Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 6, September 16, 2024
(a) Each grant
recipient funded under Rule .0108(a)(1) of this Section is required to
establish citizen participation policy and procedures. Grant recipients shall
hold public hearings to meet the requirements of Rule .0401(5) of Subchapter
97B only during the initial planning when a new multi-year plan is to be
developed.
(b) CAAs funded under
Rule .0108(a)(1) of this Section shall hold one public hearing for review and
comment in each county it serves prior to submission of the Community
Anti-Poverty Plan to the Division of Social Services.
(c) Each grant recipient shall be responsible
for establishing procedures to ensure that the poor are able to participate in
the decisions and activities of the grant recipient. These procedures shall
include provisions for:
(1) Notification for
any board or committee meetings to include the agenda items. These shall be
provided individually to all members of the board and committees in writing at
least five days before the meeting. In addition, notices shall be given to the
local public media and posted in all the grant recipient's neighborhood and
community centers.
(2) Information
about standards of program effectiveness. This information shall be given to
persons in poverty to permit them to plan for and evaluate agency programs and
to set priorities for the use of funds and other resources. Evaluations of
programs and their operation shall consider the views of the poor on the board,
as well as the views of program participants and area residents.
(3) Information and training for board
members about their by-laws, functions, duties, and responsibilities and the
issues that will come before them.
(4) Developing involvement of the poor in
programs administered by the grant recipient. This involvement may be in the
form of a program advisory committee or neighborhood council made up of persons
residing in the county or counties where the grant recipient administers
programs. The committee and council may advise the grant recipient on program
priorities, participate in the development of the grant application, review and
comment on programs and policies, and participate in the evaluation of
programs.
(5) The grant recipient
in the planning process of its Community Anti-Poverty Plan shall annually hold
meetings to ascertain suggestions, recommendations, and priorities for
eliminating poverty from the poor. The grant recipient shall provide
information and training to the residents that are poor to ensure their
involvement in this planning process. The recommendations, suggestions, and
priorities of the residents that are poor shall be reviewed by the board of
directors in its determination of programs to be implemented by the grant
recipient, and will be maintained by the grant recipient for public
inspection.
