Hickory council approves FY 2024–25 CAPER after regional COG outlines housing shortfall

Hickory — The Hickory City Council on Sept. 2 approved the city’s FY 2024–25 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER), formalizing how federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and related funds were spent during the July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025 program year and receiving a regional housing briefing from the Western Piedmont Council of Governments (COG).

The vote came after a presentation from Annabeth Walker, community development specialist for the City of Hickory, and a data briefing from Anthony Starr, executive director of the Western Piedmont COG. Walker told the council the CAPER documents project expenditures and accomplishments and is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). "As Mr. Wood stated, I will be doing a public hearing on the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report, also known as the CAPER," Walker said during the meeting.

The CAPER the council approved lists the city’s FY 2024–25 CDBG and related outlays, including $31,121.62 for Cliff Teague Park improvements, $124,910.47 for housing rehabilitation that served four low- and moderate‑income homeowners, $1,880 for fair‑housing outreach and $75,736.46 for program administration. The CAPER also records roughly $60,000 in nonprofit public‑service grants distributed to eight local organizations and a $4,000 microenterprise award to Golden Rule Music School for advertising and equipment.

The City and the COG emphasized the CAPER’s programmatic details during the public hearing. Walker described the scope of a recent housing rehab project, listing accessibility and repair work done at a completed home: replacement of a bathroom vanity, flooring, installation of a stand‑up shower, electrical outlet repairs, plumbing replacement, dryer‑duct work and a replaced deck step. When asked by a council member, Walker said the city contracts out rehab work through competitive bidding and awards the work to the lowest responsible bidder.

Anthony Starr placed Hickory’s local numbers in a regional context. "We're an organization that's owned by the 28 local governments in the four‑county area," Starr said, describing the COG’s role administering housing programs and tracking construction. Starr and city staff said the region has seen rising median home prices and rents after several years of limited supply. Starr cited permit data showing single‑family construction rising in recent years and said multifamily activity fluctuates, while the region’s median home price rose from about $125,000 in 2014 to roughly $299,000 in 2025 (MLS median), and per‑square‑foot prices roughly doubled.

Starr and city staff also addressed the Hickory Public Housing Authority transition and Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher) numbers. Western Piedmont COG staff reported that after absorbing the city’s housing authority vouchers, the COG administers about 1,500 vouchers in the region and the added Hickory vouchers (556) would bring the total to roughly 2,000 vouchers; the COG said about half of the previously city‑held vouchers were not actively leased and staff have begun outreach to lease them up. Starr said additional HUD funding was secured to help fully lease the transferred vouchers and estimated the leasing process could take six to 12 months or longer.

Council members and staff described other housing tools and local programs discussed by the COG, including the state tax‑credit program administered by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, the HOME consortium down‑payment assistance, the city’s vacant‑lot discounts for low‑ to moderate‑income homebuilding, a housing rehabilitation program, and partnerships with Habitat for Humanity. Starr recommended zoning and infrastructure policies that allow higher densities and accessory dwelling units where appropriate and emphasized that local regulation and infrastructure are areas cities can control to influence housing supply and affordability.

During the CAPER public hearing Walker listed nonprofit public service recipients and the populations served: Alpha ($7,500, 42 individuals), Exodus Homes ($7,000, 92 residents), Family Care Center ($6,500, 41 individuals), Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club ($7,000, 52 individuals), Hickory Soup Kitchen ($7,000, served 315 meals per day to 190 individuals), Catawba Science Center ($7,000, 61 individuals), Women’s Resource Center ($5,000, 50 individuals), Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry ($7,000, 1,035 individuals) and Council on Adolescents ($6,000, 678 individuals). Walker also said the city’s housing rehab program had completed nine public‑service activities and showed before-and‑after photos for one completed rehab.

The council approved the CAPER by voice vote after hearing no members of the public speak for or against it at the hearing. The council also recognized members of the outgoing Hickory Public Housing Authority Commission — Chair Wes Christopher, Vice Chair Sherry Griffith, Janice Thompson and Gary Fulbright — and presented them with tokens of appreciation during the meeting.

Votes at a glance: during the Sept. 2 meeting the council voted to approve minutes from Aug. 19, to ratify second readings, to approve the consent agenda, and to adopt the FY 2024–25 CAPER. The meeting record indicates each motion carried unanimously; the transcript records the roll calls as voice votes and does not list individual roll‑call tallies.

Looking ahead, Walker told the council the city will continue housing rehabilitation, improvements at Hickory Optimist Park, promotion of its small business loan and microenterprise grant programs, and ongoing nonprofit support for services to people who are homeless or in need. Starr offered to return with the COG’s homelessness response team for a future presentation focused on homelessness‑specific initiatives.

Why this matters: the CAPER is the city’s formal HUD report on how federal CDBG and related dollars were used; it documents local investments in housing rehabilitation, park improvements and nonprofit services and is a required step for continued entitlement funding. Council members and regional staff stressed that increasing housing supply, particularly multifamily units and tax‑credit projects, will be important to stabilizing rent and home‑price increases and meeting demand from a region with an aging workforce and limited natural population growth.

Council members adjourned after brief general comments and public reminders about local events and public‑safety checks.