parents—to ensure that hard work leads to a decent living for every American in every community. Building on those efforts, in his 2013 State of the Union Address, the President laid out an initiative to designate a number of high-poverty urban, rural and tribal communities as Promise Zones, where the federal government will partner with and invest in communities to create jobs, leverage private investment,increase economic activity, expand educational opportunities, and reduce violent crime. Communities will compete in a transparent process, and be required to demonstrate the strength and effectiveness of their local commitment, to become Promise Zones. Each designated Promise Zone will be asked to identify a set of outcomes they will pursue to revitalize their communities, develop a strategy supporting those outcomes, and realign resources accordingly. Benefits Five AmeriCorps VISTA members will be deployed to each of the Promise Zones to build the capacity of the Promise Zones designees to work with federal agencies, coordinate key stakeholders, and create programs that address the community's needs. A federal liaison will also be assigned in each designated community to assist local leaders in navigating federal programs. In addition, eligible applicants in Promise Zones will receive preferences for certain competitive federal programs and technical assistance. Subject to enactment by Congress, businesses investing in Promise Zones or hiring residents of Promise Zones will be eligible to receive tax incentives. Altogether, this package of assistance will help local leaders accelerate efforts to revitalize their communities. The Promise Zone designation will be for a term of 10 years and may be extended as necessary to capture the full term of availability of the Promise Zone tax incentives, if the tax incentives are enacted. During this term, the specific benefits made available to Promise Zones may vary from year to year, and sometimes more often than annually, due to changes in Federal agency policies and changes in appropriations and authorizations for relevant programs. All assistance provided to Promise Zones is subject to applicable regulations, statutes, and changes in federal agency policies, appropriations, and authorizations for relevant programs. Promise Zone Designations On January 9, 2014, the first urban, rural, and tribal Promise Zones were announced in a ceremony at the White House. They are located in: San Antonio (Eastside Neighborhood), Philadelphia (West Philadelphia), Los Angeles (Neighborhoods of Pico Union, Westlake, Koreatown, Hollywood, and East Hollywood), Southeastern Kentucky (Kentucky Highlands), and the Choctaw Nation in southeast Oklahoma. Fifteen more will be designated by the end of 2016. For the second round of the Promise Zones initiative, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)intends to designate six urban communities and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) intends to designate at least one rural and at least one tribal community. Competitions for the remaining round of designations will commence in calendar year 2015. Federal Government Partners For communities selected, the federal government will partner to help the Promise Zones access the resources and expertise to help communities thrive. In 2014, 12 agencies are providing preferential access in 35 programs. View a list of the federal agencies along with the programs affiliated with the Promise Zones initiative. To view the list of programs by Department, please go to the funding and technical assistance opportunities page. The information made available on the Promise Zone website about programs, technical assistance and other supports is also useful to non-designated communities working on community revitalization efforts. All of the programs that provide preferential access to Promise Zones are also available to cities that do not have a Promise Zone designation.