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Record of Proceedings

Special City Council Meeting - September 16, 2025: Public Hearings on CDBG and HOME-ARP Fund Reallocations

City Council & Commissions — Tuesday, September 16, 2025
BodyKilleen, Texas
SessionCity Council & Commissions
DateTuesday, September 16, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:34

All right.

0:37

It is 732.

0:39

Now we can start the meeting.

0:42

We're live.

0:43

Thank you, Mr.

0:44

Francisco.

0:45

Let the record show that all council members are present.

0:49

Except Council Member Sagara and Council Member Adams is on Zoom.

0:56

Would you get the door, please?

0:59

All right.

1:00

Can I get a motion to approve the agenda?

1:03

Councilmember Gonzalez.

1:08

Move to approve the chair.

1:09

Council member, thank you.

1:10

Councilmember Adams.

1:15

Council Member Kendrick.

1:18

Can I get a second to the motion?

1:20

Second.

1:21

A second.

1:21

Okay, we got council member.

1:23

Is Council Member Solomon?

1:25

Okay, all in favor.

1:29

All right.

1:35

Motion carry six to zero.

1:39

Madam Secretary.

1:43

PH 25058.

1:46

Hold a public hearing and inform the public of a comment period from September 22nd through November 4, 2025 to receive citizen participation and comments regarding the second substantial amendment to the 2024-2025 annual action plan for the reprogramming of CDBG funds in the amount of 1,349,445.

2:10

Thank you.

2:11

Good afternoon.

2:12

Welcome back.

2:13

Good evening, Miss Magnair.

2:15

Thank you for your patience.

2:16

Thank you.

2:18

On July 15th, 2025, staff presented an update to council on the reunification center project, a proposed city-owned emergency shelter facility.

2:28

Council provided a motion of direction to suspend the project until further notice.

2:32

Additional direction was given on how to proceed with the preservation or reallocation of the project funding.

2:38

The capital improvement funds were to and are being held until a final decision is made to reactivate or terminate the project.

2:47

And the community development block grant money is uh to be reallocated to a CDBG eligible project.

2:55

As noted in the presentation from July 15th, reallocation of the CDBG funds require a substantial amendment to the annual action plan.

3:03

A substantial amendment occurs when there's a change in the purpose, scope, location, or beneficiaries of an activity or project.

3:11

The first substantial amendment to the annual action plan was authorized via ordinance 25037, which allowed for the reprogramming of previous years home funds to a TIBA program and removed uh housing counseling requirement for the beneficiaries.

3:32

The CDBG grant funds allocated to the reunification center project totaled 1,339,103 and nine cents.

3:41

Reprogramming the CDBG funds is necessary necessary to maintain compliance with HUD CDBG expenditure regulations.

4:01

But here you see it broken down into detail.

4:05

So what we've committed or expended so far is 49,000 towards the cost of the architectural and design piece or engineering design, I'm sorry.

4:15

So the balance that remains is 1,349,445.

4:25

How do I get these off quicker?

4:32

That's all.

4:33

Thank you.

4:34

Uh CDAC was convened on August 20th, 2025, but a quorum was not satisfied to allow a vote on a recommendation to council.

4:42

The meeting was rescheduled a week later, and the quorum was met.

4:45

CDAC received present a presentation from staff and voted to recommend substantial amendment to the 2024-2025 annual action plan reprogramming 1,349, uh 445.69 cents from the reunification center project to the Rosa Hereford Community Center Senior Wing Improvements Project.

5:07

Citizen Comment Period.

5:12

Allows for input from the community on the draft substantial amendment.

5:22

Comments may be submitted via in-person at a public hearing, uh, and that would be November 4th in writing or at email at CD Grants Management at Coleentexas.gov.

5:35

The availability of the draft amendment is going to be here at City Hall with the City Secretary's Office, Community Development Department, both public libraries, Lions Club, Senior Center, and online.

5:49

So our next steps are to hold a public hearing on November 4th to receive citizen input.

5:54

City Council will vote to approve or deny the substantial amendment.

5:58

If approved, staff will submit the amendment to HUD no later than November 30th or 2025.

6:03

And this is staff recommend recommending that we open the comment period for the substantial amendment from September 22nd to November 4th.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget Equity Analysis█████████████████████████████████████████████61%
Procedural████████████16%
Public Engagement██████████13%
Homelessness███████10%
Summary of Proceedings

Special City Council Meeting - September 16, 2025

The Killeen City Council held a special meeting on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, immediately following the regular meeting. The session focused on two public hearings to inform the public about upcoming comment periods for substantial amendments to federal grant programs. Council members present included Mayor Debbie Nash-King and council members Gonzalez, Alvarez, Kendrick, Cobb, Solomon, and Adams (via Zoom). Agenda approval passed 6-0.

Public Hearings

  • PH-25-058: CDBG Fund Reallocation – Staff presented a proposed substantial amendment to the 2024-2025 Annual Action Plan to reprogram $1,349,445.69 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the suspended reunification center project to the Rosa Hereford Community Center Senior Wing Improvements Project. The suspension occurred on July 15, 2025, per council direction. The Citizen Participation Comment Period runs from September 22 to November 4, 2025. The Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC) met on August 27, 2025 (after a failed quorum on August 20) and voted to recommend the amendment.
  • PH-25-059: HOME-ARP Fund Reallocation – Staff presented a substantial amendment to the HOME-American Rescue Plan (ARP) Allocation Plan to reallocate $288,155.15 from ARP Supportive Services to ARP Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA). The total HOME-ARP award is $1,780,634. CDAC recommended the change. The comment period also runs September 22 to November 4, 2025. A final public hearing and council vote on both amendments is scheduled for November 4, 2025.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Melissa Brown spoke on both items. On the CDBG amendment, she questioned why $1.3 million was being reallocated for the Rosa Hereford Center, noting the project was nearly complete and that low-income families would still have to pay increased rates. She suggested using the funds for water line replacement or free admission programs. On the HOME-ARP amendment, she criticized the timing, arguing that repeatedly amending funds to TBRA showed poor planning and that other uses like home renovations would benefit more people. She also noted that the HOME-ARP deadline is September 30, 2030, giving the city ample time.

Discussion Items

  • Clarification on CDBG Reallocation – Staff explained that the reallocation was necessary to avoid losing the money to HUD due to expenditure deadlines. Councilmember (unidentified) simplified: the reunification center project was suspended, so the CDBG funds must be moved to an eligible project already approved. The Rosa Hereford Center was chosen because it was CDBG-eligible and ready. Capital improvement funds for the reunification center will be held for future decisions.
  • Lead Pipe Question – Councilmember Reynolds asked about using CDBG funds for water line replacement in District 1 after a public rumor. Staff confirmed the city completed a lead pipe inventory and has no lead pipes; regular lead and copper testing is current. The rumor was incorrect, so no funding request was made.
  • HOME-ARP Deadline Clarification – When a council member asked about the urgency, staff clarified that the HOME-ARP amendment was not driven by an immediate deadline (funds expire in 2030) but was brought forward for efficiency alongside the CDBG amendment. The public commenter, Melissa Brown, had earlier stated that the city was not at risk of losing the funds this year.

Key Outcomes

  • Agenda Approval – Motion carried 6-0.
  • No votes on the amendments – The public hearings were informational to open the comment periods. Final council action is scheduled for November 4, 2025.
  • Meeting adjourned – Motion to adjourn passed unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

All right. It is 732. Now we can start the meeting. We're live. Thank you, Mr. Francisco. Let the record show that all council members are present. Except Council Member Sagara and Council Member Adams is on Zoom. Would you get the door, please? All right. Can I get a motion to approve the agenda? Councilmember Gonzalez. Move to approve the chair. Council member, thank you. Councilmember Adams. Council Member Kendrick. Can I get a second to the motion? Second. A second. Okay, we got council member. Is Council Member Solomon? Okay, all in favor. All right. Motion carry six to zero. Madam Secretary. PH 25058. Hold a public hearing and inform the public of a comment period from September 22nd through November 4, 2025 to receive citizen participation and comments regarding the second substantial amendment to the 2024-2025 annual action plan for the reprogramming of CDBG funds in the amount of 1,349,445. Thank you. Good afternoon. Welcome back. Good evening, Miss Magnair. Thank you for your patience. Thank you. On July 15th, 2025, staff presented an update to council on the reunification center project, a proposed city-owned emergency shelter facility. Council provided a motion of direction to suspend the project until further notice. Additional direction was given on how to proceed with the preservation or reallocation of the project funding. The capital improvement funds were to and are being held until a final decision is made to reactivate or terminate the project. And the community development block grant money is uh to be reallocated to a CDBG eligible project. As noted in the presentation from July 15th, reallocation of the CDBG funds require a substantial amendment to the annual action plan. A substantial amendment occurs when there's a change in the purpose, scope, location, or beneficiaries of an activity or project. The first substantial amendment to the annual action plan was authorized via ordinance 25037, which allowed for the reprogramming of previous years home funds to a TIBA program and removed uh housing counseling requirement for the beneficiaries. The CDBG grant funds allocated to the reunification center project totaled 1,339,103 and nine cents. Reprogramming the CDBG funds is necessary necessary to maintain compliance with HUD CDBG expenditure regulations. But here you see it broken down into detail. So what we've committed or expended so far is 49,000 towards the cost of the architectural and design piece or engineering design, I'm sorry. So the balance that remains is 1,349,445. How do I get these off quicker? That's all. Thank you. Uh CDAC was convened on August 20th, 2025, but a quorum was not satisfied to allow a vote on a recommendation to council.

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