SECTION 25.7. Colonia Resident Advisory Committee Duties and Award of Contracts

(a) The Board shall appoint one committee member to represent each of the counties in which a CSHC is located to serve on the C-RAC. The members of the C-RAC shall be selected from lists of candidates submitted to the Department by local nonprofit organizations and the Commissioners Court of the county in which a CSHC is located. Each committee member:

(1) Must be a resident of a Colonia in the county the member represents;

(2) May not be a board member, contractor, or employee of the Administrator;

(3) May not have any ownership interest in an entity that is awarded a Contract under this chapter; and

(4) May not be listed on the federal or state suspended or debarment list and must not be in default on any Department obligation.

(b) The C-RAC members' terms will expire every four years. C-RAC members may be reappointed by the Board; however, the Board shall review and reappoint members at least once every four years. In the event that a C-RAC member is unable to complete the four-year Contract Term, Counties may propose an eligible candidate to be appointed by the Board to fulfill the remainder of the term.

(c) The Department may also select to have an alternate member from the list for each county in the event that the primary member is unable to attend meetings.

(d) The C-RAC shall advise the Board regarding:

(1) The housing needs of Colonia residents;

(2) Appropriate and effective programs that are proposed or are operated through the CSHCs; and

(3) Activities that might be undertaken through the CSHCs to serve the needs of Colonia residents.

(e) The C-RAC shall advise the Office of Colonia Initiatives as provided by §775.005 of the Tex. Gov't Code.

(f) Award of Contracts.

(1) The Department will schedule C-RAC meetings for the review of satisfactorily completed CSHC applications from Administrators. The C-RAC shall meet no less than 30 days prior to the board meeting at which the Board is scheduled to award a CSHC Contract, and may meet at other times as needed.

(2) Any Administrator whose Application is being considered at the C-RAC meeting must be present to answer questions that C-RAC may have.

(3) After the C-RAC makes a recommendation on an Application, the recommendation will then proceed through the Department's award process.

(g) Reimbursement to C-RAC members for their reasonable travel expenses in the manner provided by §25.9(1) of this chapter (relating to Administrative Thresholds) shall be paid by the Administrator or Administrators whose Applications were considered at the meeting.

Source Note: The provisions of this §25.7 adopted to be effective January 2, 2022, 46 TexReg 9009