Ocala adopts citizen participation plan

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On Dec. 16, the Ocala City Council adopted a new Citizen Participation Plan (CPP) for the Ocala Marion Consortium, outlining strategies to involve residents in decisions about federal housing and community development funds. The plan, adopted by resolution, ensures compliance with federal regulations and emphasizes outreach to low-income residents, non-English speakers and people with disabilities.

The CPP governs the use of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds, including Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) and Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG). Marion County serves as the lead jurisdiction for the consortium, which includes the city of Ocala.

Advisory groups and residents can play a key role in helping decide how about $5 million in federal and state funds are spent each year on affordable housing in Marion County and Ocala.

These dollars come from HUD programs and Florida’s State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP). According to Marion County’s fiscal year 2024-2025 Annual Action Plan notice on marionfl.org, unincorporated areas of the county get $2,170,659 in CDBG funds. The Ocala Marion Consortium receives additional HOME and ESG money, typically $800,000-$900,000 for HOME and $190,000-$200,000 for ESG based on recent trends. The city of Ocala gets its own separate CDBG allocation, usually $1-2 million. State SHIP funds add more support for local projects.

When added together, these resources total several million dollars annually (often around $5 million across all sources), paying for things like home repairs for low-income owners, help with down payments, new rental units and aid for people facing homelessness.

According to the Florida Apartment Association’s Scarcity Dashboard (buildflorida2030.com), Marion County has a current shortage of 3,130 apartment units across all income levels, with about 6,696 units missing for households earning below $20,000 a year. By 2030, that overall gap is projected to reach 7,894 units and more than 11,021 units short for households under $35,000 annually.

“Marion County and the city of Ocala are entitlement recipients of CDBG funds. The county is an eligible HOME entitlement community and formed a consortium with the city of Ocala so it, too, may receive HOME funds on an annual basis,” the plan states.

The document details processes for public input on key plans, such as the five-year Consolidated Plan, Annual Action Plan (AAP) and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI). It requires at least two public hearings for major documents, with notices published in newspapers and on the county’s website at least 15 days in advance. Public comment periods are set at 30 days for the Consolidated Plan, AAP, substantial amendments, AI and CPP amendments and 15 days for performance reports.

To encourage broad participation, the CPP prioritizes “good faith efforts” to include low- and moderate-income residents, those living in blighted areas, non-English speakers and persons with disabilities.

According to the document, the county believes that the citizen participation process provides an important opportunity for its residents, especially low- and moderate-income residents, nonprofit groups (neighborhood organizations), authorities and other service providers to be actively involved in the preparation and implementation of the Consolidated Plan.

Greg Davis, public information officer for Ocala, explained the city’s implementation.

“The city of Ocala conducts outreach by presenting plans in public settings and engaging directly with organizations that serve low- and moderate-income residents. This includes presentations to Governor’s West, the city’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee and meetings hosted by Continuum of Care organizations such as the Ocala Housing Authority,” Davis said.

The plan also addresses accommodations such as language assistance for limited-English-proficient residents and accessible meeting locations.

“The county shall take reasonable steps to provide language assistance to ensure meaningful access to participation by non-English speaking and limited-English-proficient residents (LEP) and the county has an established LEP Policy,” it notes.

For persons with disabilities, all public meetings must be held in handicapped-accessible locations, with provisions for sign language interpretation or alternate formats upon request.

On fair housing, the CPP requires consultations with public housing authorities, service providers for vulnerable populations and fair housing organizations. Public hearings are mandated during AI development.

“The city offers public meetings and provides information at meetings where there is representation or advocacy for vulnerable populations. Feedback from these sessions helps inform fair housing priorities and planning efforts,” Davis said.

The consortium encourages partnerships with entities like the Continuum of Care, broadband providers and emergency management agencies to address issues such as the digital divide and flood-prone areas.

According to the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, the digital divide is the gap between those who have affordable access, skills and support to effectively engage online and those who do not.

“The city of Ocala is a member of the Marion County Continuum of Care. The deputy director of Community Development Services serves on the Marion County Emergency Operations Human Services team. The director of Community Development Services also meets regularly with the director of Marion County Community Services and leadership from Emergency Operations Human Services, along with state and federal agencies as needed. The Community Participation Plan also allows residents to raise concerns during public comment periods, helping staff identify issues that may not otherwise be known. All public comments are included in the appropriate federal or state reports,” Davis said.

Technical assistance is available for low- and moderate-income residents developing proposals, including workshops and one-on-one support.

Davis provided examples.

“Technical assistance related to public services and public facility projects is primarily provided by Marion County. The city of Ocala primarily works with individual homeowners and the city’s administrative team provides ongoing assistance to applicants throughout the application process. This daily support helps residents navigate requirements and improves access to housing programs,” Davis said.

The CPP includes an Anti-Displacement and Relocation Policy to minimize resident displacement in revitalization projects, complying with the Uniform Relocation Act.

“The Consortium has adopted an Anti-Displacement and Relocation Policy to minimize the extent to which low- and moderate-income residents will have to leave their homes as a result of the use of these federal dollars,” the document states.

According to Davis, the city of Ocala has not displaced residents as part of its projects.

“Projects are thoroughly reviewed during the planning process and the city generally avoids projects that would require displacement of residents,” he said.

Regarding alignment between city and county plans, Davis said the city of Ocala receives CDBG funding as an entitlement city and not as part of the consortium.

“Historically, the city has used the same Community Participation Plan for both CDBG and HOME programs. The city plans to adopt a separate CDBG Community Participation Plan that mirrors the consortium plan to ensure consistency in operations between the city and county and across federal grant programs,” Davis said.

The plan allows for shortened comment periods during emergencies with HUD waivers.

“The city of Ocala has not experienced challenges meeting the required 30-day public comment periods. In situations involving emergency funding or waivers, HUD typically includes provisions that allow jurisdictions to bypass or shorten standard public comment requirements,” Davis explained.

Records related to the CPP and funded programs are available for public inspection at Marion County Community Services and Ocala Community Development Services offices. Complaints can be submitted via email to [email protected], with responses provided within 15 business days.

This adoption amends and supersedes prior versions of the CPP for Marion County and the city of Ocala, in compliance with Section 104(a)(3) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. Residents can view the full plan on the county’s website or request copies.

To learn more, go to marionfl.org/agencies-departments/departments-facilities-offices/community-services and ocalafl.gov/government/community-development-services