City of Pasco planning staff presented a summary of the draft 2025–2029 Tri‑Cities consolidated plan and the 2025 action plan, noting the document is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for jurisdictions that receive Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships funds.

Steph, a city planning staff member, told the commission, "The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires cities receiving Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership funds to prepare a five‑year consolidated plan." She said the plan lays out goals, priorities and funding strategies and that the current plan expired Dec. 31, 2024.

The presentation said the Tri‑Cities consortium estimates about $4,000,000 for Pasco over the five‑year period, with roughly $3,300,000 for CDBG programs and about $700,000 for HOME activities. Staff described outreach used to shape the plan, including six hybrid consultation sessions on Sept. 5–6, virtual staff focus groups on Sept. 10–11, and a community survey open Aug. 15–Sept. 20. Cloudburst was named as a consultant that helped coordinate the process across Kennewick, Pasco and Richland.

Nut graf: The consolidated plan sets federal program priorities and eligibility guidance that will determine how federal housing and community development dollars are spent locally; commissioners pressed staff to make the application definitions clearer so applicants understand how projects will be scored.

Several commissioners raised concerns about applicant confusion and outreach. One commissioner noted many organizations apply without understanding HUD definitions for eligible activities and suggested adding clearer definitions and pre‑application meetings so applicants know how scoring will be applied. Staff said the application will be revised and that, for first‑time applicants or organizations unfamiliar with federal funds, the city can require a sit‑down meeting with administration staff before accepting an application.

Because the planning commission did not have a quorum and there were no members of the public present, the commission did not take formal action on the consolidated plan; staff closed the public hearing as a workshop and said all comments from the meeting would be incorporated into the draft. Staff told commissioners they will return next month for a formal recommendation to the City Council, at which time the commission may vote to forward the plan to council for approval.

Ending: Staff asked commissioners to forward any additional written corrections before next month. The city will re‑advertise and complete required public‑participation steps before sending a final recommendation to the City Council.