And if I could make 284 6/02/03 - Whole/Finance another comment. If we're not able to get the home inspection done through the City, we would look at if we could increase the amount of the settlement grant from eight hundred. At one time it was a thousand dollar grant, and we got a lot more participation from the program. So if people have to put out three or four hundred dollars, they could essentially recoup some of that if the grant amount were higher.
But the beauty of the grant program was that -- the inspection program, it was targeted for inspections. That way, giving them more money doesn't guarantee that they will get the inspection. And it is the inspection that is very important to the process. MS. McCOLLOCK: We want them to have the inspection, if at all possible.
Is it possible for us to have -- If we can't have a full-blown inspection report, if we could just do the general systems, if we could actually have someone go up on that roof and look at that roof, that would assist, you know. 285 6/02/03 - Whole/Finance Because when you talk about an appraisal, that is not done. They see anything that's visible that looks like, or they look at if the flaps that are around the property and things like, that they deem from that whether or not the likelihood of it -- And they may even ask if they see some stains on the wall or something on the side or a closet that's damp, for a roofing certification. But again, if that is not asked, then the client has no information. If there is a mini certification of sorts, something that's less costly, is the other one, you know, a little cheaper, perhaps, with just a general systems. That would work. MS McCOLLOCK: I just think the City is very concerned about the City being in the position of making those sorts of certifications, given the liability issues.
So we just have a way for you to spend $500,000 for this program, right? Because you lost the arbitration. OHCD, you're saying, cannot do it. MS. McCOLLOCK: Correct. 286 6/02/03 - Whole/Finance
Okay. Because one of the questions I had here for you when you come back was the $550,000 of the settlement grants. And since you say that the Community Development Block Grant Fund employees will be responsible for this program, will it need to be monitored by the HUD office? And then you still have the issue of lead paint. MS. McCOLLOCK: Right. Right.
How does that work out? MS. McCOLLOCK: Well, my understanding from the HUD office is, if the program is not funded with Federal funding, then the lead paint issue is not a HUD requirement. In other words, we don't need to do the lead paint inspection to meet Federal guidelines because we're funding it not with Federal money; we're funding it with NTI City money.
But your office will monitor the funding? MS. McCOLLOCK: Yes. 287 6/02/03 - Whole/Finance
If we use NTI funding for the inspection program, why can't you monitor that? Same program. Same dollars. NTI dollars. MS. McCOLLOCK: NTI dollars to...
For the home inspection program. MS. McCOLLOCK: For the home inspection. But to contract it out, do you mean?
Right. MS. McCOLLOCK: Again, I can only answer what the labor attorneys told me, which was that they thought that that would not hold up, given the arbitration.
Well, who monitors the settlement grants? MS. McCOLLOCK: We would monitor -- Well, in terms of the settlement grants, the monitoring of it -- Absent the inspection, is that... I just want to make sure I'm answering correctly. 288 6/02/03 - Whole/Finance
(Nods head in the affirmative.) MS. McCOLLOCK: Just the money flows through OHCD. The counseling agencies counsel the clients. They submit the certification that the client has received the counseling, because it's still -- It would still be a requirement that a client, to receive the settlement grant, got the housing counseling. So that the way it has worked in the past, and that I envision it will continue to work, is that the counseling agency is submitting the request for the settlement grant. And so the way that works is they submit the request, and then it's actually paid out through PHDC, who cuts the check.
Okay. What we'd like to do is leave this open so that we can talk about it at sidebar. MS. McCOLLOCK: Yes.
And not tie up the rest of the hearing. But I think it's important that we try and find a way to do it. 289 6/02/03 - Whole/Finance MS. McCOLLOCK: I understand. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Does the stenographer need a break?