PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Georgia Department of Community Affairs will hold public hearings from 4:00-7:30PM (public meetings will be held 4:00-5:00PM, 5:15-6:15PM and 6:30-7:30PM) on January 30, 2020 at the College of Coastal Georgia located at 8001 Lakes Boulevard, Kingsland, GA 31548 in Room 219 or such other room as noted outside Room 219 at the time of the hearing.
The purpose of the hearing is to provide an opportunity for public engagement on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded Georgia $26,961,000 in Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds. These funds are to be used for mitigation activities in the areas affected by Hurricane Irma (DR # 4338) as well as the 2017 tornadoes (DR #4294 and 4297). The Federal Register Notice states HUD seeks to ‘support data-informed investments in high-impact projects that reduce risks attributable to natural disasters, build the capacity of States and local governments to comprehensively analyze disaster risks, support the adoption of policies that reflect local and regional priorities that will have long-lasting effects on community risk reduction, and maximize the impact of available funds by encouraging leverage, private-public partnerships, and coordination with other Federal programs”.
Through coordinated efforts with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and Local Governments, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is in the process of drafting an action plan. The Action Plan will identify the intended use of mitigation funds and is due to HUD on April 6, 2020.
DCA will take input from citizens at each of the three public hearings. Any comments (both written and oral) will be recorded and submitted in the action plan. All comments will be considered but may not ultimately affect programmatic decisions.
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs, the administrator of the CDBG-DR funding, is committed to providing all persons with equal access to its services, programs, activities, education, and employment regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, disability, or age. For reasonable accommodation, hearing impairment assistance, or language access assistance, please contact fairhousing@dca.ga.gov by Wednesday, January 22, 2020.
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