PARLIER – The city of Parlier will not be joining Fresno County in its program for community development block grants, instead opting to continue independently applying for funds.
This decision goes against a recommendation from Parlier staff and the wishes of Parlier Mayor Alma Beltran and Mayor pro tem Sabrina Rodriguez. At the Parlier City Council meeting Aug. 20, a motion to join the county program failed in a 2-2 vote. Beltran and Rodriguez voted in favor, while Councilmembers Kathy Solorio and Diego Garza were opposed and Councilmember Janie Molina was absent.
Speaking in favor of joining the program, Beltran said that although Parlier used to apply for its own funding, the city does not have the staffing capacity to do so at this time.
“I think that with this partnership, (it) will help us still be able to receive some funding rather than no funding at all, to have those resources for our community as well,” she said.
Urban County Program
The program in question is a Joint Powers Agreement between Fresno County and its cities that wish to enter into the contract. Called the Urban County Program for short, it handles three types of funding issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) and Emergency Solutions Grants.
Managed by the Fresno County Department of Public Works and Planning Community Development Division, the JPA allocates funding from these programs to cities involved based on federal funding the county is entitled to. Under HUD regulations, some jurisdictions across the country automatically receive funding based on population. Smaller cities like Parlier, however, do not.
According to county staff, it has been 20 years since Parlier participated in the program.
Jonathan Avedian and Jennifer Kish Kirkpatrick with the Fresno County Community Development Division visited the Parlier City Council on July 16 to present on the Urban County Program and explain how the JPA works. It is a three-year contract that covers federal fiscal years 2027-2029.
Through the program, cities would receive a formula-based CDBG allocation each year. Avedian said that for 2026-27, Parlier’s would have been approximately $161,000. Avedian said the exact allocation depends on how much the county receives, minus a 20% administration fee that it takes from the entire amount of grant funding it receives from HUD.
County staff then administer the grant, meaning they handle documentation and reporting requirements mandated by the federal government, and the city would also be able to access County HOME funds for development projects.
Beltran and Parlier staff expressed interest in the program in July, but as both Molina and Garza were absent, Beltran said she wanted the full council to be able to weigh in.
Pros and cons
Participation in the Urban County Program would give Parlier easy access to funding that it urgently needs as it faces multiple years of deficits and stagnating revenues.
“To me, it’s a no-brainer in having no money and waiting for the future,” Beltran said. “I mean, we’re not going to hire all these people to be able to manage our grants. So to me, it’s something versus nothing, especially (when) we’re in a deficit.”
Beyond the assurance of getting at least some funding, the Urban County Program cuts down on the administrative burden placed on Parlier city staff.
Beltran said Parlier’s small managerial and finance staff do not have the capacity to fulfill some of the reporting requirements that go along with grant awards. Funding is typically provided on a reimbursement basis only once reports have been submitted, and most grant programs have deadlines for that reimbursement.
If the city does not submit everything required properly or on time, it could be at risk of losing out on the grant and having spent money it doesn’t have.
Some elements of the program that didn’t sit well with Garza, Solorio and some members of the public were the small amount of funding, the 20% administration fee and the length of the program. If Parlier entered the JPA right now, it would not be allowed to leave or pursue other CDBG funding until the three years are up.
“I’m just making sure that we don’t get handcuffed in a contract where we’re going to get less funds if we go this route, because I want to make sure we secure the most funds for our city,” Garza said.
A successful CDBG grant application done through the state’s process could yield the city more than 20 times what it would get through the county program. Depending on the project the city wants to use the funds for, $161,000 may not go very far, and the city may have to save up its grant funding over multiple years before it can actually get any work done.
Rodriguez said that although getting more money would be good for the city, “the fact that we’ve had this issue before, where we weren’t able to maintain some of the grants that we had, I think this might be a better route for us.”
The county’s deadline to submit its qualification package for the grant funding was Aug. 20, the day of the council meeting. Kish Kirkpatrick said the county had already submitted it but received special permission to add in Parlier after the fact if the council voted that night to join the JPA.
With the motion to join failing on a tied vote, the city will not be joining the JPA.
Kish Kirkpatrick said that the council could change its mind next year and still join the JPA for the last two years of the contract.
