1. (a) Purpose: The purpose of this community enhancement program is to provide one project to benefit a community in each of the 24 Councils of Governments (COG) regions over the PY 2011/2012 period and beyond if necessary based on available funding. This program is designed to sustain the smallest of the rural communities within Texas. The project must be a community facility project that would have the potential to benefit all citizens with the jurisdiction. It must not involve providing basic infrastructure nor be a recreational project, as determined by TxCDBG staff. The project may include connections to existing infrastructure. (A community center could hold recreational activities or events within the facility.) The community facilities must provide a benefit that will enhance the overall quality of life in the rural community. (While the project to be funded may not be considered a recreational project, the design may provide for an incidental amount of recreational facilities that would be constructed using other sources of funding in another future phase. The initial phase funded under this program may not include construction of any recreational facilities.)
2. (b) Amount available for each COG region and each award: $250,000. If a city has as part of its application a resolution in support of the project from the county where it is located, the maximum application amount, and amount available to the region, will be $300,000. (A county that meets the LMI percentage requirement that is submitting an application on its own behalf may receive up to $300,000.) The TxCDBG staff will select at random the initial regions that may apply in PY 2011. The remaining regions would be the eligible applicants in PY 2012 and subsequent program years, if necessary based on available funding.
3. (c) Source of funding. Funding will be provided from deobligated funds, program income, or other external sources.
4. (d) Eligibility requirements. The applicant must meet the Low and Moderate Income (LMI) national objective for its entire jurisdiction (at least 51 percent LMI). The TxCDBG may establish other national objective criteria. Additional requirements may be specified in the application. The applicant must demonstrate that it has the financial resources to sustain the operation and maintenance of the facility.
5. (e) Pre-application. The applicant must submit a pre-application for initial eligibility determination. Application will be by invitation to those entities that meet the pre-application eligibility requirements. Additional details and requirements may be established in the pre-application and application.

6. (f) Selection factors--80 points maximum:

   1. (1) Low and Moderate Income (LMI) percentage of the applicant--Compare each applicant's low and moderate income percentage to all other applicants in the region--up to 20 points maximum. (A higher LMI percentage would score higher. The applicant's LMI percentage is divided by the base amount for the entire region and then multiplied by the maximum possible score of 20, provided the product may not exceed 20 points. The base amount is the average (mean) of the LMI of all the applicants in the region multiplied by a factor 1.25.)

   2. (2) Location in the most rural areas--maximum of 20 points.

      1. (A) Projects that benefit cities with populations equal to or under 1,500 or counties with populations, after excluding metropolitan cities, that are equal to or under 30,000--20 points.
      2. (B) Projects that benefit cities with populations equal to or under 2,500 (but over 1,500) or counties with populations, after excluding metropolitan cities, that are equal to or under 50,000 (but over 30,000)--18 points.
      3. (C) Projects that benefit cities with populations equal to or less than 5,000 (but over 2,500) or counties with populations, after excluding metropolitan cities, that are equal to or under 75,000 (but over 50,000)--15 points.
      4. (D) Projects that benefit cities with populations equal to or under 10,000 (but over 5,000) or counties with populations, after excluding metropolitan cities, that are equal to or under 100,000 (but over 75,000)--10 points.
      5. (E) Populations will be determined by TxCDBG based on the latest Census or HUD data available.
   3. (3) No other comparable facilities available. If there are no other comparable facilities, as determined by TxCDBG staff, within the applicant's jurisdiction--20 points.

   4. (4) Leveraging--projects with committed funds from other entities including funding agencies, local governments, or businesses--20 points possible.

      1. (A) If applicant(s) population is equal to or less than 2,500 according to the latest decennial Census: For match equal to or greater than 2.5% of grant request--20 points;
      2. (B) If applicant(s) population is equal to or less than 5,000 but over 2,500 according to the latest decennial Census: For match equal to or greater than 5% of grant request--20 points;
      3. (C) If applicant(s) population is equal to or less than 10,000 but over 5,000 according to the latest decennial Census: For match equal to or greater than 10% of grant request--20 points; or
      4. (D) If applicant(s) population over 10,000 according to the latest decennial Census: For match equal to or greater than 15% of grant request--20 points.
   5. (5) Tie-breaker in a region--A tie between multiple applications shall be broken based on the per capita income ranking, with a lower per capita income level ranking higher, followed by a second tie-breaker, if needed, of the highest poverty rate ranking higher, followed by a third tie-breaker, if needed, of the highest annual unemployment rate ranking higher.

Source Note:The provisions of this §30.11 adopted to be effective September 11, 2011, 36 TexReg 5676; transferred effective October 1, 2011, as published in the Texas Register December 23, 2011, 36 TexReg 9011.